O'Ree Award finalist spotlight: Doug Grandy

The Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by Discover in the United States and Hyundai in Canada is given to an individual who, through hockey, has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society. The award honors O'Ree, the former NHL forward who became the first Black player to play in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958, and has spent more than two decades as the NHL's diversity ambassador. After a public voting period and votes from O'Ree, NHL executives and Discover executives, one winner from the United States and one from Canada will be announced in June.

Today, a look at one of three Canada finalists: Doug Grandy.

When Doug Grandy sees girls walking into local rinks in Fredericton, New Brunswick, he thinks back to sister's hockey experience growing up.

"She was the captain of the high school team," Grandy said, "and all of the (stuff) that she had to go through, like the boys making fun of her and when she played in the boys league, they were hitting her and it was not welcoming. And you would think that over the years that has passed, but it hasn't."

Grandy set out to do something about it more than a year ago when he co-founded Rink Rebels, a program designed to expand opportunities for girls to experience hockey in an environment built on inclusion, encouragement and belonging. Girls of all levels gather on and off the ice, train and develop, and strive to reduce the barriers that make it a challenge to play the sport they love.

"Here, they play the game, but they learn the tools for life here," Grandy said. "It builds confidence for outside. We teach them how to carry themselves, how to work under pressure, so when they leave here, it's not just, 'I'm here playing hockey.' It's who I can be outside of the rink when they step into real life. It gives them that ability to say, 'Yeah, I can do this.'"

For his efforts, Grandy was nominated for the 2026 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by Hyundai. The 43-year-old firefighter said the nomination is especially meaningful to him because the award is named after a hometown hero. O'Ree was born and raised in Fredericton and became the first Black player in the NHL when he debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958.

"Knowing a lot about Willie and about his past, just from being in the city here and even being spoken beside his name, is an honor," Grandy said. "The way he broke through barriers, made more places accessible for all kinds of people, is kind of the same thing that we're doing here with the girls. We're just trying just trying to create a better path in this corner of the world."

The father of two hockey-playing daughters, Grandy said he and Rink Rebels co-founder Ryan Burns were frustrated by a hockey landscape and infrastructure that seemed to work against girls. Though Hockey Canada set a record with more than 115,000 girls participating in the sport nationwide last season, they still face significant hurdles like poor ice times for practices and games and few outlets for recreational players.

"We would be last for ice times," Grandy said of girls' hockey in his community. "Boys' AAA, AA, would secure all of the prime-time ice. I found a lot of girls who were coming to play inside our local association had to go outside the city or had to travel a little bit farther than what the boys would because our ice times were not good, and it just didn't seem equal."

Rink Rebels derives its name from rebellion, which Grandy said is what's needed to achieve balance and fairness in hockey.

"I have watched Doug in different areas fight for girls to have the opportunities that boys do," said Kate Hunter, a parent and volunteer. "I have seen him go and try to find funding. I've been in the room when he has gone to the city and fought for more ice time for girls. 'We're just as important. We deserve this.' He fought for it and got it."

Grandy played elite level hockey growing up and like many a movement, Rink Rebels started small, in his garage where he converted his home gym into a hockey shooting range complete with synthetic ice for girls to practice their shots.

"A lot of girls struggle shooting, so I was like, 'OK, I've been around hockey a long time. I know how to shoot. I can teach it,'" Grandy said. "I quickly learned that the girls were there to shoot and learn, but they also want to talk about themselves, about their ideas, how they feel about all of the things that they want to talk about when it comes to hockey and life. And it really turned into more of a mentorship than shooting."

Today, Rink Rebels boasts nearly 800 participants and has grown beyond Grandy's garage. Last month, they hosted a 47-team girls tournament, one of the largest in Atlantic Canada, as part of their spring programming.

The program also participated in the 2026 Capital Cup, an annual female spring hockey tournament hosted by St. Thomas University at Willie O'Ree Place.

"Doug and Ryan both are doing a great job with that and expanding opportunities here in the greater Fredericton area," St. Thomas women's hockey coach Peter Murphy said. "Doug and Ryan both are doing a great job with that and expanding opportunities here in the greater Fredericton area."