OCN Blizzard Head Coach/GM Doug Hedley is being inducted into the Brandon University Athletics Wall of Fame this coming fall.
A former MJHL coach of the year, Hedley has a long history of hockey success including an impressive run with the Bobcats. The Sandy Lake, Man. product had a solid first year with the men’s hockey team in 1977-78. He was named the team’s rookie of the year and led the Great Plains Athletic Conference with 20 goals.
Hedley’s fourth season was his finest as he helped guide the Bobcats to the GPAC championship, while being ranked #1 in Canada. He was third in team scoring and finished sixth in league scoring with 14 goals and 42 points. Following his career at BU, Hedley joined the coaching ranks and has spent over 20 years behind the bench at various levels.
In 2000-01, he led the Nipawin Hawks to a runner-up finish for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship.
He also served as co-coach of the SJHL Selects who competed in the prestigious Camrose Viking Cup in 1999 and 2001 in Alberta. Hedley’s SJHL squad won the 1999 championship in a tournament that featured the top junior teams from around the world.
Hedley later made his way to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League where he was named coach of the year in 2009 with the OCN Blizzard. Hedley returned behind the OCN bench in 2016-17 and led the Blizzard to a spot in the Turnbull Cup Final.
He also had a coaching run in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League with the Parkland Rangers. In 2015, he prepared the team to host the 2015 western regional championship.
Hedley also played a key role as event coordinator of the RBC Cup National Junior ‘A’ Hockey Championship in Dauphin in 2010.
The Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame is located on the second level of BU’s Healthy Living Centre. The display features team pictures, artifacts, and uniforms from past teams and athletes of Brandon University and Brandon College. Tickets for the Wall of Fame brunch on Saturday, October 14 at the Victoria Inn Imperial Ballroom can be purchased from the Customer Service Centre at the Healthy Living Centre for $50. Tables of eight can be reserved for $350, and those travelling from outside of Brandon can reserve tickets by calling (204) 727-7354
