U13 - HL U13-4

Brock McGillis events for NGHA - Session 1

Hi teams, Our 2 evenings with Brock McGillis are next week! We’ve opened up both sessions to all players, coaches and family members at u13 and above.

@ Main Hall, Walter Baker Sports Centre

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Event details:

Location: Main Hall, Walter Baker Sports Centre, 100 Malvern Dr, Barrhaven

Date: December 16 (U13 & above) and December 18 (U13 & above)

Time: Doors open at 7:15pm and the event will start at 7:30, lasting approximately 90 minutes

Participant: This event is geared to players, and we would welcome coaches and parents to attend

Availability: The venue can accommodate 195 participants, therefore, we’ve created a Google Sheet to track numbers, prioritizing players and coaches first. Please complete the sheet by December 11^th at 9pm. After this, we would be pleased to offer available spaces to other team members and parents, as available.

We strongly encourage teams to participate in these events - Brock is a sought after speaker and is sponsored on the Ottawa leg of his tour by our very own Ottawa Senators!

Please add this event to your TeamSnap (or other team app).

Important: Please view this event as a team-building session, not an open presentation. For the session to have a positive and lasting impact on team culture, we need the majority of each team’s athletes in attendance (e.g. ~70% or ~ 11 players). 

Please find additional information below about Brock and the Shiftmakers Program, Brock’s partnerships, results, awards and recognition, and promotional materials.

Kind regards,

The NGHA Executive

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Brock McGillis made sports history as the first openly gay man to play professional hockey.
When he came out publicly, he transformed a personal challenge into a mission of leadership and hope. By standing firm in his identity with integrity and courage, he showed that honesty and bravery can triumph—both on and off the ice.

Brock transitioned from athlete to speaker, advocate, and media personality. His commitment to personal authenticity sparked a movement across the hockey world, leading to the creation of Shiftmakers, a program that rallies people to be “Shiftmakers” in their own communities.

• In 2023, Brock founded Shiftmakers and visited 100 hockey teams in 100 days across Canada.
• In 2024-2025, he expanded to 225 teams across North America, with plans to continue growing annually.

His message is simple: By reengineering how people define bravery, challenging them to act, and creating psychologically safe spaces, everyone can thrive.

Rather than lecturing about differences, Brock rallies people to make shifts. He believes society is strongest when every person feels they belong.

In every space he enters, Brock exemplifies strength, character, and personal growth—showing that authenticity can spark change.

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Shiftmakers Program

Shiftmakers is about reimagining locker rooms as inclusive, welcoming spaces where every player feels valued, respected, and safe to be their authentic self.
By centering belonging, we empower athletes to see that inclusion is not just a value—but an active responsibility that strengthens the culture of the game and the people within it.

Brock visits over 250 hockey teams in 200 days across North America to humanize the impact of language, behaviors, and attitudes—and to rally teams to create meaningful shifts.

The Program Framework

The Shiftmakers Program is built around three core pillars:

1. Humanize
2. The Environment We Create
3. Breaking Conformity

Through honest, in-room conversations, players are challenged to:

• Lead with empathy
• Act with courage
• Stand up for one another

This means being brave enough to challenge harmful language, reject toxic behaviors, and openly express how they feel.

Program Focus Areas

The Shiftmakers Program explores:

• Mental health and well-being as foundational pillars
• Anti-bullying, allyship, and accountability
• The impact of language, behavior, and attitudes on team culture
• Respecting and affirming everyone—including LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC communities, women, and other historically excluded groups—to create true belonging

Beyond the Rink

These lessons extend well beyond hockey. Players carry them into their schools, peer groups, workplaces, and communities, using their social influence to foster safer, braver spaces in every area of society.

About Brock McGillis & Partnerships

Founded by former professional hockey player Brock McGillis, the Shiftmakers Tour has reached over 300 teams across North America—from minor hockey to the NHL.

Brock has partnered with:

• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Calgary Flames
• Ottawa Senators
• Seattle Kraken
• Chicago Blackhawks

And with corporate and league partners, including:

• Canadian Tire Jumpstart
• Air Canada
• The NHL and NHLPA

Together, these partnerships are helping build locker rooms and teams where every player feels part of something bigger.

The Results

The impact is clear:

• Tighter team bonds
• Stronger culture
• Players who know how to show up for one another

This program is saving lives, fostering empathy, and creating safer environments for all.

Attached below are materials that showcase this impact:

Testimonials

• Google Presentation

Survey Results

• Dropbox Folder

Sizzle Reels

• Ottawa Senators
• Chicago Blackhawks

Brock’s Awards and Recognitions

Brock’s influence extends beyond the ice. His advocacy and storytelling have earned him international recognition, including:

• Named one of The Hockey News’ 100 Most Influential People in Hockey (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
• Recipient of the Herbert Carnegie Trailblazer Award (2023)
• Honored as one of Queerty’s Pride50: 50 LGBTQ+ People of the Year (2024)
• Recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Award