About HDA

The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) is a trailblazing organization committed to fostering inclusivity, combating discrimination, and advancing diversity within the hockey community.

Founded by a coalition of passionate current and former professional hockey players, the HDA aims to drive positive change by addressing systemic issues and promoting a more equitable and diverse sport.

Founders

HDA Founders

Advisory Board

Our trusted advisory team of legal and cultural change makers.

Ted Frankel

Partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Ted is a lawyer with experience representing a wide variety of clients in the sports world throughout his two-decade long career. In 2013, Ted was selected as one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40, and in 2017, he received the designation of Qualified Arbitrator (Q. Arb) from the ADR Institute of Canada.

Ben Meiselas

Media Entrepreneur and Lawyer

Ben co-founded the MeidasTouch Network and Engine Vision Media (the parent company of Los Angeles Magazine and other holdings). Meiselas also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California School of Law. He is a partner at Geragos & Geragos, APC.

Rico Phillips

Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion at Ontario Hockey League

Rico is currently the Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion for the Ontario Hockey League. He is a member of the NHL Coaches Association BIPOC Program and the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association EDI Committee. Rico has worked as an on-ice official since 1986 and founded the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program. He was awarded the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award by the NHL in 2019.

Glen Lewis

Senior Legal Counsel | Legal and Regulatory Compliance | BMO Financial Group

Glen is a commercial lawyer with over 20 years of experience. He sits on the Leadership Council of the Black Professional Network at BMO, the University of Toronto Sports Management Committee, and the Black Opportunity Fund Risk Management Sub-Committee. Glen has worked with Sportsnet to produce a new D&I Educational program for minor hockey participants

What We Support

HDA is at the forefront of anti-discriminatory advocacy within the hockey community.

GOHL

HDA’s impact extends to grassroots levels, reaching thousands of kids in underserved communities through free access to ice and ball hockey programs.

Education Programs

Beyond providing access to the game, HDA offers workshops, skills training, and education supports like HDAtv.

Social Initiatives

HDA stands as a beacon of change within the hockey community, actively promoting a sport that reflects the richness of its global fanbase.

Scholarships

Through the Time to Dream Foundation, youth can receive moral, financial and hands on training to help them reach their ultimate potential—in sports and all areas of life.