BC HOCKEY AWARDS: DEVELOPMENT AWARD - COACHING, DOUG BODNER
By MARIO ANNICCHIARICO
Times have certainly changed for Doug Bodner, but his desire to coach and mentor remains the same.
“I mean, when I first started doing coaching clinics, you had these huge binders that you had to cart around with you and they had the overhead projectors. So, you took these plastic pages and laid them down and flashed them up on the screen. But yeah, we’ve come a long way,” said Bodner, speaking to his coaching clinics.
Bodnar, of Mission, is this year’s recipient of BC Hockey’s Development Award – Coaching. The award is for service to the National Coaches Certification Program (NCCP) in BC Hockey. The purpose of this award is to annually acknowledge outstanding service by a volunteer who has devoted his or her time to assist coaching within BC Hockey.
“I have to admit, I was surprised. Pleasantly, but surprised,” Bodner said of the honour. “There are so many guys out there and probably a few that are more deserving, but I will accept it with all the humbleness that I can master.
“I’ve been doing this for quite a while and I've been fortunate enough to work with a number of guys that I know have been around as long, if not longer, and so to be singled out from that group is, again, very humbling,” added Bodner, who first began presenting Level I clinics back in 1993.
At 72 years of age, Bodner’s seen and experienced it all. He is a Development 1 certified coach who also holds High Performance 1 and Coach 2 trained designations. He is also a NCCP-trained coach evaluator and learning facilitator.
During the 2025–26 season, he used his NCCP training to support BC Hockey’s coaching program by mentoring coaches pursuing their own certifications–-he facilitated multiple in-person Development 1 clinics, marked more than 30, Development 1 written assignments, and conducted four in-person practice evaluations. At the local level, he also supported coach development while serving as Mission Minor Hockey Association’s (MMHA) head coach and coach mentor.
He first began coaching at the age of 18 and the first clinic he ever attended as a participant was back in 1974.
“It was great…you got more from the guys that you attended [the clinics] with. Not to diminish the instructors we had in those days, but you got to sit around with the other coaches, going through the same thing you were going through, so there was a great exchange of ideas and that was the educational part.”
His coaching career included two stints at the BC Winter Games, and his teams have competed in numerous provincials. He’s also previously taken on the role of president of the MMHA.
Over the years he has also received numerous messages from coaches saying how much they’ve enjoyed the clinics.
“So, again, hockey has been extremely good to me. It's been highlights. I guess I wouldn't have done it this long if there weren’t,” said Bodner, who continues with his work. “I still do evaluations. You'll find when you get to a certain vintage, time has no real meaning anymore.”
But the game and sharing the knowledge will never lose its importance for Bodner.