Players from WDHL teams donated $6,000 of the total.
Former Southwest Denver Oldtimers Hockey League player and longtime DAWG Nation supporter Mike “Sully” Sullivan was presented with a check for $20,000 from DAWG Nation at the foundation’s “Hocktoberfest” event in late November.
Sullivan, who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, was a early victim of COVID-19 in 2020, then underwent two knee replacement surgeries. As a result, he was unable to work for a long period of time. (His employer, Ball Arena, was closed for a period of time during the pandemic, which added to Sullivan’s financial issues, DAWG Nation CEO Marty Richardson said.)
West Denver Hockey League teams organized a “Pass the Hat” campaign during October and November games, prompted by a suggestion from “Bout Time” goalie Mike Potts-Morgan’s, to help fund part of the Sullivan contribution. Contributions from players among the league’s eight teams, according to DAWG Nation CEO Marty Richardson, was approximately $6,000. The “Old Dawgs” team gave the most of all winter season teams.
Since 2011, the DAWG Nation Hockey Foundation has made $3.5 million in direct contributions to injured hockey players and their families, according to the group’s website.
