Willie O'Ree Award winner to be announced before Game 2 of West Final

Winners of the 2020 NHL Awards presented by Las Vegas will be announced throughout the 2020 conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.
The winner of the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award will be revealed Tuesday by NBCSN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports during the pregame show for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. The game starts at 8 p.m.
Here is a look at the three finalists:

Dampy Brar of Calgary, Alexandria Briggs-Blake of Oxon Hill, Maryland, and John Haferman of Columbus are the three finalists for the third annual Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award.
O'Ree, the NHL Diversity Ambassador and a 2018 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, and his committee chose the finalists from a pool of 10 semifinalists based on their demonstration of leadership, collaboration and behavior that has improved lives and helped others reach their potential.
The award is presented to the person who best utilizes hockey as a platform to help people build character and develop important life skills for a more positive family experience.
Brar, who played professionally in the International Hockey League and West Coast Hockey League, mentors, coaches and teaches hockey to kids and started an initiative with his partner, Lali Toor, called Apna Hockey. The program provides support to South Asian and other ethnic players, connects the community, highlights players and parents and spreads information.
In 2018, Brar also worked with Hayley Wickenheiser and the Wickfest team to bring the first women's ice hockey team from India to Canada. He traveled with the team and provided mentorship, and Apna Hockey held coaching sessions for the team. Last year, Brar flew to Leh Ladakh, India, located in the Himalayas, to attend their ice hockey championships and took his initiative internationally. He is a huge advocate of girls playing hockey since ethnic girls are even more unlikely to be put in hockey. Brar continues to play hockey in the Heritage League and leads it in scoring. This summer, he was scheduled to go to Europe for the World Masters Ball Hockey tournament as a member of Team Canada before it was postponed due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
As president of the Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization (TRPHO), Briggs-Blake led her community in an effort to rebuild Tucker Road Ice Rink located in Southern Prince George's County, Maryland. The home to a predominantly African American ice hockey team that she pushed to start six years ago was ruined by a fire in January 2017. Many players left to join other teams with 10-15 remaining in the program, which Briggs-Blake vowed to keep on the ice at other rinks when their home ice rink was closed due to the fire. A new Tucker Road Ice Rink has been completely funded and construction has begun with plans for completion by February 2021. Through Park & Planning, each Tucker Road Ducks player pays only $250.00 in registration fees per season, when TRPHO provides a full set of equipment to any player who needs it. If a family is not able to pay, TRPHO makes it work anyway and welcomes every player with open arms.
In the past year, Tucker Road Ice Rink was able to receive full funding from the County Council, local beneficiaries, friends and communities. With only a few players continuing with the program after the fire, Briggs-Blake has made it her mission to spread the message of hockey and recruit new players to the Tucker Road Ducks.
Haferman is co-founder of the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, a program through Columbus Recreation and Parks that builds community and develops life and leadership skills in kids from some of the city's most diverse and underserved populations. More than 30,000 kids, many of whom would never have the chance to see or experience hockey in their lives, are brought together through the program to develop core values to use for the rest of their lives. The demographic of CIHC, which includes kids of every race and socio-economic background and the large percentage female players of any league in the state, is a microcosm of America, and Haferman's leadership develops kids into citizens who often, in turn, give back to their community.
CIHC provides programming conditioning, academic support, violence prevention and community service. Haferman's commitment is to develop his players as people first on and off the ice. He provides ice, equipment, mentorship, transportation, food and family. As a result, many have secured college scholarships, become leaders in their community and even return to the club to be mentors for younger players. Haferman has used hockey as a tool for learning to overcome and cope with adversity and has allowed children who may feel lost to have a safe home to grow.
Haferman's hockey reach extends to every corner of Central Ohio and beyond. He uses hockey to build equality within communities, including wounded veterans, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ populations and more. In 2019, Haferman partnered with local sled and special-needs hockey programs teamed up to offer a Try Hockey For Free clinic designed for individuals with visual impairments, resulting in a new hockey group for sight-impaired skaters.