Brad Hornung’s dream of following in his father’s footsteps and playing the National Hockey League was paused when he was paralyzed from the neck down at 18 years old after being injured in a Western Hockey League game in 1987. At the time, Hornung had 32 goals and 34 assists in 61 games and was expected to be drafted by an NHL team that summer.
Hornung excelled at a young age, helping the Regina Pat Canadians reach the final of the 1985 Air Canada Cup midget national championship as one of the tournament’s leading scorers. A year later, he was selected to be the captain of Team West – an all-star team of the top players from Saskatchewan and Manitoba – at the Esso Cup international hockey tournament.
His injury was a national story and prompted serious discussions about improving safety in the game and the adoption of a new checking-from-behind penalty in the WHL.
The WHL renamed their Most Sportsmanlike Player award after Hornung saying: “In his two years with the Regina Pats, Brad Hornung combined talent, desire and an unmistakable sportsmanlike attitude. This award will honour other players who display the same attributes.” It was first awarded in 1988 and Hornung was there to present the award himself, as he would do several times afterwards.
Hornung would reach the NHL, working for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2001 to 2004 as a scout. In 2002 he finally got to attend the NHL Draft in person in his role with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years in 2010 with seven players from Western Canada on their team that played in the WHL while Hornung was a scout. Hornung also worked as a scout with NHL Central Scouting.
Support for people with disabilities were minimal in the post-secondary system at the time but Hornung wasn’t afraid to try emerging technologies. He used a new, experimental voice recognition technology that helped him take notes, finish assignments and complete exams. He graduated from the University of Regina with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1996. The university also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 2018 for his courage and perseverance.
He used voice-recognition software to file his reports from his room at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, allowing him to pass along what he was seeing from the prospects playing in the WHL.
Shortly after his death, The Brad Hornung Accommodations Test Centre was unveiled at the U of R as a legacy of his ambition to make the campus more accessible.
Hornung passed away at the age of 52 on February 8, 2022, after a short battle with cancer.
Installed in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on September 20, 2025.
