Dennis Sullivan, MD, a surgeon at Central Maine Healthcare Orthopedics, is the recipient of the 2025 Dr. Alan Ashare Excellence in Safety Award. The USA Hockey award recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to make hockey safer for all participants.
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Sullivan has dedicated significant time to athletes who compete at the highest level within USA Hockey, in addition to practicing as a surgeon.
Dr. Sullivan has been the team physician for the U.S. Under-17 Select Team 23 times at the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. He’s also worked for U.S. teams at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Deutschland Cup and the IIHF Men’s World Championship, among other events. Dr. Sullivan also served as the team physician for the Portland Pirates from 1994-2008.
“Dr. Sullivan is a very experienced and knowledgeable hockey doctor,” said Mike Stuart, MD, chief medical and safety officer for USA Hockey. “He’s also very dedicated to USA Hockey, and he’s a very dependable, reliable, valuable addition to our USA Hockey teams internationally.”
Dr. Sullivan said sharing in his teams’ successes has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
“There’s no better feeling than seeing Team USA lining up on the rink for The Star-Spangled Banner after we’ve won a game in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, and knowing you were a part of keeping them on the ice,” Dr. Sullivan said.
Dr. Sullivan currently specializes in shoulder and knee surgery at Central Maine Healthcare Orthopedics.
USA Hockey created the award in 2005 and presents it annually in June at the USA Hockey President’s Awards Dinner during the USA Hockey Annual Meeting. It was renamed in 2024 to honor Ashare, who passed away on July 5, 2023, at 85 years old. Ashare was the chair of the USA Hockey Safety and Protective Committee for 25 seasons, and co-chair of the committee for seven seasons after.
Central Maine Healthcare Orthopedics offers a full spectrum of treatments and services – from fracture care and casting for broken bones to surgery and rehabilitation – allowing them to deliver comprehensive, whole-person care, all from one location, to help patients get back to the activities they love. The facility is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and organized to support an unmatched level of multidisciplinary care.
Photo: (left)Kevin Margarucci, manager of player safety for USA Hockey, Dennis Sullivan, MD (photo courtesy Tom Kimmell)