Lanny McDonald's hero while growing up was his father who taught him the value of hard work on the family farm in Craigmyle, Alberta. He was the youngest of four children and was raised with a profound sense of family and community. Lanny learned to skate at the age of five and after years of minor hockey, he left home at age 16 to pursue his hockey dream.  He was soon high on the list of NHL scouts who always pointed to three qualities when they described him; a great shot, a good skater, and tough as nails.

Lanny was the Toronto Maple Leaf's first choice, 4th overall, in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft and played almost seven seasons for the team. His great play earned him an invitation to Team Canada for the 1976 Canada Cup. He played in five games and assisted on the series-winning overtime goal against Czechoslovakia.  Lanny was a tough, clean player, earning him a spot on the NHL's Second All-Star team in 1977. He also played in the 1978 All-Star Game and was a member of the NHL group that played the Soviet National Team in the Challenge Cup series in 1979 to replace that year's All-Star Game.

Lanny was once again chosen to play for Canada at the 1981 World Hockey Championships and happily returned home to Alberta when he was traded to the Calgary Flames by the Colorado Rockies that same year, after playing two seasons. He gave the Flames the best hockey of his career and recorded a career-high 66 goals in the regular season and 98 points in the 1982-83 season. He was selected for the second time to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1983 and was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The 1988-89 season was a banner year for Lanny when he won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for exemplifying leadership qualities on and off the ice and making a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in the community; scored his 1,000th point on March 7, 1989; scored his 500th goal on March 21, 1989; and signed off a 16-year career by scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens to help the Flames win their first and only Stanley Cup in 1989.

Lanny was the first player in Flames franchise history to have his jersey number retired on March 17, 1990 and served as Vice-President with the Flames organization following his retirement. Lanny was named General Manager of Team Canada in the 2001 and 2002 World Championship and was the Director of Player Personnel when Canada won the Gold medal at the 2004 World Championship.

Lanny is always first in line when someone needs help, and the Special Olympics movement has been his special interest since 1974. His involvement with Special Olympics and his work with the Alberta Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals earned him the first ever Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award from the Flames for his charitable efforts. Beyond his hockey career, Lanny has shown loyalty and commitment for numerous causes, and for that reason, he is a true Canadian hero.