CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Friday that Bob Nicholson will be stepping down as the organization’s president and chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2014.

Nicholson, a native of Penticton, B.C., has been at the helm of Hockey Canada since 1998, overseeing all elements of the organization, including hockey development programs, high performance programs, corporate sales and marketing, licensing, insurance and regulations, and communications. 

During Nicholson’s time as president and CEO of Hockey Canada, Canada’s national teams have won 76 medals at world championships, Olympics and World Cups, including 44 gold medals. 

Nicholson, 60, also played a leadership role in the staging of the 1999 Molson Open Ice Hockey Summit, the 2010 Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit and the implementation or growth of numerous development programs that came out of those events, such as the Hockey Canada Skills Academy program, the Initiation Program, teaching resources, safety and grassroots initiatives. On the international stage, Nicholson serves as a vice-president with the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Nicholson and his wife Lorna have two daughters, Mandi and Marijean, and one son, Grant. 

“I have mixed emotions in making this announcement, as it marks an end to an extraordinary part of my life, but I think the time is right for me personally to step down,” said Nicholson. “I want to thank the Hockey Canada Board of Directors, the volunteers and the staff of Hockey Canada for their support over the past 16 years. The hockey family is a close one, so I have many colleagues and friends around the world that have also played a large part in my life; I also want to thank them. Finally and most importantly, I want to thank my wife, Lorna, and my children, Mandi, Marijean and Grant, who have been by my side for this entire journey.”

“On behalf of the board of Hockey Canada, but also on behalf of the millions of Canadians involved in the game of hockey, I want to thank Bob Nicholson for his outstanding service to our organization, and also to hockey in Canada and around the world,” said Jim Hornell, chairman of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “I would personally like to wish Bob well in his future endeavours, and thank him for a legacy of success and professionalism that he has helped grow at Hockey Canada.”

The Hockey Canada Board of Directors will establish a process and timeline for the naming of a new president and CEO over the coming months.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hockeycanada.