by Tyson Giuriato

From playing inline hockey on the beaches of the Turks and Caicos Islands to playing in the 2013 World Sport School Challenge, it’s been quite the journey for Oliver Wolf.

Located southeast of the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands is a small British Overseas Territory that doesn’t exactly scream ice hockey. In fact, the game is non-existent; the closest arena is about 600 miles away in the state of the Florida.

With temperatures that rarely dip below 18 ͦC and remarkable sandy beaches, the island of Providenciales – the largest of the Turks and Caicos Islands – is a dream vacation for some and a great place to grow up for others, such as Wolf, who moved to the island when he was four years old.

“Living in Providenciales was incredible,” said Wolf. “Just the environment itself was something else, always sunny, beautiful beaches and always something to do.”

With no ice hockey on the island, Wolf started playing inline hockey when he was six years old in the newly-formed Provo Hockey League and worked his way up to eventually play for the Turks Islanders national inline team for three seasons. The 17-year-old was captain of the Islanders for two seasons and got to travel to cities like Atlanta, Ga., and Raleigh, N.C., to compete in tournaments.

Although Wolf was enjoying the inline game, he wanted the experience of playing on ice, and at age 15 that was something that he and his parents started taking seriously.

After some research, the family discovered the Banff Hockey Academy, nestled in the Rocky Mountains in Banff, Alta. After an online interview with BHA president Billy Doherty, Wolf decided to head to Toronto for two weeks and partake in Roger Neilson’s Hockey Camp. This wasn’t the first time Wolf had been on the ice, having skated the odd time in a public skating environment; however, it was the first time playing ice hockey.

“I wanted to see how I would handle the transition from inline to ice and make my final decision on whether or not to go to Banff,” said Wolf. “The first time I stepped on the ice at the camp I was like ‘What did I get myself into?’

“I handled it well and was in Banff that September.”

With his family still residing in Providenciales, Wolf visits the island in the off-season and around Christmas. He says hockey has come a long way since he was a kid, when it was just a few people getting together to play ball hockey at some old tennis courts.

“Eventually so many people were playing they created an inline league and built a facility for us,” said Wolf. “It’s grown so much over the years and has become a part of the island now.

“The most popular sport on the island is soccer for sure, but hockey is a close second.”

Like most of the players competing at the World Sport School Challenge, Wolf will look to catch the eye of scouts in attendance in hopes of continuing his hockey career.

“I’ve always wanted to play hockey at a higher level,” Wolf said. “My dream is to play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport one day.”

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada and its Members have published a Tracking Maltreatment in Sanctioned Hockey report, which includes nation-wide data collected during the 2022-23 season from two independent complaint management mechanisms and all rules in Section 11 of the Hockey Canada Playing Rules.

The information contained in this report is an important step in Hockey Canada’s ongoing efforts to better track, identify and respond to maltreatment in hockey.

In December 2022, Hockey Canada and its Members published a report of all incidents of verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds which occurred during the 2021-22 season, under Rule 11.4 – Discrimination.

The Tracking Maltreatment in Sanctioned Hockey report includes a broader scope of tracked maltreatment behaviours, including:

• Complaint intake data from Hockey Canada’s Independent Third Party (ITP);
• Ice hockey complaint intake data from the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC);
• Tracking of Rule 11.4 penalties and allegations from all 13 Members;
• Data from a pilot project that tracked other types of Rule 11 penalties in specific Hockey Canada Member jurisdictions.

“The Tracking Maltreatment in Sanctioned Hockey report is critical in our efforts to identify and take action against egregious behaviours that have no place in hockey and sport in general,” said Natasha Johnston, vice-president of sport safety for Hockey Canada. “We will continue to be transparent in publicly sharing the data we collect with our Members and use the insights to better inform our collective actions moving forward.

“With our Members, we are committed to expanding reporting on maltreatment in sanctioned hockey during the 2023-24 season as well as working to prevent and address maltreatment behaviours in sanctioned hockey programming. As we continue to build greater awareness and facilitate greater opportunities and trust for individuals to come forward, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in maltreatment incidences being reported on and off the ice.”

Hockey Canada will continue to make national reports on maltreatment publicly available and accessible on an annual basis as part of its overall sport safety framework.

CALGARY, AB – Following an extensive recruitment process led by a search committee comprised of key stakeholders and supported by an external executive search firm, Hockey Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Katherine Henderson as its next president and chief executive officer.

The Hockey Canada Board of Directors, under the leadership of the Hon. Hugh L. Fraser, was tasked with creating a vision for the next phase of transformation and growth of Canada’s official winter sport. One of its key mandates was to identify and recruit a president and chief executive officer who aligns with the vision of the board.

Henderson has spent the past seven years as the chief executive officer of Curling Canada, where she successfully led initiatives to introduce new Canadians to the sport, spearheaded pay equity for Canada’s men’s and women’s curling teams, and drove a financial turnaround of the organization’s business model. She is also currently the elected co-chair of the Winter Caucus of Sport (Canadian Winter Olympic and Paralympic Sports).

“Katherine has the track record and experience to lead the ongoing transformation of Hockey Canada,” said the Hon. Hugh L. Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “With her at the helm we are confident that we will continue to take the steps necessary to ensure hockey is a safe and inclusive sport and that Hockey Canada benefits from best-in-class governance.”

“The future of hockey is limitless,” said Henderson. “As a winter sport nation, with a long tradition in our ice and snow sports, playing and watching hockey is undeniably a part of who we are as Canadians. I am looking forward to working with our board and staff, our athletes, our Members and local associations, our corporate and hockey partners, and our fans and participants to ensure that all Canadians have a personal hockey experience that is right for them.”

Before joining Curling Canada, Henderson was the senior vice-president of marketing and revenue for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games organizing committee where she helped the Games set attendance, ticket sales and television ratings records. Earlier in her career, Henderson held progressive roles in marketing and branding with Whirlpool Corporation, Colgate Palmolive Canada, Campbell Soup Canada and General Mills Canada.

A leader in the greater sport community, holding a number of positions that advance sport in general, Henderson attained a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition from Western University, an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Toronto.

In 2022, she received an International Olympic Committee Diploma for her achievements to attain gender equity in sport. She also delivered to the curling community, Changing the Face of Curling, an International Symposium in partnership with two universities and Curling Canada’s leadership to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

“Our search committee was comprised of stakeholder representatives including athletes, Members, partners and the Hockey Canada Foundation, and we are appreciative of the time that everyone devoted to the recruitment process,” said Jonathan Goldbloom, who chaired the search committee. “We thank them for undertaking such an important task that will shape the future of Hockey Canada and hockey in Canada.”

Henderson will begin her role with Hockey Canada on Sept. 4 and will be participating at the Beyond the Boards Summit later that week. She will be based in Toronto, Ont.

Information about media availability will be shared at a later date.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alta. – The medal round at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship begins today in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B., but the tournament’s legacy is already positioned to support programs in communities throughout Canada for years to come through the proceeds of World Juniors 50/50 draws.

More than $1 million in World Juniors 50/50 tickets have been sold to hockey fans in six participating provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan), with net proceeds going to support organizations that work towards greater safety and inclusiveness in and around hockey.

With each World Juniors 50/50 ticket purchase, fans are contributing to meaningful programs in their communities, as the net proceeds go to initiatives in that province, while the remaining half of the jackpots go to winning fans in the six provinces.

World Juniors 50/50 tickets are available at WorldJuniors5050.ca.

Proceeds from World Juniors 50/50 draws go towards the following initiatives in each participating province:

Alberta – Proceeds will be invested directly into grassroots initiatives in the province and increase the capacity of Hockey Alberta members to deliver a positive experience for all participants at the local level.

British Columbia – Proceeds will be invested directly into female hockey initiatives, including initiation programs.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia – Proceeds from World Juniors 50/50 draws will benefit three areas: sexual violence education, female hockey associations, and additional diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives determined by Hockey New Brunswick and Hockey Nova Scotia.

Ontario – Proceeds will benefit a number of key initiatives, including support to families demonstrating financial need for hockey registration, funding for equipment for players and families, and education programs on gender identity and expression.

Saskatchewan – Proceeds will support programs with minor hockey associations in the province.

Don’t miss your chance to win more and give more with this year’s World Juniors 50/50 draws! For a complete draw schedule, please check your province’s 50/50 page.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada’s Members have elected the new Hockey Canada Board of Directors, consisting of diverse and experienced candidates put forward by an independent Nominating Committee.

The newly elected Board is comprised of eight directors and a chair who have a breadth of experience in governance, law, sports and business. The Board will lead Hockey Canada through urgent changes, including the recruitment of a new chief executive officer and the implementation of the organization’s Action Plan to address toxic behaviours in and around hockey.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us and we are determined to enact the changes Canadians expect of Hockey Canada,” said the Honourable Hugh L. Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “Hockey means so much to our country and we will be committed to making sure that Hockey Canada is an organization that is transparent and accountable to all Canadians, and is worthy of their trust.”

The new Board of Directors consists of the following individuals:

The Hon. Hugh L. Fraser (Chair)

Grant Borbridge

Cassie Campbell-Pascall

Julie Duranceau

David Evans

Marni Fullerton

Jonathan F. Goldbloom

Marian Jacko

Andrea Poole

Biographies for each director can be accessed here.

In line with the recommendations put forward by former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell, the Board of Directors will serve a special one-year term focused on making the changes necessary to improve the governance at Hockey Canada as well as sport safety on and off the ice.

CALGARY, Alta. – Today, the independent Hockey Canada Board of Directors Nominating Committee released its nominees for the new Hockey Canada Board of Directors, subject to a virtual election by Hockey Canada’s Members on Dec. 17, 2022.

The nine nominees from diverse backgrounds bring extensive experience in governance, law, sports, and business. They were selected by the independent Nominating Committee with the assistance of Korn Ferry, a leading executive search firm. Once elected, the Board is expected to lead Hockey Canada through the urgent changes necessary to ensuring greater safety and inclusiveness in and around hockey and restore trust in the organization.

“We are grateful to the more than 550 candidates who applied to help guide the change at Hockey Canada,” said Michael Bruni, Chair of the Nominating Committee. “The nominees we’ve put forward represent the very best of Canadian society: bringing together the knowledge and experience necessary to create a new era in hockey that focuses on governance and cultural evolution.”

The following individuals have been nominated to serve a one-year term:

The Hon. Hugh L. Fraser (Chair)

Grant Borbridge

Cassie Campbell-Pascall

Julie Duranceau

Dave Evans

Marni Fullerton

Jonathan F. Goldbloom

Marian Jacko

Andrea Poole

Biographies for the prospective Board Directors can be accessed here.

The nominated Board has five women and four men. The Board will serve a special term of one-year, in line with a recent recommendation by former Supreme Court Justice, Thomas Cromwell.

“Korn Ferry is grateful to have supported Hockey Canada in identifying the Board nominees and most notably, the Nominating Committee’s rigorous, thoughtful process in arriving at this slate,” said Gordon Orlikow, Senior Client Partner for Korn Ferry. “The result is a top-shelf Board with members who have all the necessary skills to lead Hockey Canada to a better place.”

If elected by Hockey Canada’s Members, the Board will be accountable, transparent, and ensure Hockey Canada is an organization that Canadians can be proud of. It is expected one of the Board’s first priorities will be to begin the search for a new chief executive officer to lead the organization, and to focus on building trust, and governance and cultural evolution.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has published the nation-wide data for all incidents of verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds which occurred during the 2021-22 season, under Hockey Canada Rule 11.4 – discrimination.

The data in the report is a critically important first step in Hockey Canada’s ongoing efforts to better track, identify and respond to maltreatment in hockey, and presents the source, category and penalties for each instance of verbal discrimination under the rule.

The report can be found in its entirety here.

Hockey Canada and its Members intend to progressively expand tracking and reporting efforts, with a view to tracking and reporting all instances of maltreatment, abuse and harassment beginning with the 2023-24 season. In order to do so, Hockey Canada is working with Members to build upon resourcing and enhance our ability to use common approaches in hockey across the country when addressing incidences of maltreatment.

Hockey Canada will continue to make national reports on maltreatment publicly available and accessible on an annual basis as part of its overall sport safety framework.

As part of its ongoing commitment to creating safe, welcoming and positive environments at all times, both on and off the ice, Hockey Canada recently announced important changes to how complaints of abuse, discrimination and harassment are confidentially reported.

As a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport, the new independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport in Canada, all complaints at the national level now go directly to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner. Alleged incidents involving other levels of Hockey Canada-sanctioned programming are overseen by an independent third party.

Hockey Canada will continue to provide public updates as it works to address systemic issues and end toxic behaviour in and around the sport.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada is releasing the final report from the independent third-party governance review, led by former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Honourable Thomas Cromwell, C.C. The review, and its accompanying recommendations, are intended to provide Hockey Canada with the capacity to play its important role in making the changes in its governance model that are necessary to create the foundation upon which to rebuild the confidence of stakeholders and the public.

The report provides a comprehensive review of Hockey Canada’s governance structure, systems, personnel and processes, and offers important recommendations to help improve the organization and meet industry best practices.

Hockey Canada has already taken action to implement recommendations that were outlined in the interim report  released last month. This includes moving forward with important By-Law reforms and taking steps to ensure new leadership is in place to guide the organization following the upcoming Board elections. 
The final report expands on this work by providing key recommendations on important areas including:

Board Composition & Board Process

• The recruitment of Directors for the Board of Hockey Canada needs to be fundamentally rethought.  A new approach to filling these positions is needed.  All stakeholders will need to work together to bring these changes about.
• Achieve more balanced gender representation on the Board of Directors so that no more than 60% of the Directors will be of the same gender.
• Ensure the Board of Directors will include at least one athlete representative (defined as a person who is currently on a national team or competing at the international level, or who was on a national team or competed at an international level within the last 8 years).
• Ensure a majority of the Directors are Independent at the time of their election.
• The Board of Directors should be the group that appoints the Board Chair, using a well-defined process and pre-defined and approved eligibility qualifications (qualities and competencies).
• Board should continue to serve without renumeration.
• Minutes should be taken at all Board, Member and committee meetings by a designated resource.
• A schedule detailing the dates that regular Board meetings and Member meetings will be held should be posted on Hockey Canada’s website.
• Board must step back and re-examine what governance model best achieves Hockey Canada’s strategic vision.  It must then implement that model and periodically review it to ensure it continues to serve the best interests of the organization.

Nominating Committee (NC)

• The NC should review and update the skills matrix prior to each election cycle to ensure it reflects the skills, experience and diversity required for the Board to be successful. It should engage and consult with a reputable board recruitment firm to assist with the review of the matrix and recruit qualified candidates.
• Although the majority of the NC should be Independent, there should be at least one athlete representative (defined as a person who is currently on a national team or competing at the international level, or who was on a national team or competed at an international level within the last 8 years) on the NC, along with Member representation and Board representation.

Senior Management

• The Director of Women and Girls Hockey should be a VP-level position reporting to the CEO.
• There should be a VP of Hockey Development dedicated to the development of hockey at the grassroots level, who should work closely with the Member Engagement Department.
• As staff is hired, sufficient onboarding should be provided to them, given the complexities of the organization.

Hockey Canada’s Internal Committees

• Hockey Canada should conduct an in-depth review of its committee structure with a view to:
• Streamlining and maintaining core committees focused on meeting the needs of the new Board;
• Restructuring or disbanding Committees or Task Teams that have lost their relevance or that are operationally focused and perform staff functions;
• Developing a suite of new, refreshed and robust terms of reference that clearly define each committee’s mandate and role, its key duties and functions, what it is responsible for achieving and to whom it is accountable.

The recommendations outlined in the report provide important guidance on the next steps Hockey Canada should take to improve the organization. The report, and its recommendations are currently being reviewed by Hockey Canada Members and will be brought to the new Board of Directors, following their election on Dec. 17, 2022.

Hockey Canada will continue to provide public updates on the organization’s work to address systemic issues in and around Canada’s game.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Terms of Reference for the independent governance review:

Through the independent governance review, the Hockey Canada Board of Directors retained the Honourable Thomas Cromwell to answer the following questions:

1. Was Hockey Canada’s use of the National Equity Fund to fund uninsured liabilities which were met by the Fund appropriate?
            a.         Is there appropriate oversight concerning payments out of the National Equity Fund?
            b.         Is the use of the National Equity Fund sufficiently transparent within the organization and in reports to stakeholders?

 2. Are the organization’s By-Laws concerning the constitution and operation of the Board of Directors in line with current best practices, appropriate or require amendments? In addition:
            a.         Recognizing the Board’s current composition, are there recommended changes to the organization’s governance structure that would support and further enhance the diversity of the Board?
            b.         Are current terms and term limits aligned with best practices?
            c.          Does the nominating process need to be amended?
            d.         Is the structure of the various standing committees and task teams, including their Terms of Reference/mandates and reporting mechanism to the Board, appropriate?

 3. Does the Board exercise an appropriate degree of oversight of senior management as compared to similar organizations, including:;
            a.         Is the Board’s current structure, as a volunteer Board with accountability for oversight of the organization, appropriate and in the best interests of hockey in Canada?
            b.         Is there a clearly defined process describing what items staff must report to the Board (policy vs. operations)?
            c.          Is the reporting structure to the Board (staff and committees) comprehensive enough to ensure the work of Hockey Canada is efficient, effective, and of the highest quality?
            d.         What role should the Board play in operations versus policy and strategy?

4. Is the Senior Management Team properly structured and constituted to oversee the operations of Hockey Canada, from the grassroots level to the high-performance level?

5. In the area of governance, are there any other recommendations for actions that the Board of Directors and senior management could take to improve the confidence Canadians have in Hockey Canada?

About The Honourable Thomas Cromwell, C.C.

Thomas sat on the Supreme Court of Canada from December 2008 to September 2016 and on the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal from 1997 to 2008. From 2008 until 2018, he chaired the Chief Justice of Canada’s Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters.
His contribution to the legal community and society as whole has been widely recognized and he has received numerous awards, including his appointment as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honour of the Order of Canada in December 2017, recognizing him as one of Canada’s most important voices on enhancing access to justice.

About Victoria Prince

Victoria is a Partner and National Leader for the Charities and Not-For-Profit Law Group at BLG. She counsels charities and non-profits on a wide range of issues, including corporate governance advice and training. She is a frequent speaker to the sector. Victoria has been a member of the OBA and CBA Charities and Not-For Profit law sections for many years.

About Nadia Effendi

Nadia is a Partner and Chair of the Public Law and Appellate Advocacy Group at BLG. She specializes in administrative, regulatory, constitutional, and human rights law, and has appeared before all levels of federal and provincial courts, including numerous times before the Supreme Court of Canada. She more recently served as Lead Counsel to the Honourable Louise Arbour, who was appointed to carry out an independent external review into the Canadian Armed Forces and Department ofNational Defence in response to reports of harassment and sexual misconduct within Canada’s military.

Nadia is a member of the CBA Federal Courts Bench and Bar Liaison Committee, and a past president and current board member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO).