Publisher's Note: Hockey Canada's Acting CEO

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) held its annual session this past weekend in Toronto. Serving as a supporter of the Committee since 2017, I participated in sessions and got caught up on what the COC was doing as part of the International Olympic Committee. Although I cannot share any of the details, what I can tell you is that the agenda was and remains full.

Since what was discussed in the meetings is not up to me to disclose, I suggest those who are interested contact the COC directly, and it can share with you what information is for public consumption. What I can share with you is that the COC's chair of the board, Tricia Smith, and its CEO, David Shoemaker, are serving all Canadians at a high level with leadership that you would expect from the COC.

It was inspiring to sit in the banquet-sized room and hear all of the introductions as the microphone was passed around the room. All Canadians can be proud that people from every sport representing all of the vast lands of Canada are represented by caring and dedicated Canadians.

One benefit that comes with being around sports for as long as I have is that I get to bump into old friends at all of these kinds of meetings. One that stood out at the COC was reconnecting with Jacquie Ryan, the COC’s chief brand and commercial officer and CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Jacquie previously was with Scotiabank and RBC, and readers of The Hockey News have seen her before on our 100 People of Power and Influence list.

I was able to connect with a new friend who lives in Ottawa, not too far from my family hometown of Carleton Place, Peter Dinsdale, who serves the COC as a director while holding down his day job as the CEO of the YMCA in Canada. He is also a Sens fan.

Pat McLaughlin, Hockey Canada’s current chief operating officer and acting CEO, and I were able to spend time together going over all of the changes at Hockey Canada over the past several months, which is truly remarkable. 

Hugh Fraser, chair of Hockey Canada's board of directors (who I wrote about in my Publisher’s Note in the most recent Future Watch), and Pat have been working hand in hand to implement a litany of changes that Hockey Canada needed to make to regain the trust of the Canadian people.

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The Canadian government has reinstated funding for Hockey Canada, which to me is the ultimate sign that Hugh and Pat are doing the job they have been handed to the satisfaction of those that hold the purse and political strings. 

As the owner and publisher of The Hockey News, who admittingly has held Hockey Canada’s feet to the fire long before the scandals broke in 2022, I am confident that Hockey Canada now has the right people leading the board in Hugh Fraser and the management team in Pat McLaughlin.

It’s time that the word “acting” be dropped before CEO since Pat has been doing the job since November after Scott Smith departed in October, even before the new board was announced in December.

Pat knows more about international hockey from Canada’s viewpoint than anyone I know, and he has been an effective leader during this critical time. Hockey Canada needs to keep making the right choices as it has been doing since it handed over the day-to-day management responsibilities to Pat in November and brought in Hugh in December 2022. Now is not the time to derail all of the right moves that Hockey Canada has been making. Make it official and drop the “acting.”