Hockey Canada Board and CEO Depart Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTkwMzQwNjQyMjU2MjAxMTA4/hockey-canada-logo.jpg] Hockey Canada will have a new slate of directors and a new CEO. Hockey Canada announced Tuesday [https://hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/hockey-canada-makes-leadership-changes-2022-news] the departure of CEO Scott Smith and that the entire board of directors has agreed to step down, citing the “urgent need for new leadership and perspectives.” An interim management committee will be created to guide the national body until a new board appoints a new CEO, Hockey Canada said. The board has also asked its members to select a new slate of directors who will only fulfill its duties until a new board is elected. The virtual election is scheduled for Dec. 17, and the board will not seek re-election. Hockey Canada said the interim management group will focus on day-to-day operations and continue to implement the organization’s action plan. The national governing body for hockey faced criticism and a growing loss of confidence in senior leadership for its handling of sexual abuse allegations. Interim chair of the board of directors Andrea Skinner resigned on Saturday [https://thehockeynews.com/news/interim-chair-andrea-skinner-resigns-from-hockey-canada-reports]. Hockey Canada said at the time [https://hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/board-of-directors-update-october-8-2022-news] it would continue to meet over the weekend to discuss future steps. This comes one week after the latest Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage hearing into Hockey Canada's handling of sexual abuse allegations [https://thehockeynews.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-after-hockey-canadas-hearing-from-oct-4], mainly of the 2018 allegations in London, Ont. including members of the 2018 Canadian world juniors team and CHL players. Skinner and former board chair Michael Brind'Amour testified. At the time, Skinner defended Hockey Canada's senior leadership and said she would give Smith an A grade for how he's conducted himself in these circumstances. Since then, sponsors have paused their relationships [https://thehockeynews.com/news/hockey-new-brunswick-withholds-funds-from-hockey-canada-nike-pauses-support] with Hockey Canada – Canadian Tire permanently ending its ties – and some regional hockey federations decided to withhold $3 participant assessment fees from the national body. Bauer announced Tuesday it paused its role as the equipment provider for Hockey Canada's national men's teams while continuing to supply the women's teams. "Rather than the men's program accessing Bauer equipment through our partnership program... Hockey Canada can purchase gear for players," Bauer said in a statement. "Profits from our men's team equipment purchases from Hockey Canada will be directly re-invested into funding for grassroots initiatives." Members of the Canadian heritage committee, along with sport minister Pascale St-Onge and PM Justin Trudeau, also called for the board to resign. St-Onge told reporters last Friday that senior leadership should leave "before they burn it to the ground." Conservative MP John Nater, a member of the heritage committee, said the changes to Hockey Canada's leadership should not have taken so long. "But I am hopeful that we will finally see meaningful changes to the governance, organization, and culture of Hockey Canada," he said on Twitter [https://twitter.com/JohnNaterMP/status/1579855148301488128?s=20&t=oEMZP13SX9hNr_cUr2KfQA]. "There is still much work to do." Another member, Liberal MP Chris Bittle, tweeted [https://twitter.com/Chris_Bittle/status/1579855024058167297?s=20&t=oEMZP13SX9hNr_cUr2KfQA] it's one step towards truly addressing the culture of Hockey Canada and the sport more broadly. "I'm looking forward to seeing Justice Cromwell's report (on Hockey Canada's governance structures) and for the new board and management to take substantive action," Bittle said.
