What’s next for Hockey Canada after its lead is gone? | CBC News

Most of the big sponsors are gone – at least for the time being. The CEO and the entire Board of Directors resign. And the organization’s reputation is ruined.

How can Hockey Canada once again become an effective and trusted governing body for one of the country’s most popular sports?

The solution, experts say, begins with the rather mundane (but crucial) task of choosing a new board of directors.

“They just have to expand where they’re looking for people to jump in, and that’s going to help them rebuild that brand,” said Paloma Raggo, an assistant professor in Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration.

She says an organization the size of Hockey Canada needs professionals who understand how a nonprofit organization should operate, rather than just having a passion for the sport.

The outgoing board said they were unaware of, or chose not to use, the powers they had to oversee the organization, which might have helped prevent so many scandals.

“We’re talking about one of the most important – if not the most important – sport in our country and a sport that deals with minors … families who bring their kids at five in the morning and the rink. So people care about what happens with the organization,” she said.

Assembling new leadership also gives Hockey Canada an opportunity to chart a path as a leader in the sports world, said Sheldon Kennedy, a victims’ rights advocate and former NHL player. Hockey Canada was under investigation into how it dealt with an alleged group sexual assault involving members of the 2018 junior men’s national team.

Other similar allegations have surfaced, and Hockey Canada executives revealed The organization had paid $8.9 million in settlement payments to 21 sexual assault complainants since 1989, using a slush fund funded in part by membership fees from young players.

Kennedy says the organization has a role to play in ensuring hockey is an inclusive sport from the grassroots up.

“Every time a family, a little kid — a little boy, a young girl — shows up on the rink, they have to be able to want to come back to that rink the next day,” he told CBC News Network.

“This is about creating a healthy sport, this is about creating a healthy game and I think we can get to the point where we can all be proud of that game again.”

CLOCK | Minister welcomes CEO’s resignation:

Sports minister says she ‘welcomes’ the resignation of Hockey Canada’s CEO

Pascale St-Onge told reporters that the federal government will work with Hockey Canada to rebuild it after the organization announced CEO Scott Smith and the entire board had resigned.

Hockey Canada acts as an umbrella organization for 13 member branches — many of whom have also distanced or resigned — and sets policies for hockey across the country. It also arranges for national teams to take part in international tournaments.

Kennedy says organization plays an important role, but that day-to-day activities will continue at rinks across the country while Hockey Canada is self-governing.

“As far as small hockey in our country goes, it’s going to be going for the season,” said Kennedy, whose name has been circulated as a candidate for a leadership role along with others like former player Hayley Wickenheiser.

win back sponsors

As for sponsors, Nike, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Esso and Telus, among others, have cut ties with Hockey Canada or withdrawn funding from men’s hockey for the season.

Bauer also broke a multimillion-dollar commitment as the official outfitter to Hockey Canada’s men’s teams on Tuesday.

The company’s vice president of marketing said the board resignations announced earlier that day were a step in the right direction, but that Bauer wanted a greater focus on grassroots sport rather than major international events.

“We really need to get more people involved and it’s clear what’s happening today isn’t living up to people’s expectations,” Mary-Kay Messier said on CBC Power & Politics.

Elizabeth Watson, a board governance expert and founder of Vancouver-based consulting firm Watson, says restoring trust between the public and corporate sponsors is challenging — but doable.

She says many Canadians with the necessary skills would be willing to serve on the board, which is an unpaid role.

Transparency and clear goals would also help bring back sponsors who dropped out, she says.

“You have to recruit people with the highest credibility and reputation for integrity and assertiveness so that donors and sponsors have confidence that this group is using the resources given to them appropriately,” she said.