Scott Smith out as Hockey Canada CEO, board step down

Credit: Photo from Steven Ellis/World Hockey Magazine

Hockey Canada has confirmed that CEO Scott Smith has departed the company, with the entire board agreeing to step down.

No replacement has been named, with an interim management group taking over until a newly formed board appoints a new CEO.

Smith started at Hockey Canada in 1995 as a manager of hockey operations in Atlantic Canada. Smith eventually replaced Tom Renney as president of the company in 2017 before taking over the CEO mantle on July 1, 2022.

Smith testified at a probe hearing by the Department of Canadian Heritage committee this summer over Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations in 2018 and has been under heavy scrutiny for his handling of the situation.

Smith previously stated that Hockey Canada had paid nearly $9 million to settle 21 cases of alleged sexual assault since 1989, including the use of funds from player registration fees.

A statement from Hockey Canada said the board will ask its members to select a new group of directors no later than the election set for Dec. 17, 2022.

“The interim Management Committee will focus on day-to-day operations and ensure progress on the implementation of Hockey Canada’s Action Plan, including reviewing and working with the Board and Members towards the full implementation of the independent governance review recommendations from The Honorable Thomas Cromwell, C.C., former Supreme Court Justice as well as working to facilitate the effective transition to a new CEO and Board,” the statement said.

The move comes as many of Hockey Canada’s premier sponsors – including Bauer and Tim Hortons – have either frozen or permanently ended sponsorship for its national teams. Interim Hockey Canada Board chair Andrea Skinner resigned from her post on Saturday. She had replaced Michael Brind’Amour, who had stepped down from the position in August.

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for “wholesale change” of Hockey Canada. “There is a lack of understanding that they have lost the confidence of Canadians. The sooner they get to that, the better it will be for everyone.”