Hockey Canada is appointing Katherine Henderson, shown in a handout photo, as its next president and chief executive officer. She spent the last seven years as Curling Canada’s CEO.HO/The Canadian Press
Hockey Canada announced Tuesday that Katherine Henderson, a veteran of the not-for-profit sports sector, would be its new president and CEO, prompting a major sponsor to immediately reinstate the financial support it had pulled from the organization amid a sexual assault scandal last year.
Ms. Henderson served for the past seven years as the president and chief executive officer of Curling Canada and has extensive experience in high-performance sports, including as the senior vice-president of marketing and revenue for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games organizing committee. She also served for a decade on the board of Rugby Canada.
“Katherine has the track record and experience to lead the ongoing transformation of Hockey Canada,” Hugh Fraser, the chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors, said in a statement. “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.”
On Tuesday, Bauer Hockey cheered Ms. Henderson’s appointment and announced it would restore its Hockey Canada partnership.
Last October, the CEO and board of Hockey Canada resigned en masse, months after news broke that the organization had greenlit a multimillion-dollar settlement with a woman who alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a number of players on Canada’s world junior team after a Hockey Canada-sponsored event in London, Ont., in the spring of 2018.
Police in London reopened an investigation into the incident last July.
The Globe and Mail reported that Hockey Canada’s little-known National Equity Fund – including player fees collected from families across the country – had been used to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual-abuse claims.
In the aftermath of the disclosures, a flood of major sponsors suspended their partnerships with Hockey Canada, including Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons, Telus and Esso, representing a multimillion-dollar hit to the organization’s budget. And the government hammered the organization for its ham-fisted response to the crisis.
After an appearance before a parliamentary committee in which the interim board chair suggested Hockey Canada was a victim of “unduly cynical attacks,” Pascale St-Onge, the federal Sports Minister, said she hoped the leadership would “leave before they burn it to the ground,” adding that the organization “needs to be rebuilt.”
In April, the federal government resumed funding Hockey Canada. On Tuesday, the minister’s office said she was unavailable for comment.
In October, Bauer paused its role as the official equipment provider of Hockey Canada’s men’s team, announcing it would continue to support the women’s team and focus on increasing “accessibility and equity in girl’s, women’s, para hockey and other underrepresented communities.”
The changes Hockey Canada has made over the past several months brought Bauer back to the table.
“As much as we publicly recognized the serious challenges at Hockey Canada, we believe we now need to acknowledge the progress the organization has made in several key areas,” Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer’s vice-president of global marketing, said in a statement.
“While there is more work to do, Hockey Canada has implemented many of the proposals from the independent Cromwell report and as announced today hired a seasoned leader to serve as CEO.” (Last November, the organization accepted the recommendations of a third-party governance review conducted by the retired justice Thomas Cromwell.)
“We believe now is the time for corporate partners, broadcast sponsors and community leaders to support Hockey Canada. At the same time, we must all continue to hold the organization accountable for creating and executing a new vision that reflects our Canadian communities and provides equitable and enriching experiences for all to play the game.”
Other sponsors who had suspended their partnerships did not respond to The Globe’s requests for comment.
Hockey Canada noted in its press release that, during her time at Curling Canada, Ms. Henderson “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.”
The press release included a statement from Ms. Henderson, a former hockey mom, that hinted at the reputational hit the sport has suffered over the past few years of revelations about its toxic culture.
“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,” Ms. Henderson said, adding that she would work “to ensure that all Canadians have a personal hockey experience that is right for them.”
Hockey Canada did not make Ms. Henderson available for an interview. She will begin her new role on Sept. 4.
Tim Powers, who served on the board of Rugby Canada with Ms. Henderson, praised the appointment.
“She’s got an EQ and political radar that is so valuable in this time,” said Mr. Powers, the chair of Ottawa-based consulting firm Summa Strategies.
“Not only does she have the high performance skills, not only does she understand sport business and how to make it work, but she has those intangibles that other Canadian sports leaders do not necessarily have yet, or are just developing. Particularly in the Hockey Canada role, in a culture that’s undergone a lot of change – and more change is necessary – having somebody with Kathy’s sense and experience and knowledge is valuable.”
With reports from Susan Krashinsky-Robertson and Rachel Brady.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
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