By Hockey Canada

WINNIPEG, Man. – Hockey Canada has formed a committee of stakeholders, chaired by current board member and National Women’s Team alumna Gillian Apps, to oversee a discussion paper that will lead to formal recommendations to guide the organization’s next women’s and girls’ hockey strategic plan.

The committee was formally launched at a press conference in Winnipeg today, where Hockey Canada’s Spring Congress is taking place alongside a women’s and girls’ hockey symposium with provincial and territorial representation from all of Hockey Canada’s 13 Members, facilitated by Canadian Women & Sport.

“Internationally, Canada has always been a leader in women’s hockey. Now is the time to ensure we are on the leading edge of identifying and addressing gaps in the current system to provide women and girls with even more opportunities to thrive in the future,” said Apps. “This committee’s efforts will be critical to furthering the game at all levels, and we are grateful this group has agreed to volunteer and be part of this important work.”

The committee features 15 stakeholders, including six National Women’s Team (NWT) alumnae:

• Gillian Apps, Hockey Canada Board of Directors and NWT alumna
• Pierre Arsenault, chief executive officer of U SPORTS
• Thérèse Brisson, president and chief executive officer of Alpine Canada, and NWT alumna
• Cassie Campbell-Pascall, broadcaster, special advisor to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and NWT alumna
• Debra Gassewitz, president and chief executive officer of the Sport Information Resource Centre
• Jayna Hefford, senior vice-president of hockey operations for the PWHL and NWT alumna
• Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada
• Marian Jacko, Hockey Canada Board of Directors
• Angela James, Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors and NWT alumna
• Rob Knesaurek, senior vice-president of youth development and industry growth with the National Hockey League
• Anne Merklinger, chief executive officer of Own the Podium
• Mary-Kay Messier, vice-president of marketing for Bauer Hockey
• Brad Morris, Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors
• Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, chief executive officer of Canadian Women & Sport
• Kim St-Pierre, regional manager at Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and NWT alumna

“Supporting the growth of women’s and girls’ hockey in Canada is a priority for our board, and forming this committee is a tremendous next step to further understand and address the challenges that exist in the game,” said Jonathan Goldbloom, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “We thank Gillian for taking on a leadership role with this project and are confident the committee’s efforts will benefit our organization, Members, stakeholders and Canadians for generations to come.”

After consulting with Hockey Canada’s Members, the committee’s women’s and girls’ hockey discussion paper is expected to be published in early summer 2024. Additional interviews will take place at that time with stakeholders inside and outside of the game, including opportunities for the Canadian public to be part of the research.

“Our women’s and girls’ hockey department, led by Marin Hickox, has made significant strides in the past few years to grow the game at all levels, including by mobilizing the leads from each of our Members,” said Henderson. “We are thrilled this new committee will work collectively with Marin and her leads to review existing research and establish a roadmap for where we all envision women’s and girls’ hockey in the future, as there remains a tremendous amount of potential to remove existing barriers to the sport.”

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