Hockey Canada appoints Andrea Skinner as interim chair of the board of directors

Hockey Canada has named Andrea Skinner as interim chair of its board of directors.

Skinner replaces Michael Brind’Amour on the board, who resigned from his position last week. She will serve on the board until their term ends in November at their annual meeting.

« As a council, we listen to Canadians, » Skinner said in a statement about the hiring. “We are working to make meaningful positive changes to the culture of the sport of hockey. I am proud of my lifelong commitment to hockey and honored to serve Hockey Canada as Chair of the Board; a Board of Directors that includes men and women of varying ages and life experiences, and representing different ethnic and cultural communities, including Indigenous Canadians and the LGBT2Q+ community.

« I sincerely believe the organization is taking positive steps to effect meaningful change from the grassroots level to the national high performance team level. »

Brind’Amour’s resignation came following several controversies with Hockey Canada, including sexual assault cases involving members of Canada’s 2003 and 2018 World Junior Championship teams. Hockey Canada has come under heavy fire for how they have handled cases in the past and tried to cover them up.

Skinner is a partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, a law firm in Toronto, where she practiced in the areas of municipal law, land use planning and expropriation. She is also Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Aird & Berlis, where she leads the firm’s strategy and initiatives around diversity, inclusion and equality.

Skinner was first elected to the board in November 2020 and has extensive experience within the organization. She is also currently Chair of Hockey Canada’s Human Resources Standing Committee and a member of Hockey Canada’s Standing Risk Management Committee, Audit and Finance Committee and Reinstatement Committee. She is the Board’s liaison with the Officials Curriculum Task Force.