On November 14th and 15 th , I attended the Hockey Canada “Beyond the Boards” summit in Ottawa on behalf of Hockey Manitoba. Hockey Canada put this summit on to bridge the gap in areas of our game that need attention. This year’s summit discussed our relationship with the LGBTQ2S community and sexual victims within our sport. In listening to the guest speakers one thing stood out in my mind, people may be different, but we need to accept them for who they are and respect them the way we should be respecting everyone.

Hockey is truly a beautiful game, but it is also a great tool for preparing kids for the real world. Our game teaches kids responsibility, teamwork, dedication, and respect. If we as parents, coaches, and volunteers can instill these qualities and teach our youth to accept them and use them in their daily lives we are achieving our mission. Our job is to help create descent human beings by providing them with the skills to contribute to the world in which we live. The summit provided details on how to educate our youth in making everyone who wants to be involved in our sport feel welcome. It also highlighted some key points we may overlook as a sporting community. Anyone involved in our sport can at some point become a safe spot for these youth to console too. We must strive to become remodels for our members by creating a safe environment where they feel comfortable in sharing their concerns, anxieties, and life challenges, including telling us things they have never spoken of before. What do we do in these situations is vital to the trust being instilled between coaches and players. Coaches and volunteers may say they are not counselors, but I am here to inform you that you do not have to be. When a child or even an adult comes to you there are three questions you need to ask.

1. Do you want me to listen?

2. Do you want advice?

3. What do you need from me?

These questions will ensure you are creating that safe space and not making the individual feel like they are being judged. Ensure that if this happens to keep it confidential and reach out to a professional if you need guidance with what to do next. It is our job as a governing body to study and provide you with tools to use in such instances. This information was provided through a workshop put on by Catherine Laroche with Egaux Sans Ego and was extremely informative.

Hockey Canada members forum started in the afternoon of the 15th and continued into the morning of the 16th. At this point all 13 members had an opportunity to voice concerns about our game from facilities, unsanctioned hockey, to overgrowth at the grassroots level. Consensus being we need to do a better job with our current programing and think outside of the box to create some new, exciting, and innovative programing. How can we ensure every player knows he is part of our provincial programing but also Hockey Canada’s programming? The Chair of Hockey Alberta ran a very good session based on Simon Sinek’s theory of “The Golden Circle”. It was breaking down the what, how and why with the programing we offer and what we need to offer. Anyone can tell someone what they are doing and how they are going to do it. The real question that needs to be asked is “why”. The “why” factor is one that is rooted deep within an organization or an individual and not usually asked. The “why” factor is the driving force of a vision and will give you a road map and plan to achieve your goals. Putting it into context on a player level, if you were to ask a player what they play, the answer will be hockey. If you ask them how they play they may say defensive, offensive, hard, or smart. Now if you ask them why they play, you will see their true driving factor. These answers could vary from, they want to play with their friends, or it is my dream to make the professional level. No matter what they say the “why” is what sub consciously motivates them to play our sport, and we need ensure we adhere and adapt as an organization to allow that to happen.

On November 16th we had the Hockey Canada AGM. This year we had three positions on the Hockey Canada Board up for election. Through the Nomination Committee’s hard work three candidates’ names were brought forward. Amanda Fowler and Gillan Apps were re-elected for another term. Daniel Fontaine was newly elected, replacing Corey Hirsch who did not let his name stand. If you would like to look at their backgrounds they have been update on Hockey Canada’s website. I look forward to working alongside these great individuals and would like to thank Corey Hirsch for his commitment to making our game the best game in this country. At this point I would also like to acknowledge Todd Pye from Hockey New Brunswick and his dedication to Chair of Member’s Forum. Being new to this role and with little guidance, Todd ensured I was included, and our province’s voice was heard. He may have stepped down from the Chair of Member’s Forum, but he is remaining on as the Chair of Hockey New Brunswick. I look forward to working with him going forward. Stephanie White, Chair of Hockey B.C., is the newly elected Chair of Member’s Forum, and I would like to congratulate Stephanie on behalf of Hockey Manitoba.

The last twos items coming from these meetings was the announcement of Pat Mclaughlin stepping down as Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President, Strategy for Hockey Canada and a fee increase. On behalf of Hockey Manitoba, I would like to thank Pat for all he has given to our game within this country. Pat was instrumental in ensuring Hockey Canada and our game made it through the darkest times it has faced. I wish Pat the best in his new journey on behalf of Hockey Manitoba. The fee increase will be announced in the coming weeks by Hockey Canada.

Hockey Manitoba Member Check

In December is upon us and that means kids are on the ice playing our game. I would like to remind everyone that weather conditions are changing rapidly and please ensure your safety comes first in every situation. If road conditions prevent you from getting to a game or a game being played, there is always tomorrow.

The board has been extremely busy as of late while we follow through with a governance review. We are currently in the process of hiring our 3rd party consultant to assist us on this journey. As a board we recognize transparency is vital for any significant change and look forward to working with a governance committee made up of members. At this point the three provincial branches to the west have offered to help us in any way they can. They have all recently gone through the governance review process and have achieved efficiency through implementation of an independent governance board. This then allows the hockey operations to be run in conjunction between the volunteer-based advisory committees and the hockey office. Their systems have allowed them to have a simple understanding of roles and responsibilities. It has also allowed them to remove barriers for their members and become nimble. Now these are suggestions and once our review is completed, as members of this great province of Manitoba we will decide together on the road moving forward. These are exciting times for Manitoba and the sport of hockey.

Our current system is outdated and set up to have the same narrative from leader to leader. I encourage you to join in changing the narrative. It is time for a fresh new look on how we operate and as mentioned above “why” we operate. I would like to speak about the percentage factor within our game. Out of 100% maybe 2% makes the next level competitive hockey and gets a lot of our attention. This leaves 98% of our membership needing our attention more than ever. I personally came from the 98% with never having played past house league but yet my passion for the game still burns. It is my vision for every child that plays our game to become respectable adults no matter the level they played. As the years go by, I want them to remember the good times the game brought them and use the tools they learned to deal with the bad times. If we perform our duties correctly, these kids will make friendships that last a lifetime. We will build them a support system that even the biggest storm cannot knock over and all through our team sport “Hockey”.

Respectfully,

Boyd Canart, President