Hockey Saskatchewan says resignations at Hockey Canada won’t affect season

Even after Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and the organization’s entire board of directors resigned, the hockey season in Saskatchewan will move forward this year without a hitch.

Kelly McClintock, general manager of Hockey Saskatchewan, said Tuesday’s announcement from Hockey Canada won’t have a big impact on the provincial organization.

“It really doesn’t mean anything for Hockey Saskatchewan, to be honest,” McClintock said.

“We’ll still continue to be working with Hockey Canada staff and the other membership branches on reacting and implementing the recommendations of Justice (Thomas) Cromwell’s report on governance and also putting items underneath the action plan that was previously released.”

On Friday, Hockey Saskatchewan issued a statement saying the organization may withhold fees if it did not see meaningful change for the betterment of the sport at the top of Hockey Canada.

McClintock said that statement was meant to reaffirm Hockey Saskatchewan’s commitment to Hockey Canada’s action plan and the work needed to be able to put those recommendations into place.

After Tuesday’s resignations, Hockey Saskatchewan likely will not pause its contribution to Hockey Canada, McClintock said.

“I don’t see the withholding of fees resulting in anything at this point, because people have seen today and that’s going to spur more movement in terms of fulfilling items within the action plan,” McClintock said, noting that no fees for the year have been paid at this stage.

Last year, he said Hockey Saskatchewan didn’t pay any fees to Hockey Canada because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and only paid $1.50 the year before that, also due to the pandemic.

But were the resignations enough to meet Hockey Saskatchewan’s demand for change?

“That’s what everyone’s been calling for, so I guess so,” McClintock said.

McClintock said the focus now needs to be on education for both players and parents

“We want to see is an emphasis on education and what type of educational tools and avenues we can provide to our membership to educate them on sexual misconduct and maltreatment,” he added.

Even as the news about settlements of alleged sexual assaults being handled by Hockey Canada developed over the past few months, McClintock said he doesn’t believe many families are moving away from the sport.

“I don’t think there’s a concern. If people have their kids in minor hockey, this situation that’s being dealt with isn’t a large concern. It’s not going to be an impact on whether their kids are playing hockey,” he said.

Hockey Saskatchewan said it wants to be part of the solution and will stay committed to the action plan and working alongside the other organizations governing the sport.