Hockey Canada appoints Andrea Skinner as interim chair on Board of Directors

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

“As a Board we are listening to Canadians,” said Skinner in a statement on 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 am honoured to serve Hockey Canada as Chair of the Board; a Board that includes men and women with a diversity of age and life experiences, and one that represents 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 to high-performance national team level.”

Brind’Amour’s resignation came in the wake of several controversies with Hockey Canada, including sexual assault cases involving members of the 2003 and 2018 Canadian World Juniors teams. Hockey Canada has been under heavy fire for the way they’ve handled the cases in the past, and attempted 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, land use planning and expropriation law. She is also the Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Aird & Berlis, where she’s lead the firm’s strategy and initiatives concerning diversity, inclusion and equality.

Skinner was first elected to the Board of Directors in November 2020, and has plenty of experience with the organization. She is also currently the Chair of the Hockey Canada Human Resources Standing Committee, and serves as a member of Hockey Canada’s Risk Management Standing Committee, Audit and Finance Committee, and Reinstatement Committee. She is Board liaison to the Officiating Curriculum Task Team.