Канада Хоккей Федерациясы және оның тарихы

Ice hockey governing body of Canada

Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority of organized ice hockey in Canada. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports (formerly known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport), and Canada's professional hockey clubs; the former two are partnered with Hockey Canada but are not member organizations. Hockey Canada is based in Calgary, with a secondary office in Ottawa and regional centres in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was founded on December 4, 1914, when 21 delegates from across Canada met at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. The organization was made to oversee the amateur level of the sport at the national level. The Allan Cup, originally donated in 1908 by Sir H. Montagu Allan, was selected as the championship of amateur hockey in Canada. William Northey, the trustee of the Allan Cup, was named the first ever chairman, while Dr. W. F. Taylor was named the inaugural president. The Memorial Cup was the junior amateur championship of Canada. In 1920, after the Winnipeg Falcons won the Allan Cup over the University of Toronto, they represented Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games. Canada would go 3 0 0 to win the sport's first ever Olympic gold medal. In 2006, the Canadian women won gold at the 2006 Olympics and the sledge team conquered gold at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. The Clarkson Cup, donated by the Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson, was created in 2006, and was first awarded in 2009 to the Canadian national senior champions of women's hockey. The Clarkson Cup replaced the Abby Hoffman Cup. Team Canada's men's and women's teams won gold in both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, hosted by Vancouver and Sochi respectively. Tom Renney retired as chief executive officer of Hockey Canada on July 1, 2022, and was succeeded by Scott Smith who also served as president.

In June 2022, a scandal emerged over Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault allegations surrounding the organization, stemming from its May 2022 settlement of alleged abuses by members of Canada's junior team in 2018. Minister for Sport Pascale St Onge suspended federal funding of Hockey Canada via Sport Canada, and called for an audit over whether taxpayer money was used to pay out these settlements. Later that month, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage opened an inquiry into the settlement. which revealed a history of sexual misconduct cases raised against Hockey Canada, and that the organization had spent C$7.6 million out of a "National Equity Fund"—funded with player registration fees—to help pay out settlements in 21 sexual misconduct cases since 1989. Amid calls for leadership changes at Hockey Canada, Smith and the entire board of directors resigned on October 11, 2022.

Hockey Canada determines if an underage player is eligible for "exceptional status". Exceptional player status allows skilled, underage hockey players to enter the major junior circuit early. Since 2005, eight players have been granted exceptional status: John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Sean Day, Connor McDavid, Joseph Veleno, Shane Wright, Connor Bedard and Michael Misa. Seven have gone number one in their respective major junior drafts while four players have been selected first overall in their respective NHL drafts.

In 2023, the British Columbia Hockey League decided not to renew its agreement with Hockey Canada and became an independent league. The league cited improved recruitment opportunities for 16 and 17 year old players in Canada as well as anticipated improved interest from Americans and players outside of North America as important reasons for the decision. On July 4, 2023, Katherine Henderson was announced as the next chief executive officer and president.