Part of the rebuild and wholesale changes at Hockey Canada includes adding more people with governance experience and institutional knowledge.
John Kastner, until recently chair of the Ontario Hockey Federation, certainly fits the bill.
The Stratford resident, with four decades of experience in leadership positions in the sport, was elected to Hockey Canada’s board of directors last Saturday.
Kastner said he was in Montreal in June to announce his departure from the OHF, as is customary to do so. He was with the federation for 10 years.
Several people approached him about Hockey Canada’s board of directors.
“Really wasn’t on my radar. Wasn’t something I had thought about doing. And wasn’t something I thought was possible,” Kastner told MyStratfordNow.
“I was quite prepared to leave hockey,” Kastner said.
But Hockey Canada came calling.
Turns out, Kastner had already played a big part in helping the organization that governs amateur hockey for hundreds of thousands of members in Canada.
Kastner sat on a governance committee that passed dozens of recommendations from a report prepared by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Thomas Cromwell.
The recommendations effectively set a new course for Hockey Canada.
The organization was criticized for how it handled alleged sexual assaults, leading to a federal funding freeze, sponsorship losses and leadership resignations.
In the spring, Hockey Canada launched new statements that “reflect where we are headed as an organization, as a sport and as a community, along with values that Canadians have told us are important to them on our journey towards a healthier hockey environment.”
For two years, Kastner sat on a nominating committee, looking for “completely different board members”, with different skill sets, factoring in diversity, gender equity and potential members with finance, legal and mental health backgrounds.
“I said at that time, where do you start to change the culture? You don’t start someplace. You start everyplace. I talk about that when I talk to minor hockey organizations when they deal with each other. How organizations deal with coaches, how coaches deal with kids, how parents deal with kids, how parents deal with coaches.”
Board chair Jonathan Goldbloom said the organization and its members have ambitious goals to advance a healthier hockey for all Canadians.
“These volunteer roles are critical to the growth of hockey in our country and we look forward to working with them to continue our efforts to transform the culture of hockey.”
The organization has created an extensive new action plan to “shatter the code of silence and eliminate toxic behaviour in and around Canada’s game.”
Marian Jacko and Kristi Miller were reelected to the board of directors.
Jacko was instrumental in establishing Hockey Canada’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Circle and serves as a board representative for the organization’s women’s and girls’ hockey steering committee.
Miller chairs Hockey Canada’s audit and finance committees.
Kastner said there is no end goal, so to speak, in terms of ensuring Hockey Canada meets the needs of it’s membership. Rather, it continues each day.
“It’s an ongoing thing, it should never end, it should last for the life of the organization.”
