Scott Smith (born November 27, 1966) is a Canadian former
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
executive, who worked for
Hockey Canada from 1995 until 2022. He served as vice-president and
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...
(COO) from 2007 to 2016, as president and COO from 2016 to 2022, and as president and
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
in 2022. Smith oversaw growth business operations for Hockey Canada, managed
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
competitions, and negotiated
public–private partnership
A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Review, Public Adminis ...
s, and television deals. He departed the organization in October 2022, amid calls for leadership change due to the
Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal.
Early life
Smith was born November 27, 1966, in
Bathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst ( 2021 population; UA 12,157 ) is the largest City in Northern New Brunswick, it overlooks the Nepisiguit Bay, part of Chaleur Bay and is at the estuary of the Nepisiguit River. As part of the New Brunswick local governance reform , ...
.
He graduated from
Bathurst High School in 1984.
He completed an education degree at the
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...
in 1988.
Smith was executive director from 1991 to 1995, of the
New Brunswick Amateur Hockey Association.
He served as an assistant coach for the
UNB Varsity Reds
The UNB Reds are the athletic teams that represent the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
The Reds compete in the following sports: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, men's and women's socce ...
during the 1994–95 season, and was an instructor for coaching and player development.
Hockey Canada
Vice-president
Smith began working for
Hockey Canada in 1995, as the manager of hockey operations for the
Atlantic Canada centre of excellence in
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
.
He relocated to the
Calgary,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
office in 1997, becoming the director of operations, and in 1998 was promoted to vice-president of Hockey Canada business operations.
The change coincided with the retirement of
Murray Costello
James Murray Costello (born February 24, 1934) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player, executive and administrator who dedicated a lifetime to the advancement of ice hockey in Canada. He played four seasons in the National Hockey League, and ...
, and
Bob Nicholson becoming president. In 2003, Smith was named by
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
in its 40-under-40 list.
Smith became the senior vice-president in charge of business operations in 2005, then senior executive vice-president in 2006, and chief operating officer (COO) in 2007.
Smith was responsible for the day-to-day business of Hockey Canada under Nicholson.
Smith's management and marketing of international events was cited by the
Stanford Graduate School of Business as a reason for the growth of Hockey Canada.
His planning of programs has created profit margins, and increased
television ratings.
His work included organizing the
IIHF World U20 Championship
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...
s and the
IIHF World Women's Championships
The IIHF World Women's Championship (WW or WWC), officially the IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship, is the premier international tournament in women's ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The offi ...
hosted in Canada, negotiating a broadcasting agreement with
The Sports Network
The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language sports specialty channel established by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1984 as part of the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels. Since 2001, it has been majority-owned by comm ...
and
Réseau des sports
Réseau des sports (RDS), is a Canadian French language specialty channel oriented towards sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. ( Bell Media 80% and ESPN 20%). Its ful ...
, and Hockey Canada sponsorships and licensing.
He also sat on the board of directors for the International Hockey Heritage Centre, the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
Marketing Committee, and the IIHF 100th Anniversary Committee.
Smith has actively sought
public–private partnership
A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Review, Public Adminis ...
s for Hockey Canada which have mutual value, a sustainable relationship with similar goals, and realistic goals that Hockey Canada can deliver to partners, to get more funding and sponsorships in the future, instead of relying on donations and government subsidy.
Smith said that government
subsidy is five to seven per cent of the total Hockey Canada budget, distributed to coaching and officiating development, the national teams for Olympic participation, some is from
Sport Canada
Sport Canada is a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage that develops federal sport policy in Canada, provides funding programs in support of sport, and administers special projects related to sport. Its mission "to enhance opportuniti ...
.
Smith negotiated with
Canadian Tire, and
Bauer Hockey
Bauer Hockey LLC (renamed Nike Bauer from 2005 to 2008) is a manufacturer of ice hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates and apparel. Bauer produces helmets, gloves, sticks, skates, shin guards, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hockey ...
in 2014, to create the First Shift Program.
The program includes equipment for new players to the game, and a six-week program to learn the game.
As of 2018, First Shift has helped 15,500 Canadian children play hockey, and made its debut in
Inuvik,
Northwest Territories.
Smith negotiated Hockey Canada's relationship with
Molson Brewery
The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors.
Molson Coors maintains some of its Ca ...
such that it is different at adult events, and youth events below the
legal drinking age
The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between ...
, and ensured there are guidelines for usage of the Hockey Canada brand.
He has also negotiated deals to perpetuate Hockey Canada Foundation philanthropy, seeking corporate sponsors with an interest in youth hockey, and to run events with hockey alumni, and involve community leaders, such as a partnership with the city of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
and the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, to provide hockey for underprivileged youth.
Smith pursued an
ethical consumerism
Ethical consumerism (alternatively called ethical consumption, ethical purchasing, moral purchasing, ethical sourcing, or ethical shopping and also associated with sustainable and green consumerism) is a type of consumer activism based on the con ...
policy for Hockey Canada and its merchandise suppliers.
Smith said that Hockey Canada wants "to keep up to the highest standards of transparency", and work with labour rights groups, including the
Worker Rights Consortium The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is an independent labor rights monitoring organization focused on protecting the rights of workers who sew apparel and make other products sold in the United States, particularly those bearing college or university ...
and the
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production."
Smith spoke at the
World Hockey Summit
The World Hockey Summit was an international ice hockey conference held in Toronto on August 23–26, 2010. It was arranged by the International Ice Hockey Federation, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the National Hockey League (NHL), the Canadian ...
in 2010, and expressed concerns that youth hockey was no longer growing in Canada. He stated that 9.1% of Canadian children from ages 9 to 15 were playing ice hockey, a figure which had changed in the last decade. He felt that the increasing cost of playing, and increasing
cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different c ...
which embraced other sporting options and contributing factors; and it would be necessary for minor hockey associations to promote the game and make it easier to participate.
President
Prior to becoming COO of Hockey Canada, Smith was not well known outside of hockey, and seemed to be an internal replacement for Nicholson when the latter retired in July 2014.
Smith was considered for the presidency when
Tom Renney
Thomas Renney (born March 1, 1955) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and executive. He served as the chief executive officer of Hockey Canada from 2014 to 2022, and was previously an associate coach with the National Hockey League's Detroit ...
was hired instead.
On December 29, 2016, Hockey Canada announced that Smith would replace Renney as president on July 1, 2017.
Smith kept his role as COO, while Renney remained as CEO.
Renney said that by promoting Smith, "there was an opportunity for Hockey Canada to be more effective in fulfilling its mandate",
and that he and Smith have “very complementary skill sets and approaches”.
Renney said that their respective "jobs really won’t change a whole lot, other than that we make ourselves more diverse".
The change created a higher public profile for Smith, while he continued to oversee regular business operations.
Smith said that one his first objectives after becoming president was to "deepen the quality of the hockey experience" and to attract more players and coaches into the game.
He also believed that Hockey Canada's existing coaching, officiating, and respect in sport programs are top notch.
He noted that as of 2016, Hockey Canada had approximately 675,000 registered players, and he wanted to increase that and give more players an opportunity to be at the World Juniors.
He implemented new analytical measures at Hockey Canada to track new players to the game, and retention rate of them.
He also began a
floorball program, and distributing
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
to reach out to newer Canadians and ethnic communities, in attempt to have hockey teams reflect the
multiculturalism in Canada
Multiculturalism in Canada was officially adopted by the government during the 1970s and 1980s. The Canadian federal government has been described as the instigator of multiculturalism as an ideology because of its public emphasis on the social im ...
.
Smith became president of Hockey Canada at the same time which the organization was criticized about the ticket prices and the lack of attendance at the
2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 39th edition of Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, played from December 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015. It was co-hosted by Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and organized by ...
, and the
2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 41st edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship (WJC or WM20). The main tournament was co-hosted by the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario ...
, co-hosted in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. At the previous events Canada hosted, the total attendance in Calgary and Edmonton was 455,342 fans, Ottawa drew 453,282 fans, but attendance dropped to 366,370 fans in Canada’s largest cities.
Smith said that the Toronto market was saturated by other events such as the
2016 World Cup of Hockey
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey (abbreviated WCH2016) was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the third installment of the National Hockey League (NHL)-sanctioned competition, 12 years after the second World Cup of Hockey in 2004. It was ...
, the
NHL Centennial Classic
The NHL Centennial Classic (branded as the Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic for sponsorship reasons) was a regular season outdoor National Hockey League (NHL) game that was held on January 1, 2017. The game featured the Toronto Maple Leafs ta ...
, the
104th Grey Cup
The 104th Grey Cup (branded as the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was a Canadian football game that was played on November 27, 2016, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks, that decided the champion for ...
, the
MLS Cup 2016
MLS Cup 2016 was the 21st edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), played on December 10, 2016. The soccer match was hosted at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and contested by Toronto FC and Seattle ...
, the
2016 NBA All-Star Game
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2016, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season. It was the 65th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Air Canad ...
, and the playoff success of the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
, and the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
.
Ticket sales in Montreal struggled, despite prices being lowered by 30% in 2017 compared to 2015, and a marketing change to sell more individual games, and fewer package deals.
Despite the poor attendance, Hockey Canada achieved 80% of its goal of $21 million in ticket sales, to reinvest into the community and the participating teams.
Later in 2017, Smith announced a new deal with
BDO Global
BDO (an acronym for Binder Dijker Otte) is an international network of public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firms that provide professional services under the name BDO. It is the fifth-largest accounting network in the wor ...
in Canada, to begin the Goals for Kids program, and expand its partnership of events such as the
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. ...
, the
World Junior A Challenge
The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Juni ...
, the
World Sledge Hockey Challenge, the
National Women's Under-18 Championship, the
Esso Cup
The Esso Cup is the Canadian national women's under-18 ice hockey club championship, sponsored by Esso. It is an annual event, sanctioned by Hockey Canada, that takes place each April. The current champions are the Durham West Lightning, who w ...
, the
Telus Cup
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada.
The current champions are the Monct ...
, and the
RBC Cup.
The deal included a set donation per goal scored by teams at those events, which is reinvested in the host communities as a legacy program.
Smith was optimistic that
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
players would participate in
ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics
The ice hockey (hockey) competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics were played at two venues within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Gangneung, South Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre, which seats 10,000, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre, which se ...
, but was prepared for alternative measures.
He and Renney collaborated regularly with team management of
Sean Burke
Sean Burke (born January 29, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and the current director of goaltending for the Vegas Golden Knights. He played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, H ...
with the men's national team, and
Melody Davidson with the women's national team to ensure that staff and athletes were prepared to perform on the ice.
In 2018, Smith extended the partnership with Bauer Hockey for another eight years, who have been the official equipment supplier for the national teams since 1996.
On July 1, 2022, Smith succeeded Renney as
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
of Hockey Canada while retaining the position of president.
In July 2022, Smith testified at a probe by the
Department of Canadian Heritage
The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (french: Patrimoine canadien), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity ...
committee into Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault allegations in 2018, and whether to remove the freeze on funding by the government to Hockey Canada. Smith stated that Hockey Canada paid to settle 21 cases of alleged sexual assault since 1989, including the use of a fund supplied by player registration fees. He dismissed calls by the committee for him to resign, and wished to resolve the issue. He also released a 19-page document which outlined an action plan to address the concerns of the
Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal, and to change the culture within hockey.
Amid calls for leadership change due to the scandal, the board of directorrs and Smith departed Hockey Canada on October 11, 2022.
Personal life
As of 2018, Smith resides in Calgary with his wife, Karen.
He has one son named Jackson, who grew up playing hockey.
Smith has family in the Bathurst area, including in-laws, and has a summer cottage on
Chaleur Bay.
He considers himself fortunate to have a career in hockey, and is grateful for its experiences, highlighted by the gold medals won by the men's and women's ice hockey teams at the
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
from 2002 to 2014.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Scott
1966 births
Living people
Businesspeople from New Brunswick
Canadian chief executives
Canadian sports builders
Canadian sports executives and administrators
Chief executives in the sports industry
Hockey Canada presidents
Ice hockey people from New Brunswick
People from Bathurst, New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick alumni