Katherine Henderson is always up for a chat. It’s essentially part of her DNA as a long-time sports executive.
She helped the City of Toronto host the Pan American Games in 2015 before working with Curling Canada for the past seven years. But since she was named president and director of operations at Hockey Canada last summer, she has above all been a very attentive interlocutor.
“I am an easy-going person by nature,” she said Monday in an interview with The Canadian Press. But mostly I asked questions and literally filled out a notebook.
“People have been really generous with their time and given me a lot of information about the things they want and hope for. »
After a trying 18 months for the struggling sports federation, the list goes on.
The organization has been in the spotlight since May 2022, when the secret out-of-court agreement to settle a civil lawsuit became public. The woman who initiated it alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight players, including some members of Team Canada Junior (JCT), following a gala in London, Ontario, in 2018.
The federal government and sponsors quickly reacted by cutting off their financial support for Hockey Canada.
Headlines kept coming over the spring and summer, including revelations about a secret compensation fund – financed in part with player registration fees – used to pay for acts that do not are uninsurable, such as sexual assault and harassment allegations.
Hockey Canada then announced that members of the 2003 ECJ team were being investigated for an alleged gang rape by Halifax police.
The London police reopened their investigation, then the NHL itself began its own. None of the allegations have yet been proven in court.
The scandals eventually led to the departure of Henderson’s predecessor, Scott Smith, and the resignations of board members.
A new board of directors, led by retired judge Hugh Fraser, has helped run Hockey Canada – which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested be abolished at the height of the controversy – since his election late in the year. last year by introducing new governance standards.
And now, less than two months into the job, Henderson has a clear vision of where the organization should go.
“I love my North Stars,” she said. They often explain to me the smallest details of the things I need to do to get there. I want everyone who wants hockey in their life to be able to have it. »
But with police investigations and a committee review of the report commissioned by Hockey Canada still ongoing, it is difficult for the organization to move forward.
“I can’t erase the past. What I can do is look at what needs to be done. »
Henderson added that if Hockey Canada does things right, the entire hockey ecosystem in the country will benefit.
“Hockey is so big. We can truly become the example to follow. »
She is also aware of the limitations of Hockey Canada.
Henderson said her son had a great experience during his minor hockey journey. But that’s not everyone’s experience – especially when it comes to toxic masculinity in sport.
Henderson said Hockey Canada will release a report on the mistreatment in the coming weeks.
“There is a certain group where there seems to be more incidents of abuse,” she observed. It’s up to us to really study it, not just the “who?” question. When we talk about toxic masculinity…we’re doing hockey no favors, we’re doing these young men no favors, when we allow things like this to happen.
“I believe we need to make sure we do the best we can for our participants. »
Henderson knows Hockey Canada has a lot of work to do. She’s just getting started, with a notebook of notes and conversations recorded over the past seven weeks.
“We have some scandals to resolve,” she said. Our job now is to really rebuild trust with the public. »
