Hockey Canada’s Paul Carson Plays An Integral Role In Making Hockey Inclusive

1Tell us about your role as Vice President of Hockey Development for Hockey Canada. What does a typical day look like for you?

As vice president of Hockey Development with Hockey Canada, I serve as a contributing member of the Senior Leadership Team and ensure the Hockey Development department meets the operational expectations of all organizational processes. This includes the supervision of all department work plans and tracking the completion of all measurable programming objectives for all department staff.

Hockey Canada is a national sport organization (NSO) that oversees and supports the activities of the provincial sport organizations (PSO) and together with the Vice President of Member Engagement we work to strengthen Member relationships and ensure a level of accountability for implementation of development programs and initiatives in a consistent manner across the country.

I lead staff that are responsible for the implementation of the Hockey Canada eLearning platform designed to provide educational support for adult leaders in coaching, officiating and safety programs. Our staff also considers the future needs of volunteers in the grassroots hockey system and is constantly reviewing program resources to improve upon or build additional resources in the Coaching and Officiating programs.

On a daily basis, I facilitate the linkage between Hockey Development and other Hockey Canada departments like Business Development, Men’s and Women’s High-Performance, and Domestic and International Events on joint initiatives that support player development and performance excellence.

Every day is different and there are so many projects and initiatives being worked on by the Hockey Development department. The key is to monitor all the development plans closely to ensure that projects and initiatives are on track and are trending in a manner that ensures these projects and initiatives are delivered on time, on budget and will have a positive impact on the grassroots hockey system.

2I noticed you’re also the Chairman of the Board for the Coaching Association of Canada. Tell us about this role and how you find balance between the CAC and Hockey Canada.

The Coaching Association of Canada along with a wide variety of partner organizations are stewards of nation-wide standards and ethics in coach education and development. The CAC believes everyone in Canada should be encouraged to express themselves through physical activity, regardless of age, gender, or ability. Simply stated the CAC vision is “to inspire a nation through sport”. As an organization responsible for coaching leadership in Canada the CAC “strives to enhance the experiences of all athletes and participants in Canada through quality coaching”.

I very much enjoy my leadership role with the Board of Directors. As an experienced sport administrator, I have the opportunity to bring sound experience and perspective to the Board meetings along with 14 other colleagues who have a wide varied of expertise in the Canadian sport system. The Board is a diverse group of very talented individuals who focus on organizational policy leaving the organization’s operational excellence to a very talented CEO, leadership team and qualified staff.  

The CAC board contributes to the organization through its unique role of stewardship and ensuring proper governance. To distinguish between the board’s own unique job and that of the CEO, the board concentrates its efforts on providing strategic leadership to partners and stakeholders. The Board is responsible for establishing a strategic plan that sets out the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities and monitoring progress against measurable goals.

3One of the facets of your role is to supervise grassroots programming, encouraging an interest in hockey. What strategies do you and your team use to ensure Canadian youth and especially, minority groups (i.e., women’s hockey, newcomers to Canada, etc.), are getting and staying involved with the sport?

Hockey is woven into the fabric of Canadian culture and I believe it is important to bring the game and the opportunity to every Canadian family, whether generational Canadians or families new to Canada. Hockey Canada and our numerous partners have been very creative in the design and delivery of programs to create access to the game.

First and foremost, we work with wonderful organizations and agencies like Jumpstart, KidSport, and numerous groups across Canada to provide families with resources like equipment and finances to get involved in the game. Many minor hockey associations across Canada also have programs in place to provide families with a soft entry into hockey. There is often a lot of negative attention focused on cost, safety, time commitment, and lack of enjoyment when in fact a number of programs address these concerns and create positive environments for young girls and boys and their families to have a terrific experience in hockey.

There is the concern that families may not be able to afford a hockey experience for their child. There is also the concern that children (particularly young girls) will drop out of organized sport by the time they are 13 years old. So, it is important to focus on both recruitment of families to the game and the retention of young players who are at a statistical risk of leaving hockey by the time they are 13 years old.

The youth sport landscape is a very complex environment and many organizations play an important role ensuring youth sports like hockey are accessible, equitable and will provide all future and current participants with the opportunity to become a part of the sport and have an enjoyable experience.

There are many examples, but I would like to focus on two long standing programs to illustrate the work that has been done and continues to provide opportunities for families to entry their children into hockey.

The ESSO Fun Days Program has a rich 20-year history of providing young girls with a hockey experience. Having young girls step on the ice under the leadership and guidance of female instructors – who serve as coaches and role models has attracted literally thousands of young girls to hockey. There have been members of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team whose roots trace back to their first experience attending an ESSO Fun Days Event.

The second program worth highlighting involves a strong partnership with Bauer, the National Hockey League, and the NHL Players Association. This program is called the First Shift. Each year, the program is offered by minor and female hockey associations across Canada. Registered participants receive all of their equipment and well-led ice sessions that help young players between the ages of 6 and 10 years old to enjoy a ‘soft entry’ into the game. If these young participants wish to continue in the sport, the program leads direct them through the registration process to become members of their local minor and/or female hockey associations.

In the end, it is clear that families need access to the game, and in some cases (but not all) financial support to at least try the game. Hockey Canada has been very encouraged with the success of these programs and many other programs being offered by numerous not-for-profit groups who also believe in the positive values youth hockey has to offer to young players and their families.

4You were quite instrumental in the development of the Hockey Canada Skills Academy Program! Can you explain a little more about the goals of this program and how it was created? Moreover, do you think a similar program would work for other organizations in Canada? 

The Hockey Canada Skills Academy Program was developed right after the completion of the 1999 Molson Open Ice Summit on Player Development. There were 11 major recommendations that were a result of the summit event. Many are still very much a part of the grassroots system today, but the HCSA Program has definitely been an extremely successful initiative.

In the early stages of developing the HCSA Program, the goal was to give players an additional avenue for skill development. At the time, it was believed that arenas all across Canada sat empty during the school day. And one way to offer enhanced skill development would be to work in partnership with the education system to create a model that would allow players to complete a hockey program during the school day that was being offered as a ‘for credit’ course.

The program is now 20 years old and there are a few schools that have been a part of the HCSA network for almost the entire time. The first phase of this concept was the establishment of the ‘HCSA Pilot Project’. The purpose of this Pilot Project was to test the operational mandate of the HCSA Program in the province of Alberta during the 2000-2001 school year.  Phase 1 was a resounding success. Phase 2 of the HCSA program was the expansion of the operational mandate to further test and evaluate Hockey Canada’s HCSA program licensing model by expanding the concept regionally throughout Canada.

Today, the HCSA Program operates in over 150 schools in eight provinces across Canada, enhancing the educational experience of over 5,500 students across the country. Hockey Canada’s long-range vision for the HCSA Program is to work closely with its 13 Member Branches in an effort to sanction, service, and monitor HCSA licensed programs operating in rural and urban centers throughout Canada where both local hockey associations and arena facilities are available.

Today the purpose of the HCSA Program is to enhance a hockey student’s confidence, self-esteem, and opportunities in both academics and athletics beyond the primary, intermediate, and secondary school system all while making efficient use of arena facilities during school day hours.

The intention of the HCSA Program is not to develop future professional or international caliber athletes but rather to deliver individual technical skill development to students currently playing hockey while also offering the chance for all students to try hockey at an affordable rate in a school setting. The primary objective of the HCSA Program is to enhance the educational experience of each student by integrating hockey into their school day.

I do believe the operational framework that is in place for the HCSA program could be very beneficial for other sports to explore. Hockey Canada is very open to sharing the experience we have had with the design and ongoing development of the program.