New Westminster city councillor Daniel Fontaine has scored a new position with Hockey Canada.
Along with re-electing Gillian Apps and Amanda Fowler to the board of directors, Hockey Canada’s 13 members have elected Daniel Fontaine to the board of directors. All three are set to serve three-year terms.
“We are excited to have Gillian and Amanda re-elected and look forward to welcoming Daniel to our board after a year of tremendous progress,” Jonathan Goldbloom, chair of the Hockey Canada’s board of directors, said in a news release “Our board is wholeheartedly committed to being part of the solution to transform the culture of hockey and will continue to share our important work with Canadians.”
Fontaine is set to fill a spot on the board that was previously held by former Vancouver Canucks goalie Corey Hirsch. His NHL career also included stints with the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars.
“As a former national team athlete, outgoing director Corey Hirsch brought critical insights to our board deliberations, and we are counting on him to remain involved as we focus on the player pathways in the months and years ahead,” Goldbloom said.
According to the news release, Fontaine graduated from the University of Manitoba and Langara College and has volunteered on a number of boards, including the New Westminster Minor Hockey Association, Douglas College, SafeCare BC, the BC College of Psychologists and the Canadian Association for Long-Term Care.
“A proud citizen of the Métis Nation, Daniel Fontaine is the chief executive officer of MICHIFCO Consulting and has extensive experience in government relations, policy development and communications,” said the news release.
Hockey Canada is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada.
“Hockey plays such a prominent role in so many of our lives, and I am extremely excited to join the Hockey Canada board of directors to further support a sport that means so much to millions of Canadians across the country,” Fontaine said in a statement to the Record.
It turns out Fontaine is not the only New Westie who has recently taken on a role with Hockey Canada.
In an October news release, Hockey Canada named its Program of Excellence management group for the 2024 season – the three general managers who will guide the under-17, under-18, and under-20 programs. Along with naming general managers, Hockey Canada announced Kyle Turris, a former NHL player who grew up in New West, has joined the management group of the under-17 program.
In addition to playing in 776 NHL games over 14 seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and Edmonton Oilers, he suited up for Canada at all levels of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.
That included winning gold medals at the 2006 U18 Junior World Cup and 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, winning gold with Canada West at the inaugural World Junior A Challenge in 2006 (where he led the tournament in scoring and was named Most Valuable Player), playing at three IIHF World Championships (2014, 2018, 2019), and serving as captain and winning a silver medal in 2019.
