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Hockey Canada is bringing back the Order of Hockey in Canada after a multi-year hiatus.
A new nine-member selection committee, chaired by hockey broadcaster and producer John Shannon, will select three honourees each year based on their contributions to the growth and development of hockey in Canada.
Established in 2012, the Order of Hockey in Canada has recognized 36 individuals for their contributions to the sport. The most recent class was inducted in June 2022, one month after sexual assault allegations involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team became public.
The Class of 2026 is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The new selection committee includes four previous recipients: retired women’s hockey players Jayna Hefford (also executive vice-president of hockey operations for the Professional Women’s Hockey League), Angela James and France St-Louis, as well as former men’s hockey player Steve Yzerman.
The other members are Shannon, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, Canadian para hockey captain Tyler McGregor, Own the Podium chief executive officer Anne Merklinger and Shawn Redmond, vice-president, and general manager of Bell Media Sports.
“The Order of Hockey in Canada is an important initiative to celebrate some of the incredible and inspiring individuals who have positively impacted our National Winter Sport, and we are thrilled to announce its return,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, in a statement.
Shannon said the committee understands how significant the honour is to Canadians.
“As we look towards announcing the Class of 2026 and beyond, we know that telling the stories of the distinguished honourees will be extremely valuable to humanizing their accomplishments, and we couldn’t be more proud to begin our work,” he said in a statement.