About the 2016 Conference

The 2016 conference continued the biennial series of scholarly conferences on hockey, which began at Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, NS, Canada) in 2001, making it the eighth one. The most recent iteration of the conference was held in 2016 at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB, Canada) from July 5-7. It was titled “The Multiplicity of Hockey” and sought to examine hockey in its many forms, including cultural and regional takes on the sport as well as other variations such as sledge hockey. The event was a fruitful gathering of scholars, coaches, athletes, writers, business people, and fans from a variety of locations, backgrounds, and points of view. Most notably, the traditional shinny game played at each conference took the form of a sledge hockey lesson and game with Canadian Paralympian Billy Bridges.

Who Were Our Keynote Speakers?

• Billy Bridges: Canadian Paralympic sledge hockey player who spoke about his experiences playing sledge hockey and the importance of never giving up
• Ted Nolan: former NHL and Olympic coach who spoke about his experiences as an Ojibwa hockey player and coach
• Mike Johnston: Former NHL coach who discussed the fundamentals of a winning culture
• Tom Coolen: former Olympic and NHL coach who spoke of his experience coaching Team Latvia at the 2014 Winter Olympics
• David Scott: NHL Psychologist who spoke about motivation and work ethic
• Luc Gauthier: NHL Scout who spoke about evaluating hockey players
• Cheryl Maloney & Gerald Gloade: gave a presentation on the possible origins of ice hockey with the Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia

Players Roundtable: Ben Shutron (Hockey Canada), Sarah MacDonnell (Planegg Penguins), RD Chisholm (UNB)

Coaches Roundtable: Gardner MacDougall (UNB), Jim Arsenault (UdeM), Kayla Blackmore (RNS), Peter Smith (STU)

Brian Kennedy also spoke about his most recent book, Facing Wayne Gretzky: Players Recall the Greatest Hockey Player Who Ever Lived

Who Were Our Conference Organizers?

Conference Organizer

Dr. Jonathon Edwards
Faculty of Kinesiology
University of New Brunswick

Organizing Committee

Dr. Cheryl MacDonald
Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services
University of Alberta

Dr. Kristi Allain
Department of Sociology
Saint Thomas University

David Steinberg
Graduate Student
University of New Brunswick

Mike Gagne
Graduate Student
University of New Brunswick

In charge of keynote speakers: Terry Fitzpatrick and John MacIntosh

In charge of sponsorship: Diana Cocchiarella, Dunu Eliaba, and Brittany Pye

In charge of registration, gift bags, and opening ceremonies: Dunu Eliaba, Aiden Hallihan, Alexie Noble, and Erin Maranda

Sponsors and Partner Organizations

We are grateful for the support of our many sponsors and partner organizations.

• Easter Seals New Brunswick
• Coach New Brunswick
• Hockey New Brunswick
• Windsor Castle Bar
• Fredericton Youth Hockey Association
• Saint Thomas University
• UNB Faculty of Kinesiology
• City of Fredericton
• UNB Varsity Reds
• Investors Group
• University of New Brunswick
• Coaching Association of Canada (CAC)
• Citizenship & Immigration Canada
• New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame

Click here for 2016 Hockey Conference Program.