About the 2020/2021 Conference, the COVID edition
The 2020 conference was postponed to 2021 on account of the global Coronavirus pandemic. This was the tenth anniversary conference and it was hosted virtually by Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada) where it originated in 2001. This conference was presented by the Centre for the Study of Sport & Health at Saint Mary’s, but was headquartered in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick on account of provincial border closures which left most of the lead organizers in New Brunswick. The Conference theme, aptly, was Hockey in a Changing World and sought to shed light on how the sport and the ways in which we engage with it have evolved over time. The event continued to feature a wide range of guest speakers and an author’s panel, but the game of shinny was replaced by an informal online social via Zoom. A new edition this year, which the organizers hope will become a staple of the conference, was the Dr. Colin Howell Distinguished Lecture, named in honour of the conference founder. This year it was delivered by Dr. Howell himself with opening remarks from his former graduate student, Dr. MacIntosh Ross.
Who Were Our Keynote Speakers?
- Angela James, Keynote
- Kaleb Dahlgren, Guest
- Jessica Platt, Guest
- Kurtis Gabriel, Guest
- Bob Dawson, Guest
- Kieran Block, Guest
- Brock McGillis, Guest
- Renee Hess, Guest
- Jay Scherer, Dr. Judy Davidson, and Rylan Kafara, Guests
- Serge LeBlanc, Guest
- Nicole Durand, Guest
- Ryan Francis, Guest
- Savannah Newton, Guest
- Rhonda Taylor, Guest
Main Steering Committee:
Cheryl MacDonald, Saint Mary’s University; Colin Howell, Saint Mary’s University; Greg Knight, Saint Mary’s University; Jonathon Edwards, University of New Brunswick; Kristi Allain, St. Thomas University; Madine VanderPlaat, Saint Mary’s University
With special thanks to:
Bob Dawson, Saint Mary’s University (alumni); Jason Laurendeau, University of Lethbridge; Madison Bird, St. Thomas University; Matthew Kinney, kmedia; Linda Gould, Saint Mary’s University; MacIntosh Ross, Western University; Rachel deMolitor, St. Thomas University; Sports & Entertainment Atlantic; St. Thomas University; University of New Brunswick
Sponsors and Partner Organizations
- Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Saint Mary’s University Athletics & Recreation
- Saint Mary’s University Alumni
- Saint Mary’s University Faculty of Science
- Saint John Sea Dogs
- Bob Boucher Hockey Assistance Fund