Hockey Canada CEO departs, board steps down

Hockey Canada announced Tuesday that CEO Scott Smith has departed and the entire board of directors agreed to step down.

The board will name an interim management committee before a new slate of directors is chosen by mid-December.

Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny for months over a sexual assault lawsuit settled in May. In the lawsuit, a woman said eight unnamed CHL players, including members of Canada's 2018 world junior team, sexually assaulted her in June of that year.

The fallout of the scandal has caused several longtime sponsors and provincial minor hockey organizations to suspend their relationships or fully cut ties with Hockey Canada.

Tim Hortons, one of Hockey Canada's most prominent partners, said it wouldn't resume its agreement until the governing body does "what's required to restore the faith and trust of Candians."

"We will not consider reinstating our support for Hockey Canada's men's programming until we're confident that progress is being made and Canadians once again believe in the organization's leadership and its ability to do what's right for the game we all love," Tim Hortons said in a statement, per Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Hockey Canada needs "wholesale change."

Interim board chair Andrea Skinner resigned Oct. 8 after she downplayed "toxic behavior" within the sport's culture during a parliamentary meeting with the House of Commons.

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