'I can't erase the past': Hockey Canada CEO looks to push embattled organization forward

Katherine Henderson is always keen for a chat.

It's basically part of the veteran sports executive's DNA.

She helped Toronto host the 2015 Pan Am Games before heading to Curling Canada for the last seven years. Since being named president and CEO of Hockey Canada this past summer, however, Henderson has done a lot of listening.

"I'm a very talkative person by nature," she said Monday in an interview with The Canadian Press. "But I've been mostly asking questions and taking literally a book full of notes.

"People have really been very generous with their time, and given me a lot of insight about the things they want and hope for."

After a trying 18 months for the embattled national sport organization, it's a long list.

Henderson, who officially assumed the role Sept. 4, has taken on perhaps her biggest task to date — bringing Hockey Canada back from the brink.

The federal government and corporate sponsors responded swiftly by either pausing or halting financial support.

The ugly headlines continued as that spring and summer progressed, including the revelation of the little-known National Equity Fund, which is maintained by player fees and used to pay uninsured liabilities. Sexual assault and abuse claims had fallen under that umbrella.

Hockey Canada then announced members of the 2003 men's world junior roster were being investigated for a group sexual assault by Halifax police.

Police in London then reopened their investigation into the alleged 2018 incident, while the NHL has also conducted an investigation. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

The stunning scandals eventually led to the departure of Henderson's Hockey Canada predecessor, Scott Smith, and the resignation of the organization's board of