It seemed like a couple of short years ago rumor had it that Play On was on the verge of heading for a game misconduct and not playing again.
It’s been played in various areas of the country and gives anyone interested in playing a weekend series of games, which vary from the young division to the Men’s/Women’s divisions of play.
In making changes so as to grow the program it’s announced that Canada announces that they have added 14 new members to its Advisory Board.
They will represent a cross section of Industry as well as Government leaders that are dedicated growing Play On!
The7 will join W. Graeme Roustan and Rob Gialloreto who were introduced earlier as advisory board members.
Scott Hill (Founder/Director PlayOn) mentioned “We have assembled a great team and each of these individuals brings with them outstanding character and a vast degree of expertise that will be beneficial to our future efforts. We express our gratitude for their willingness to serve.”
Play On encourages programs that provide access and opportunity for anyone to play street hockey with events held all across Canada each May and June.
The program has attracted an estimated 2.5M Canadians to the 170 events held to date, and holds the Guinness World Record as the largest street hockey event in the world. Play On!
Canada is listed as a not for profit organization with a mandate to “promote the importance of play by producing and supporting events providing Canadians positive introductory sport experiences.”
Play On! Canada Advisory Board Members are:
Christos Nikitopolous was instrumental in envisioning the future potential of the Play On! program in 2007 while serving as Director of Sports Partnerships at CBC.
He is currently Head of Agency Development at Google and previously held leadership roles with Canada’s Olympic Media Consortium, Shaw and Rogers.
Matt Brown is a recent Play On! participant, but a long-time advocate of health and recreation programs which date to his days as a Senior Manager with the YMCA.
He is currently the Mayor of London Ontario (Canada’s 15th largest city) he is an advocate to the annual closure of nearly 1.5Km of its downtown city streets.
Joel Darling currently leads Rogers Broadcast production of special events for the NHL and was previously the Executive Producer of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada and the Director of Production for CBC Sports and contributed to the production of the seven national street hockey championships.
Johnny Misley’s career includes senior leadership roles within Hockey Canada ( part of 14 Gold Medal World and Olympic Championship teams).
As well as Own The Podium (where he prioritized investment strategies to help maximize Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic performances), and as President of Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart and currently serves as the CEO of Ontario Soccer.
Darren Fisher is the former Deputy Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality, and active in working with many charities, schools, and athletic teams to help them achieve their goals.
He serves as the Federal Liberal MP representing Dartmouth-Cole Harbour and it’s noted that his Private Member’s bill (C-238, championing environmental responsibility) received royal assent in his first Parliamentary session.
Colby Armstrong played his MHA in Saskatoon and is the NHL Analyst for Sportsnet, played with the WHL Red Deer Rebels as well as having a stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadians.
He is the only alumnus who has scored nine goals in one street hockey shift
Cindy Chan is the Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto, with cross appointment to the Rotman School of Management.
Duane Snelgrove is currently VP of National Sales for Canadian Tire Corporation having a professional background which includes Strategy and Merchandising roles for Loblaw’s Group of Companies and for Rexall.
Cheryl Finn is the current Chair of the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2013.
Cheryl has had Provincial and National experience in basketball, competitive swimming, synchronized swimming, volleyball, track and field, cross country running and tennis.
David Stewart is a family Physician based in Lethbridge and a Gold medal winner in CIS Track & Field Competition for the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
He enjoys the outdoors and speaks Japanese and has completed at numerous marathons and cycling competitions.
Mike Butler Heads up strategic partnerships for Kanetix Ltd., (Canada’s largest digital customer acquisition platform) for the insurance and financial service industries.
James Lamont, Principal at Lamont Communications, is a media relations professional who’s held prominent media, communications, and PR positions with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and several of Canada’s top PR agencies.
Kelly McCauley is a current Member of Parliament (Conservative) representing Edmonton West.
Prior to politics he spent more than 30 years managing hotels and convention centers and also served as President of the Eldercare Foundation, which is Vancouver Island’s largest seniors’ hospital foundation.
He was also VP of the Burnaby Board of Trade, and Vice Chair of the Avalon Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Jean-Michel Picher is a dual citizen who is a Political and communication professional holding both a MBA and LLB degrees from the UWO.
He has been an Events Producer and Political Strategist for Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, John Kerry, Ken Dryden, and Paul Martin.
