Bob Nicholson (ice hockey)

He has worked for Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) since 2016, and was previously the president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada from 1998 to 2014.

Nicholson grew up playing hockey in Penticton, British Columbia, winning a provincial title, then attended Providence College on a scholarship.

Nicholson was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

[5][6] In the Western Canada finals for the Abbott Cup, Pentiction lost in seven games to the Portage Terriers from Manitoba.

[9] While in Rhode Island, he played for head coach Lou Lamoriello, and was teammates with Brian Burke, and Ron Wilson.

[6][10][11] Nicholson's career as a hockey administrator began in 1975, when he accepted a job at the Oak Bay Recreational Centre, in Greater Victoria, British Columbia.

During that time he was responsible for overseeing the new Canada women's national ice hockey team program, the existing Canada men's national junior ice hockey team, coaching and refereeing certification, developmental programs, marketing, licensing and special events.

[2] Nicholson's vision for Hockey Canada was to make it a more self-sufficient business, to ensure Canadian youth could play the game in a safe and fun environment, and to promote skills development and coaching education.

[20] The Canadian junior team won a total of 12 IIHF World U20 Championships, including 7 while he was vice-president in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, and 5 while he was president in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

[23] Nicholson oversaw all components of the organization, including corporate sales and marketing, licensing, insurance and regulations, communications, and hockey development programs both nationally and internationally.

[25] Nicholson recognized the need to surround himself with good people, such as choosing Steve Yzerman, and Mike Babcock to lead the way for the national men's team in the 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics.

[14] Nicholson also sacrificed a lot of personal time, and often worked day and night for success on the national stage, and thanked his family for support in trying to find balance.

[10] The Hockey News had speculated since 2012 that Nicholson would be in line to replace René Fasel as IIHF president,[22] instead he remained vice-president until his term expired in 2016.

[28][29] Nicholson said he chose to join OEG due to previous ties with Lowe and Katz on Canada's Olympic teams, to oversee completion of Rogers Place in 2016, and turn around a franchise criticized for poor scouting and player development, which had missed the playoffs every season since 2006.

[30] On April 20, 2015, Nicholson was appointed as chief executive officer of OEG, to oversee both the business and hockey operations.

[1] Nicholson received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, to honour contributions to Canada.