Hockey Canada has a new board of directors.

Now the real work begins.

The embattled national sport organizationB次元官网网址檚 members elected a slate of candidates to fill nine vacant board seats Saturday.

Retired judge Hugh L. Fraser is Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 new chair, while former womenB次元官网网址檚 national team captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall is one of eight directors.

The federationB次元官网网址檚 13 provincial and territorial bodies had the choice to accept or reject the nine names, which included five women and four men, put forward by an independent nominating committee.

Three days after interim chair Andrea Skinner stepped down in October, Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 previous board also quit B次元官网网址� under-fire president and CEO Scott Smith left at the same time B次元官网网址� amid blistering criticism related to the scandal-plagued organizationB次元官网网址檚 handling of sexual assault allegations and hushed payouts to victims.

B次元官网网址淲e understand the disappointment and the loss of confidence,B次元官网网址� Fraser said Saturday in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. B次元官网网址淭here is a lot of work to be done in rebuilding Hockey Canada.

B次元官网网址淥ur focus is on making the sport safer and more inclusive and rebuilding that trust.B次元官网网址�

Grant Borbridge, Julie Duranceau, David Evans, Marni Fullerton, Jonathan F. Goldbloom, Marian Jacko and Andrea Poole were also voted in as directors.

Their first order of business will be to hire a new CEO and rebuild faith in an organization badly bruised since May when it was revealed a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight CHL players B次元官网网址� including members of the 2018 world junior team B次元官网网址� following a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont, four years ago. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

The fallout was swift.

Hockey Canada saw its federal and corporate funding slashed as more scandals surfaced, while a string of disastrous heritage committee meetings on Parliament Hill that saw officials past and present grilled by MPs ultimately led to the boardB次元官网网址檚 resignation and SmithB次元官网网址檚 departure.

The ugly headlines included the revelation that Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 little-known National Equity Fund B次元官网网址� maintained by fees collected from players across the country B次元官网网址� had been used to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims.

With nearly three decades experience at the Ontario court of justice, Fraser has been on the Court of Arbitration for Sport since 1995 and served on the first ad hoc court at the 1996 Olympics.

Born in Jamaica and raised in Kingston, Ont., he also competed in the menB次元官网网址檚 200-metre track and field event at the 1976 Olympics and is the father of former NHL defenceman Mark Fraser.

B次元官网网址淚t means a great deal,B次元官网网址� Fraser said of being selected from a pool of more than 550 applicants.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a passionate hockey fan and watched from the sidelines as recent events have unfolded.B次元官网网址�

Liberal MP and heritage committee member Anthony Housefather said in a statement the new board represents B次元官网网址渁 diverse group of very qualified people.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hey also have a tremendous challenge,B次元官网网址� he added.

B次元官网网址淭o say that Hockey Canada has been through a tumultuous time is an understatement,B次元官网网址� Conservative MP and heritage committee member Rachael Thomas said in a separate statement. B次元官网网址淭he newly minted members of the board have the responsibility to players, parents and the Canadian people to guide the organization into a positive future.B次元官网网址�

Campbell-Pascall brings the most Hockey Canada experience to the table.

The three-time Olympian, who helped the womenB次元官网网址檚 team capture gold at both the 2002 and 2006 Games, currently sits on the board of its foundation and was the first female hockey player inducted into CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Sports Hall of Fame.

An Order of Canada recipient, Campbell-Pascall was also the first woman to provide colour commentary on B次元官网网址淗ockey Night in CanadaB次元官网网址� and is a regular on SportsnetB次元官网网址檚 NHL telecasts.

Her husband, Brad Pascall, is an assistant general manager with the Calgary Flames and worked in senior management roles at Hockey Canada from 1995 through 2014, according to his LinkedIn page.

B次元官网网址淐assie is not to be held responsible for her husbandB次元官网网址檚 prior employment,B次元官网网址� Fraser said. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 carved her own career and will be a very, very valued contributor to help us with our understanding of some of the challenges in the game.B次元官网网址�

Borbridge, Jacko and Poole, meanwhile, have significant hockey administration experience.

A corporate lawyer from Calgary, Borbridge served on the board of the Girls Hockey Calgary Association and the Glenlake Minor Hockey Club.

Jacko, an Anishinaabe from Wiikwemkoong First Nation, is the assistant deputy attorney general for the Indigenous Justice Division in Ontario. She is also president of the Little Native Hockey League.

Poole, who runs an accounting firm, has sat as director of the Ottawa East Minor Hockey Association.

The other new board members come from outside the sport.

Duranceau is a lawyer and an accredited mediator, Goldbloom is a communications specialist, Fullerton has experience as a senior adviser and CEO, and Evans has worked in the consulting, advisory and real estate industries.

Fraser pointed to that wide range of expertise as crucial to Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 path forward.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 obviously more visible diversity than organizations like this have tended to display,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut we talk about diversity of thought as well.

B次元官网网址淭he perspectives that everyone brings, IB次元官网网址檝e just been so impressed.B次元官网网址�

Former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell headed an independent review into Hockey Canada released in November. The 221-page document concluded the federation was at a B次元官网网址渃rossroadsB次元官网网址� and called for more oversight and accountability.

CromwellB次元官网网址檚 report provided a number of recommendations, including that moving forward no more than 60 per cent of board members be of the same gender.

He also recommended the new board serve a special one-year term focused on improving the organizationB次元官网网址檚 governance and safety across the sport.

The clock is already ticking.

B次元官网网址淭rust wonB次元官网网址檛 be rebuilt overnight,B次元官网网址� Fraser said. B次元官网网址淏ut Canadians should know that the new leadership at Hockey Canada is very committed to getting it right.

B次元官网网址淲e have every confidence that we will be able to do so.B次元官网网址�

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .