Bob Nicholson

Bob Nicholson (born May 27, 1953) is a Canadian ice hockey executive, administrator, and businessman.

Bob Nicholson was born May 27, 1953, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He grew up in Penticton, and played pond hockey and minor ice hockey in the Okanagan area.

His midget team was coached by Ivan McLelland, and won a provincial championship.

Nicholson moved up to the junior ice hockey level, played three seasons with the Penticton Broncos, and was named team captain in his third season.

His Broncos team won the Mowat Cup for the British Columbia Hockey League championship, and then went on to win the Doyle Cup for the BC–Alberta championship in 1973.

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

Nicholson attended Providence College on a scholarship to play NCAA hockey.

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

He began his hockey administrator career in 1975 with BC Hockey, and worked his way up to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1989.

During his tenure as president of Hockey Canada, national teams won 71 medals in international competitions, including 44 gold medals, seven Olympic gold medals, 12 world junior titles, five men's world championships, and 10 women's world championships.

He transformed Hockey Canada into a profitable business, and raised the profile of the World Juniors.

In addition to his work on Canadian national hockey, he spent four years as an International Ice Hockey Federation vice-president and council member.

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.

He is married to Lorna Schultz Nicholson.

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.

In Oak Bay, he created programs for youths to play hockey for fun and develop skills, and successfully grew enrollment each year, then he was hired by Dave Andrews in 1979, to become technical director of the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association.

During the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Nichsolson was a commentator for CBC Sports.

Nicholson served in this capacity until 1989, and continued with fundamental skills development while touring the province.

He was also in charge of coaching clinics for the BCAHA, and led player development camps for annual junior Olympic programs, and the program of excellence for the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team.

Nicholson also coached at the junior A level, and the provincial Under-17 team at the Winter Canada Games.

Nicholson was named vice-president of technical operations by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association as of July 1, 1989, when the organization looked to improve domestic programs, and became more involved in the growth of international hockey.

He was appointed vice-president of programs for the CAHA in 1990, then senior vice-president in 1992.

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.

He continued in the same role after the merger of the CAHA with Hockey Canada in 1994.

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.

Nicholson helped negotiate with the National Hockey League to allow its players to participate in the Winter Olympic games, beginning with the 1998 Winter Olympics, which also marked the first time women's hockey was played in the Olympics.

Nicholson served as president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada from June 1, 1998, until June 1, 2014.

He was considered a relative unknown in the hockey world when he took over as president.

He credited his predecessor Murray Costello, for bringing him into Hockey Canada, and for the opportunity to build on Costello's work.

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.

He wanted Canadian hockey teams to aim for gold at international competitions, and disagreed with the Canadian Olympic Committee talking about personal bests, and just going to the Olympics to enjoy it.

Nicholson was credited with instilling team-building components for developing team chemistry quickly in shortened competitions, which helped the national men's team win its first Olympic gold medal after a 50-year drought.

During his tenure, Canada won 71 medals in international competition including 44 gold, 20 silver, and 7 bronze.

The Canadian men's team won three Winter Olympic Games gold medals in 2002, 2010, and 2014; three Ice Hockey World Championships gold medals in 2003, 2004, and 2007; and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

The Canadian women's team were undefeated in Olympic play during his tenure, and won four consecutive Winter Olympic gold medals in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014; and won five IIHF World Women's Championships in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2012.

The Canadian under-18 men's team won the IIHF World U18 Championship in 2003, 2008, and 2013.

The Canadian under-18 women's team won four IIHF World Women's U18 Championships in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

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.