Dave Andrews, chair of the Order of Hockey in Canada selection committee and vice-chair of the Hockey Canada Foundation, introduced the Distinguished Honourees of the Order of Hockey in Canada, at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. Edmonton Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock was one of the inductees. George Kingston and Jayna Hefford (commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League) were also named as Distinguished Honourees in the Order of Hockey in Canada.
First introduced in 2012, the Order of Hockey in Canada honours a select number of individuals annually whose role or service in the game is recognized as extraordinary. A total of 24 men and women have been named to the Order of Hockey in Canada, including Mike Babcock, Danielle Goyette and Ryan Smyth, who were added in 2018. Honourees will be recognized at the Hockey Canada Foundation 2019 Gala & Golf event in Edmonton on June 17-18, 2019.