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Brian Crawford is appointed commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League.
Crawford, 42, will succeed David Branch, 75, who announced his intention to retire a year ago. Branch was the league's commissioner for nearly 45 years and also served as president of the Canadian Hockey League from 1996 to 2019.
“I am honoured to be appointed commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League and thrilled to join one of the country's great sporting organizations,” Crawford said in a statement. “I am excited for the opportunity to build on the legacy left by David Branch.”
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A native of Hamilton, Crawford was a two-sport star at Queen's University in Kingston, winning two bronze medals with the Ontario University Track and Field Association and was named the football team's Freshman of the Year in 2001 and Special Teams Player of the Year in 2002 while pursuing a degree in political science.
Crawford participated in the annual East-West All-Star Football Game in 2004 in preparation for the Canadian Football League Draft, and was selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Argonauts in 2005.
He spent seven seasons in the CFL with Toronto as a running back and special teams player.
Following his retirement, Crawford served as interim executive director and director of operations for the OUA from 2013-15 before taking on the role of senior operations director for Canada Basketball from 2015-18.
Since 2018, Crawford has served as an executive member of Golf Canada and tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open.
“When we began this search, we knew we wanted to find someone who could lead the way and build on the strong foundation that David's influence has built over the past 45 years,” Tim Lukenda, a member of the OHL Commissioner Selection Committee and chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' Board of Governors, said in a statement.
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“The selection committee is confident in Brian's talent and ability to lead the best development league in the world. The person who succeeds David Branch as OHL commissioner will have a big job to do, but we have the utmost confidence in Brian's ability to lead the OHL's continued growth and success while upholding our standard of putting players first and continuing to provide top-tier talent to both the National Hockey League and U Sports.”
Crawford is due to take up his new role with the 20-team league, which includes the Windsor Spitfires, on August 6 and will play his first competitive match on June 20.
“I look forward to engaging with our member teams and league partners while also becoming more familiar with our players, alumni, fans and everything that makes the OHL community special,” Crawford said.
jpparker@postmedia.com
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