Hockey Canada Order of Merit (Atlantic) - Ray Carmichael

Ray Carmichael is this year’s recipient of the Hockey Canada Order of Merit (Atlantic) Award. The Hockey Canada Meritorious Awards were created to honour those individuals who for many years have served amateur hockey faithfully, having participated as players, served as coaches and association members, and made outstanding contributions to Canadian amateur hockey. 

Being a hockey parent is a gift to the game all in itself, but Ray Carmichael’s dedication has extended beyond those first few years to over three decades of service to hockey in New Brunswick.

A true believer in grassroots hockey, Ray was a director with the Northern Carleton Minor Hockey Association from 1983-91. The following year, he started his involvement with Hockey New Brunswick as the District 2 director for Minor Council. Taking on the responsibilities as chair and sitting on various committees filled Ray’s time until 2012, when he was elected Member president, a role he held until 2018.

As part of his responsibilities, Ray served on the Hockey Canada Board of Directors from 2012-14 and helped usher in the governance change for the national organization in 2014. Through all his work, Ray has been committed to ensuring the best experience for all participants. He is a stout advocate for proper training of all volunteers – coaches, officials and administrators. This supported his belief that volunteers are the greatest asset in growing the game within traditional hockey families, First Nations and new Canadians.

Through his continual work to grow the game, Ray Carmichael is laying the groundwork for today’s hockey parent to be tomorrow’s volunteer.