Jeff Skinner is doing what he does every summer: Hanging out, having fun, ramping up his workouts and getting ready to increase his skating in the wake of his 33-goal bounceback season for the Buffalo Sabres.
But this August, even Skinner's profile as an NHL veteran doesn't land him as the most prominent member of his own family.
Skinner's older sister, Andrea, has been in the news across Canada after she was appointed interim chair of Hockey Canada's board of directors earlier this month. Andrea and twin sister Jennifer, 38, are the oldest of the six Skinner children. At 30, Jeff is the second-youngest.
Andrea Skinner has agreed to take on the role at least through November at a time of crisis in Hockey Canada's history. A Toronto attorney, she is the first woman to lead the board and was named in the wake of the resignation of embattled chair Michael Brind'Amour.
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Hockey Canada lost most of its sponsorships for the just-concluded World Junior Championships in Edmonton and the federal government froze its funding after revelations of a sexual assault by members of the 2018 men's junior team attending a gala the organization sponsored in London, Ont.
Since then, Hockey Canada has said members of the 2003 junior team are also under investigation for alleged sexual assault in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and revelations were uncovered that found that youth registration fees were used in part to create a fund that paid victims of sexual assault nearly $9 million over the years.
The organization is now working on a new action plan to change its culture and restore the confidence of Canadians in the sport's most influential body.
"Her resume makes me tired just reading it. She's someone that I've always considered a role model," Jeff Skinner said of his sister while appearing over the weekend in Sahlen Field at the Bisons' "Hockey Night at the Ballpark" festivities. "I've always looked up to her my entire life."
It was an hour before a Bisons game and an hour after a Bills preseason game, but all the ruckus was because the Sabres were in the house. And when the team aired a clip of veteran Kyle Okposo speaking to players at development camp last month, his message was clear: People can't wait for hockey season.
Andrea Skinner's term as president will run at least through November. She was first elected to the board in November, 2020. She practices law as a partner at Toronto-based Aird & Berlis LLP, where she also serves as chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee and leads the firm’s mental health initiative.
Andrea Skinner was an accomplished swimmer and soccer player before focusing on hockey and playing collegiately at Cornell. She returned to Canada to attend law school at the University of Ottawa, where she served as an assistant coach on the women's hockey team and began to officiate and became one of the top officials in Ontario.
"I've been really fortunate to firsthand sort of see everything she's done in the game," Jeff Skinner said. "Obviously, I see more because she's my sister. I see what she does outside of the game in terms of leading people and leading initiatives. I honestly would go into details, but I know I'd miss stuff. And I think even her bio is kind of almost cutting some of the things out that she's accomplished and that she's done throughout her life."
Skinner, a four-time Team Canada participant at the World Championships held each spring, didn't want to offer any specific opinions on the Hockey Canada situation but said he was confident his sister could help an organization trying to fill a leadership void.
"It's almost a general life question I think in terms of just being a good person," he said. "It's a challenging situation but being able to know her, I don't think anyone could be more prepared or or more deserving of that challenge. There's a lot of smart people involved. And everyone that's involved I think is looking to do the right thing. For me to get to watch my sister as a role model, I think that she's in a position where she'll do that."
As for his own summer, Skinner is stoked to be coming off a big season after combining for just 21 goals in the previous two years.
"For me, that's my job and that's sort of the expectation to produce offensively," Skinner said after throwing the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday. "So it's nice to sort of get back to that sort of ballpark. Obviously, I think there's always room for improvement. So I think that it was nice last year to click with with with (Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch). It's sort of something that's expected of me and it's something you want to build off. It's not something that I'm gonna think back and say, 'It's good, I can sort of ease off.' It's nice to know I can do what's expected. And now it's time to build off that again."
A first-pitch strike from Jeff Skinner — and a drop from Buster. #Sabres #Bisons pic.twitter.com/SURtTm7iSe
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) August 20, 2022
Skinner said the Sabres were thrilled to see the fan support they got at the end of last season, notably the large crowds celebrating the retirement of broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, and hope to continue to rebuild the fan base that has been lost through the pandemic and the continuation of the team's 11-year playoff drought.
"That was a good, stepping stone I guess. We've got to keep moving forward," he said. "You see some of the games later in the year when we had some of those sold out buildings. RJ Night comes to mind as sort of a different feeling, a different atmosphere in the rink. It gets guys excited. That's something you have to earn as players and it was really nice to see. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Skinner, Subban, Okposo and Power in the house. #Sabres #Bisons pic.twitter.com/edquDNjdor
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) August 20, 2022
