OHL Appoints Golf Canada Executive Bryan Crawford as Incoming Commissioner
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) announced today, on behalf of the OHL Board of Governors, the appointment of Bryan Crawford, Golf Canada Executive and Tournament Director for the RBC Canadian Open, as Incoming Commissioner of the OHL. The announcement was made today by Tim Lukenda, Chairman of the OHL Commissioner Search Committee and President & Governor of the Soo Greyhounds.
Crawford, who is also well-known in the sporting world starting with his seven-year tenure as a running back and special teams standout with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts from 2005-11, will begin his tenure as OHL Commissioner on Tuesday, August 6.
“On behalf of the OHL Board of Governors, it is my pleasure to welcome Bryan Crawford to the Ontario Hockey League,” said Lukenda, who also serves as Chairman of the League’s Board of Governors. “When we embarked on this search, we were really wanting to identify someone who can lead the way forward and be able to build upon the firm foundation established under David’s influence over the past 45 years. The Search Committee came away confident in Bryan’s talents and ability to step in and lead the best development league in the world. Anyone succeeding David Branch as Commissioner of the OHL is going to have big shoes to fill, but we have the utmost confidence in Bryan’s ability to lead the continued growth and success of the OHL as we uphold the standard of putting our players first while remaining a leading talent provider to both the National Hockey League and U SPORTS.”
Crawford, 42, comes to the OHL having served in a diverse range of sport management executive positions, most recently as Director of the RBC Canadian Open, a leadership role with Golf Canada and the PGA Tour. In this position, Crawford oversaw an operation that achieved new benchmarks for attendance, revenue growth and economic impact, orchestrating a series of record-breaking tournaments that have redefined success in the industry. Fuelled by Crawford’s strategic vision, the RBC Canadian Open saw attendance climb from 73,000 to over 135,000 annually between 2019 and 2024. From 2013-15, Crawford was the Interim Executive Director and Director of Operations with Ontario University Athletics (OUA). He remains the youngest person to serve in the role of Executive Director in OUA history. Additional past endeavours have also included serving as the Senior Director of Operations for Canada Basketball from 2015-18.
“It is an honour to be named Commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League and I am thrilled to be joining one of the great sport institutions in our country,” said Crawford. “I am excited by the opportunity to build upon the legacy being left by David Branch. Thank you to the Board of Governors for entrusting me to lead our league. I look forward to engaging with our member teams and league partners while further familiarizing myself with the players, alumni, fans and all of the elements that make the OHL community so special.”
Crawford is a graduate of Queen’s University, earning a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies & Development. He was a Queen’s Gaels two-sport varsity athlete in both Football and Track & Field prior to being a fifth-round pick of the Toronto Argonauts in the 2005 CFL Draft.
Crawford and his wife Catherine reside in Ancaster, Ont. with their three children, Thomas, Katie and Claire.
Incoming OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford will be introduced to media at a Press Conference to be held at the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Tim Hortons Theatre on Thursday, June 20 beginning at 11:00am. Media interested in attending can contact OHL Director of Communications Josh Sweetland at jsweetland@chl.ca.
About the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has long been regarded as the number one development league in the world, continuing to serve as a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League. The OHL consists of 20 teams, with 17 located in Ontario, two in the state of Michigan and one in the state of Pennsylvania. A proud member of the Canadian Hockey League, the OHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships, with over 330 graduates receiving OHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice in 2023-24, resulting in a collective investment of over $3.2 million by OHL member teams.
