NSB Logo Jim Kyte Jim Kyte

Jim Kyte

Speaker

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

First Legally Deaf NHL Player

Jim Kyte is a champion for accessibility and his community. He is also an example of perseverance in overcoming obstacles.

Photos

Keynote Speeches

Overcoming Obstacles
The Team Approach

Leadership, Education and Teamwork

Leadership, Education and Teamwork

Audience reviews:

  • The awards gala went great! Jim was a perfect fit - we had lots of positive comments on his presentation, and we're looking forward to working with him again in the future! - Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores (DEANS)
  • Jim Kyte exceeded our expectations. His warm presentation style fit in perfectly with the audience. His stories and presentation points challenged the audience to meet their own personal challenges and realize their employment goals.

    - Future Abilities and Creative Employment
  • An excellent speaker; extremely motivating!

    - Treasury Board of Canada
  • You exceeded our expectation in motivating and inspiring the employees of NRCan and of other government departments.

    - Natural Resources Canada
  • Jim clearly has a passion for presenting and offers a very personable insight to his experiences. The topic of hearing impairment is certainly close to Jim’s heart for the obvious reason, however his overwhelming appreciation for hearing care professionals can only be understood through listening to him talk.

    - Siemens Hearing Instruments
  • Very insightful. Great hockey analogies we can reuse.

    - Treasury Board of Canada
 

Speaker Biography

As the first round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 1982, Jim Kyte enjoyed a 17-year professional hockey career, including 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with Winnipeg, Pittsburgh, Calgary, Ottawa and San Jose.

The Ottawa native is the only legally deaf player to play in the history of the NHL and was twice nominated for the NHL’s Masterston Trophy–awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.   Jim has been long recognized for his community service and while playing for the Jets was nominated for the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy — awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.

After sustaining a career-ending brain injury in an auto accident, Jim retired from hockey in the summer of 1998 and is an active member of the NHL Alumni Association, including the Ottawa Senators Alumni Executive.

 

Today, with a rich and varied background in professional sport, hospitality, event management, and education, Jim leads a dynamic faculty and staff as the Dean of Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. He is also a member of the provincial AODA Postsecondary Education Standards Development Committee.

After creating the very successful Sport Business Management postgraduate program at Algonquin College in 2002, Jim became the Academic Chair of the Marketing & Management Studies Department in the Algonquin College School of Business in 2007.

He was the Co-Director of the Volunteer Division for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa – a gold medal experience on and off the ice.

Jim earned a Master of Business Administration from Royal Roads University in 2012 where his performance was acknowledged with the bestowing of two academic awards: 2012 Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal for the best thesis or graduate project at Royal Roads University; and, 2012-13 Chancellor’s Award for having achieved the highest academic performance in the MBA program.

2018 was an eventful year for Jim. In May, he had the special privilege of becoming an Honorary Colonel for the 76 Communication Regiment in the Canadian Armed Forces. In June, he was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. In October, he was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in Toronto.

In 2017, Jim became a Fellow of the Ontario Hostelry Institute and selected to the Diversity 50 cohort by the Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC). Jim was also the recipient of the 2016 Celebration of People Employee Award, which recognizes an employee with a disability for outstanding commitment and contribution to their organization and/or workplace.