Burton Lee is leaving the Peterborough Petes organization for a position in North America’s new professional women’s hockey league.
The Petes’ executive director of business operations for the past eight years, Lee first joined the Petes in 2013 as director of communications and game operations. He previously worked for the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, where he set up the Sting’s ticket sales department. Prior to that, he worked for almost a year for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.
Lee has accepted a position as director of game operations and fan experience within the hockey operations department of the upcoming new professional women’s hockey league, which resulted from a recent merger of the Professional Hockey Federation and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association. The as-yet-unnamed league is expected to launch with six teams, three in the U.S. and three in Canada, with play beginning in January.
Financed by Mark and Kimbra Walter, the league’s board members include tennis icon Billie Jean King, sports executive Ilana Kloss, and Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten. Retired hockey player and four-time Olympic gold medallist Jayna Hefford, chairperson of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, is also involved in the league.
“I am looking forward to contributing to one of the most exciting projects in the sport industry, working alongside a renowned ownership and executive team to establish the new professional women’s ice hockey league,” says Lee in a media release.
“The Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises have initiated something truly special for the hockey world,” Lee adds. “I am excited to work alongside a team led by Jayna Hefford, and to use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in Peterborough to help fans across North America and around the world experience elite hockey in a new way.”
While Lee’s last day with the Petes will be on Tuesday (August 15), he will continue to reside in Douro-Dummer with his partner Heather (a teacher at Adam Scott Intermediate School) and their two children Louie and Lottie, and will remain actively involved in the community.
“His innovative and progressive ideas spawning some major changes in our business model have helped the Petes organization make huge strides, and Burton’s team is regarded as one of the best and most respected in junior hockey,” says Petes President Dave Pogue.
“Although we will greatly miss Burton’s talent, leadership, and — most of all — his second-to-none work ethic, we are very excited for him to be able to take on new challenges with his next career move,” Pogue adds.
