Jim Kyte

Background

About Jim Kyte

A community leader and advocate for accessibility and inclusion, with a rich background in professional sport, hospitality, and higher education, Jim Kyte leads a dynamic faculty and staff as the Dean of Algonquin College's School of Hospitality and Tourism. The Ottawa native is the only deaf player in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL). As the first round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 1982, enjoyed a 17-year professional hockey career, including 13 seasons in the NHL with Winnipeg, Pittsburgh, Calgary, Ottawa and San Jose. Wanting to be a positive role model and open doors for those behind him, Jim co-founded the Canadian Hearing Impaired Hockey Association, and ran the Jim Kyte Hockey School for the Hearing Impaired for eight years, operating in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. Jim is proud that many alumni of the school have gone on to represent Canada in the Winter Deaflympics. After sustaining a career-ending injury in an auto accident, Jim retired from professional hockey in the summer of 1998 and is an active member of the Ottawa Senators Alumni Executive and National Hockey League Alumni Association. Recovering from a brain injury, Jim started to write as a form of therapy. He went on to write a well-received “Point Man” column for the Ottawa Citizen which also appeared in CanWest newspapers across the country from Jim was given an opportunity by Algonquin College in 2001 and seized it to this day. After creating the very successful Sport Business Management postgraduate program in 2002, Jim became the Academic Chair of the Marketing and Management Studies Department in the Algonquin College School of Business in 2007. In 2014, Jim became the proud Dean of the School of Hospitality and Tourism. Actively involved in his community, Jim has been on several charitable boards and organizing committees. Today, Jim is privileged to be an Honorary Colonel for the 76 Communications Regiment in the Canadian Armed Forces, a board member of Canadian Hearing Services, and the Honorary Chair for an Evening in the Maritimes, a fundraiser for ABLE2. Jim has been recognized for his athletic career and community involvement with several recent awards: 2019 DASCH Recognition Award Recipient; 2018 Canadian Disability Hall of Fame; and 2018 Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. Jim has received rave reviews for his motivational public speaking, sharing his NHL and life experiences with audiences motivating them towards maximizing their individual potential and be effective team players at work, home or play.