John Kastner has spent much of his adult life involved with the IBL in one capacity or another.
He played briefly, and sparingly, for the Stratford Hillers in 1979. He left the team before the end of that season to take a position as a sportswriter for the Stratford Beacon Herald and covered the team and the league for the next 20 years.
For the past seven years, John has had a leadership role with the league, assisting Stuart Smith as deputy commissioner and serving as the commissioner for the past six seasons.
He is also involved in hockey having served on the board of the Ontario Hockey Association, including as chair of junior hockey. He currently sits on the board of the Ontario Hockey Federation, a branch of Hockey Canada.
Professionally, John retired as managing editor of The Stratford Beacon Herald in 2013 and after a brief retirement, became the general manager of the Stratford Perth Museum.
