After seven years in the top job, it was, he said, "time for a change". So, in March, and without much fuss or fanfare, he left to take up a role as a manager for a South Dunedin building supplies company.
"I'd seen some good things happen down there with a new hockey turf going in and had the place going quiet nicely," Aubin said.
"So it was kind of time to do something else."
Hockey remains a passion for Aubin. The 45-year-old was introduced to the sport 30 years ago and never looked back. He went on to play for Otago at senior level, amassing more than 150 games during a long career which spanned three decades.
"Hockey has been a major part of my life. I represented Otago at all levels and coached at all levels so, of course, there is a tinge of sadness. But it was time to move on."
Aubin described sports management as a "tough job", one where you were on call and constantly facing different challenges.
"You deal with such a diverse range of people. You have a lot of volunteers and you are also trying to run a business model which does not always work when you are running a sport. It is an interesting mix between a sport and a business."
Aubin believe he has left hockey in good health.
"We've got two really good hockey turfs, we've got really good facilities and we're financially stable. Teams are performing relatively well and we have good representation at national [age-group] level. So I think hockey in Otago has done well."
With the departure of Aubin, Otago Hockey Association president Jenny McDonald said the organisation was considering restructuring how the sport was organised.
The board is flirting with the idea of employing two people - one to take care of operational matters and run the McMillan Hockey Turf, and the other person would be employed in a development role and charged with lifting the standard of hockey, especially at the top level.
