Clarence Campbell
Encyclopedia
Clarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC
(July 9, 1905 - June 24, 1984) was the third president of the National Hockey League
from 1946 to 1977.
, Campbell attended high school at the Strathcona Collegiate Institute, now known as Strathcona Composite High School
, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from the University of Alberta
with a degree in law and arts in 1924 and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
.
Campbell worked as a referee in the NHL
from 1933 until 1939. He officiated some historic games, such as the game in 1937 when the great Howie Morenz
's career was ended when he broke his leg, an injury that eventually led to his death. Campbell even refereed a rough playoff game between the Montreal Maroons
and the Boston Bruins
in which Dit Clapper
used his stick on a player. Angry at Clapper's actions, he called Clapper a profane name, which brought a powerful punch from the hardrock defenceman that knocked Campbell to the ice. Campbell, aware of his provocative action, then submitted a very lenient report on Clapper, and NHL president Frank Calder
gave Clapper only a fine as a result.
Campbell made a controversial call in 1939 when refereeing a game involving the Toronto Maple Leafs
when defenceman Red Horner
was struck with a stick and Campbell doled out only a minor penalty, even though Horner was bleeding. Leafs owner Conn Smythe
called for Campbell not to be rehired, and the league agreed.
broke out and Campbell enlisted in the Canadian Forces
. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of the war he served with the No. 1 Canadian War Graves Investigation Unit. After the war he was appointed Queen's Counsel, and was one of the prosecutors at one of several trial courts of leading Nazis who were put on trial for crimes against humanity. It has been widely reported that Campbell participated in the Nuremberg Trials
, but he said that was untrue in a Sports Illustrated
article published in the late 1960s.
Meanwhile, Calder had died, and with Campbell overseas, the NHL named Red Dutton
president. But Dutton did not want the job and when Campbell finally came back to Canada in 1946, Dutton resigned and Campbell accepted the presidency. He was certainly qualified for the position, with his experience in law and in hockey. One of his first acts of authority was in 1948, when he expelled players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger
from the NHL for betting on games.
superstar Maurice "Rocket" Richard
for the remaining three games of the 1955 regular season and for the entirety of the playoffs. This decision came about as a result of Richard's actions during a March 13 game between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins
; Richard had gotten into a vicious stick-swinging fight with the Bruins' Hal Laycoe
, and when linesman Cliff Thompson
attempted to restrain Richard, he received a punch in the face for his efforts. On March 17, Campbell attended a game at the Montreal Forum
between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings
. Throughout the first period he was taunted and pelted with debris by outraged Montreal fans, who saw him as a prime example of the city's English-Canadian elite oppressing the French-Canadian majority. After a tear gas bomb was released in the arena, Campbell exited the building, the game was forfeited to the Red Wings, and the Forum was evacuated. What ensued was a full-fledged riot
in which 60 people were arrested and $500,000 in damage was done.
Campbell was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1966. He was instrumental in the 1967 expansion
, which doubled the league in size. He kept the league alive when the World Hockey Association raided its talent in the 1970s, and often worked 18 hours a day in his office.
At the beginning of the league's Expansion Era in 1967, the NHL clubs decided to highlight the achievements of the league president by donating the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
in his honour. When the league realigned into two conferences and four division
s in 1974, it further honoured Campbell by naming one of the two conferences after him, and awarding the Campbell Bowl to the conference's regular-season (later playoff) champion. Although the Clarence Campbell Conference was renamed the Western Conference
in 1993, the Campbell Bowl continues to be awarded to the conference's playoff champion.
in the "Sky Shops" scandal. He was convicted, but the NHL paid his fine and he served no time because of his age. Campbell was a sick man by the time he retired as NHL president in 1977. He spent the last years of his life plagued with respiratory ailments, and died on June 24, 1984.
QC
In Commonwealth countries, QC refers to Queen's Counsel, a distinguished and experienced legal practitioner.QC may also refer to:* Quebec Canada Post provincial abbreviation...
(July 9, 1905 - June 24, 1984) was the third president of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
from 1946 to 1977.
Early life and career
Born in Fleming, SaskatchewanFleming, Saskatchewan
-External links:*...
, Campbell attended high school at the Strathcona Collegiate Institute, now known as Strathcona Composite High School
Strathcona Composite High School
Strathcona Composite High School, or Scona as students and staff refer to it, is a public high school located in Edmonton, Alberta. The school was constructed to hold 1200 students, but there are currently just under 1500 students attending the school...
, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
with a degree in law and arts in 1924 and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, sometimes known as Oxford Blues, is one of the world's oldest ice hockey teams. Tradition places the origin of the club in 1885, when a match is said to have been played against Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club at St Moritz...
.
Campbell worked as a referee in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
from 1933 until 1939. He officiated some historic games, such as the game in 1937 when the great Howie Morenz
Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League teams: the Montreal Canadiens , the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers...
's career was ended when he broke his leg, an injury that eventually led to his death. Campbell even refereed a rough playoff game between the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
and the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in which Dit Clapper
Dit Clapper
Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper was a Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey player....
used his stick on a player. Angry at Clapper's actions, he called Clapper a profane name, which brought a powerful punch from the hardrock defenceman that knocked Campbell to the ice. Campbell, aware of his provocative action, then submitted a very lenient report on Clapper, and NHL president Frank Calder
Frank Calder
-External links:*...
gave Clapper only a fine as a result.
Campbell made a controversial call in 1939 when refereeing a game involving the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
when defenceman Red Horner
Red Horner
George Reginald "Red" Horner was an ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1928 to 1940. He was the Leafs captain from 1938 until his retirement. He helped the Leafs win their first Stanley Cup in 1932...
was struck with a stick and Campbell doled out only a minor penalty, even though Horner was bleeding. Leafs owner Conn Smythe
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe MC was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1927 to 1961 and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens...
called for Campbell not to be rehired, and the league agreed.
The heir apparent
Calder decided to let Campbell work in his office after his career as a referee, and it was becoming evident that the League president was grooming a successor. But World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out and Campbell enlisted in the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the end of the war he served with the No. 1 Canadian War Graves Investigation Unit. After the war he was appointed Queen's Counsel, and was one of the prosecutors at one of several trial courts of leading Nazis who were put on trial for crimes against humanity. It has been widely reported that Campbell participated in the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, but he said that was untrue in a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article published in the late 1960s.
Meanwhile, Calder had died, and with Campbell overseas, the NHL named Red Dutton
Red Dutton
Norman Alexander "Mervyn" "Red" Dutton was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans of the National Hockey League...
president. But Dutton did not want the job and when Campbell finally came back to Canada in 1946, Dutton resigned and Campbell accepted the presidency. He was certainly qualified for the position, with his experience in law and in hockey. One of his first acts of authority was in 1948, when he expelled players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger
Don Gallinger
Donald Calvin "Gabby" Gallinger was a professional ice hockey player who played 222 games in the National Hockey League. Born in Port Colborne, Ontario, he played for the Boston Bruins. Gallinger was one of the league's youngest players when he broke into the NHL, playing on the "Sprout Line" of...
from the NHL for betting on games.
League president
As NHL President, Campbell is perhaps best remembered for suspending Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
superstar Maurice "Rocket" Richard
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
for the remaining three games of the 1955 regular season and for the entirety of the playoffs. This decision came about as a result of Richard's actions during a March 13 game between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
; Richard had gotten into a vicious stick-swinging fight with the Bruins' Hal Laycoe
Hal Laycoe
Harold Richardson Laycoe was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Laycoe started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers. He would also play with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. His playing career lasted from 1945 to 1956...
, and when linesman Cliff Thompson
Cliff Thompson
Cliff Thompson was an American professional ice hockey player. He played defense in the Boston Bruins organization from 1939 until 1950, playing for the NHL Bruins in 1941–42 and 1948–49.-Playing career:...
attempted to restrain Richard, he received a punch in the face for his efforts. On March 17, Campbell attended a game at the Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. Throughout the first period he was taunted and pelted with debris by outraged Montreal fans, who saw him as a prime example of the city's English-Canadian elite oppressing the French-Canadian majority. After a tear gas bomb was released in the arena, Campbell exited the building, the game was forfeited to the Red Wings, and the Forum was evacuated. What ensued was a full-fledged riot
Richard Riot
The Richard Riot was a riot on March 17, 1955 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The riot was named after Maurice Richard, the star ice hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League...
in which 60 people were arrested and $500,000 in damage was done.
Campbell was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1966. He was instrumental in the 1967 expansion
1967 NHL expansion
The National Hockey League undertook a major expansion for the 1967–68 season, adding six new franchises to double the size of the league. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the Brooklyn Americans folded. Thus, the expansion ended the era of the Original...
, which doubled the league in size. He kept the league alive when the World Hockey Association raided its talent in the 1970s, and often worked 18 hours a day in his office.
At the beginning of the league's Expansion Era in 1967, the NHL clubs decided to highlight the achievements of the league president by donating the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, or simply the Campbell Bowl, is a National Hockey League trophy awarded to the Western Conference playoff champions. It is named after Clarence S. Campbell, who served as President of the NHL from to . The trophy itself is constructed of sterling silver, crafted in...
in his honour. When the league realigned into two conferences and four division
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
s in 1974, it further honoured Campbell by naming one of the two conferences after him, and awarding the Campbell Bowl to the conference's regular-season (later playoff) champion. Although the Clarence Campbell Conference was renamed the Western Conference
Western Conference (NHL)
The Western Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference....
in 1993, the Campbell Bowl continues to be awarded to the conference's playoff champion.
Later life
In 1976, he was charged with bribing Senator Louis GiguèreLouis Giguère
Louis de Gonzague Giguère was a Canadian Senator and a figure in the "Sky Shops" scandal of the 1970s.He was born in Hébertville in the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est region and studied law and political science at the University of Laval and subsequently served as secretary to Quebec's minister of...
in the "Sky Shops" scandal. He was convicted, but the NHL paid his fine and he served no time because of his age. Campbell was a sick man by the time he retired as NHL president in 1977. He spent the last years of his life plagued with respiratory ailments, and died on June 24, 1984.