Frank Calder
Encyclopedia
Frank Calder was an ice hockey
executive, a journalist and athlete. He is most notable for serving as the first president of the National Hockey League
(NHL) from 1917 until his death in 1943. He was the last president of the NHL's predecessor league, the National Hockey Association
(NHA) and was instrumental in the transition from the NHA to the NHL, a transition made to expel a franchise owner. He presided over the expansion of the NHL from Canada into the United States while at the same time fending off of rivals to the NHL's status as the premier ice hockey league.
and became a teacher at a private school. Before leaving the United Kingdom, he flipped a coin to decide whether he should immigrate to Canada or to the United States.
He married a fellow teacher, Amelia Cole, and they had three sons and one daughter.
. From there, he moved to the Montreal Herald and Daily Telegraph. After that, he passed the role of sports editor to Elmer Ferguson
so that he could move on to take the financial editor's chair, in which capacity he covered what was Canada's largest market at that time: the Montreal Stock Exchange. He maintained his interest in sports, creating the Montreal School Rugby League. He was the secretary-treasurer of the Montreal Football (Soccer) Association in 1903 and remained in that position until at least 1911, when he represented the organization at the time of the founding of the Province of Quebec Football (Soccer) Association. He was elected a member of the executive committee of the PQFA in 1911 and 1912. Earlier he was a referee and had refereed the game between the Montreal All-Stars and the touring Corinthians from England in 1906.
On November 15, 1914, Calder was appointed secretary-treasurer of the National Hockey Association
(NHA). He served as secretary-treasurer until 1917 when Frank Robinson
resigned as president of the NHA.
franchise and took his players. The NHA's president, Frank Robinson
, seeing he was as powerless as his predecessor Emmett Quinn
was, resigned as NHA president. Calder, the league secretary, saw opportunity in the situation. He decided that the NHA owners allied against Eddie Livingstone needed someone to represent them, and, in effect, Calder was---at least for all practical purposes---the new president of the NHA. He arranged meetings between the NHA's owners to figure out how to get rid of Livingstone. They decided to form a new league, the National Hockey League
, in the NHA's place. Calder was elected president of the new league which was officially established on November 26, 1917.
Calder was adamant that minorities would not be restricted in the NHL. During the 1927–28 season, upon hearing of the Boston Black Panthers, the first all-Black hockey team, he remarked, "Pro hockey has no ruling against the colored man, nor is it likely to ever draw the line," a reference to the segregation in baseball.
Only one attempt to remove Calder as president of the NHL was made. This was in 1932–33 when the owner of the Chicago Black Hawks
, Frederic McLaughlin
, circulated a letter to the NHL board of governors to remove him. The board rejected the motion.
Commencing with the 1932–33 season, Calder named the top rookie in the NHL. Starting in 1936–37, he convinced the NHL's board of governors to let him buy a trophy to give to the league's top rookie and he did this until 1941–42. After his death, the trophy was made permanent as the Calder Memorial Trophy
.
Calder received a silver service in 1937–38
for his 20 years as president of the NHL.
upon arrival and suffered a fatal heart attack soon after. He is interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery
in Montreal, Quebec.
in 1947 as a builder. Two trophies in professional hockey are named for him -- the NHL Calder Memorial Trophy
for NHL rookies and the Calder Cup
for the American Hockey League
(AHL) championship. He originated the rookie of the year award, and the NHL decided to continue awarding it after Calder died, renaming it from the Calder Trophy to the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
executive, a journalist and athlete. He is most notable for serving as the first 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...
(NHL) from 1917 until his death in 1943. He was the last president of the NHL's predecessor league, the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA) and was instrumental in the transition from the NHA to the NHL, a transition made to expel a franchise owner. He presided over the expansion of the NHL from Canada into the United States while at the same time fending off of rivals to the NHL's status as the premier ice hockey league.
Biography
Frank Calder was born to Scottish parents in Bristol, England on November 17, 1877. Calder participated in many English sports as a youth, including rugby, cricket, handball, golf, and soccer football. As a young man, he immigrated to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and became a teacher at a private school. Before leaving the United Kingdom, he flipped a coin to decide whether he should immigrate to Canada or to the United States.
He married a fellow teacher, Amelia Cole, and they had three sons and one daughter.
Early career
Calder worked as a sports editor at the Montreal WitnessMontreal Witness
The Montreal Witness was an English-language Protestant newspaper published in Montreal from 1845 to 1938.- Mission and Purpose :The Montreal Witness was founded in 1845, by John Dougall. In the December 15, 1845 edition of the Witness, Dougall explained why he began his paper. Society needed a...
. From there, he moved to the Montreal Herald and Daily Telegraph. After that, he passed the role of sports editor to Elmer Ferguson
Elmer Ferguson
Elmer Ferguson was a Canadian sports journalist. Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Ferguson moved to Montreal in 1910 and became the sports editor of the Montreal Herald in 1913. Ferguson was one of the most respected and promiant columnists of his time...
so that he could move on to take the financial editor's chair, in which capacity he covered what was Canada's largest market at that time: the Montreal Stock Exchange. He maintained his interest in sports, creating the Montreal School Rugby League. He was the secretary-treasurer of the Montreal Football (Soccer) Association in 1903 and remained in that position until at least 1911, when he represented the organization at the time of the founding of the Province of Quebec Football (Soccer) Association. He was elected a member of the executive committee of the PQFA in 1911 and 1912. Earlier he was a referee and had refereed the game between the Montreal All-Stars and the touring Corinthians from England in 1906.
On November 15, 1914, Calder was appointed secretary-treasurer of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA). He served as secretary-treasurer until 1917 when Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson (ice hockey)
Major Frank Robinson was an ice hockey executive and soldier. He was an owner of the Toronto Blueshirts ice hockey team and later, president of the National Hockey Association , predecessor organization of the National Hockey League ....
resigned as president of the NHA.
Formation of NHL
In 1917, the NHA's owners decided to drop Eddie Livingstone's Toronto BlueshirtsToronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blue Shirts were a professional National Hockey Association team that played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
franchise and took his players. The NHA's president, Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson (ice hockey)
Major Frank Robinson was an ice hockey executive and soldier. He was an owner of the Toronto Blueshirts ice hockey team and later, president of the National Hockey Association , predecessor organization of the National Hockey League ....
, seeing he was as powerless as his predecessor Emmett Quinn
Emmett Quinn
Thomas Emmett Quinn ) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, coach and referee. Quinn served as president of the National Hockey Association , the predecessor of today's National Hockey League . His brother Percy Quinn was also an ice hockey executive...
was, resigned as NHA president. Calder, the league secretary, saw opportunity in the situation. He decided that the NHA owners allied against Eddie Livingstone needed someone to represent them, and, in effect, Calder was---at least for all practical purposes---the new president of the NHA. He arranged meetings between the NHA's owners to figure out how to get rid of Livingstone. They decided to form a new league, 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...
, in the NHA's place. Calder was elected president of the new league which was officially established on November 26, 1917.
Presidency
Calder wielded his power as president with authority. One example of this authority occurred during the the Hamilton Tigers strike in 1925. Rather than negotiate with the players, he suspended and fined them each $200.Calder was adamant that minorities would not be restricted in the NHL. During the 1927–28 season, upon hearing of the Boston Black Panthers, the first all-Black hockey team, he remarked, "Pro hockey has no ruling against the colored man, nor is it likely to ever draw the line," a reference to the segregation in baseball.
Only one attempt to remove Calder as president of the NHL was made. This was in 1932–33 when the owner of the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin was the first owner of the Chicago Black Hawks.Born in Chicago, Illinois, McLaughlin inherited a successful coffee business from his father, who died in 1905. McLaughlin was a graduate of Harvard University and served in the United States Army during World War I...
, circulated a letter to the NHL board of governors to remove him. The board rejected the motion.
Commencing with the 1932–33 season, Calder named the top rookie in the NHL. Starting in 1936–37, he convinced the NHL's board of governors to let him buy a trophy to give to the league's top rookie and he did this until 1941–42. After his death, the trophy was made permanent as the Calder Memorial Trophy
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
.
Calder received a silver service in 1937–38
1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
for his 20 years as president of the NHL.
Death
Calder was presiding over a meeting of the NHL's board of governors on January 25, 1943 when he suffered a heart attack, followed by another in a Toronto hospital. On February 3 he felt well enough to travel and returned to Montreal the next day. However, he checked into Montreal General HospitalMontreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital is a hospital in Montreal, Canada, established on May 1, 1819 and an early teaching hospital. First located on the corner of Craig and St-Lawrence Streets with only 24 beds, it moved in 1822 to a new 72-bed building on Dorchester Street. It is currently situated on...
upon arrival and suffered a fatal heart attack soon after. He is interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery
Mount Royal Cemetery
Opened in 1852, Mount Royal Cemetery is a 165-acre terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The burial ground shares the mountain with the much larger adjacent Roman Catholic cemetery -- Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges...
in Montreal, Quebec.
Legacy
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey 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 1947 as a builder. Two trophies in professional hockey are named for him -- the NHL Calder Memorial Trophy
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
for NHL rookies and the Calder Cup
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...
for the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL) championship. He originated the rookie of the year award, and the NHL decided to continue awarding it after Calder died, renaming it from the Calder Trophy to the Calder Memorial Trophy.