Bunny Ahearne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bunny Ahearne
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John Francis Ahearne
19 November 1900 Kinnagh, County Wexford, Ireland
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| Died | 11 April 1985 (aged 84) Toddington, Gloucestershire, England
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| Occupation | Travel agent |
| Known for | International Ice Hockey Federation and British Ice Hockey Association executive |
| Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame IIHF Hall of Fame |
John Francis "Bunny" Ahearne (born November 19, 1900 – died April 11, 1985) was an important leader in British ice hockey. He was a businessman and helped run the sport for many years. He served as president and vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1951 to 1975. He was also the secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) from 1934 to 1971. Later, he became its president until 1982.
Bunny Ahearne started his hockey journey by managing the Great Britain men's national ice hockey team. This team won a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games. He then moved on to work on the international stage. He made many improvements at the IIHF, helping ice hockey grow in new countries. He also made the Ice Hockey World Championships bigger and better. He was honored for his work by being added to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. After he passed away, he was also added to the IIHF Hall of Fame.
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Bunny Ahearne's Early Life
Bunny Ahearne was born on November 19, 1900. His birthplace was Kinnagh, County Wexford, in Ireland. He lived most of his life in England. He worked as a travel agent. Interestingly, he never actually played ice hockey himself.
Leading British Ice Hockey
Bunny Ahearne played a huge role in British ice hockey. He was the secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) for a long time, from 1934 to 1971. After that, he became the association's president, serving from 1971 to 1982. During these years, he also represented the United Kingdom at meetings for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Ahearne was the manager for the Great Britain men's national ice hockey team. This team won a bronze medal at the 1935 Ice Hockey World Championships. He continued to manage the team's business side for three more years. He hired Percy Nicklin to be the team's coach.
Before Ahearne joined, the national team was mostly made up of army officers. He decided the team needed to have at least four British-born players. He also brought in other talented players. He built a strong British team by finding players in Canada. These players had British citizenship because their families were from the UK. In 1935, Ahearne went to Canada with team captain Carl Erhardt. They looked for the best players available. The Canadian hockey group agreed to let players transfer. They just asked that the British team followed the rules for transfers.
Thanks to the hard work of Ahearne, Nicklin, and Erhardt, Great Britain had great success. The team won an Olympic gold medal and two silver medals in the next three years. They won the gold medal in ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics. This event also counted as the 1936 European and World Championships. Great Britain then won silver medals at both the 1937 Ice Hockey World Championships and the 1938 Ice Hockey World Championships. They also won the European championship both times.
Bunny Ahearne and World Hockey
Bunny Ahearne was part of a group from the IIHF that visited North America in 1947. Their goal was to convince the Canadian and American hockey groups to rejoin the IIHF. He later welcomed the Soviet Union to the IIHF in 1952. He also helped the Canadian national team with their tours in Europe. He booked their trips and places to stay until 1952.
Ahearne held important roles at the IIHF for many years. He was vice-president from 1951 to 1957. Then he became president from 1957 to 1960. He went back to being vice-president from 1960 to 1963. He was president again from 1963 to 1966. Then vice-president from 1966 to 1969, and finally president again from 1969 to 1975. He often switched between president and vice-president. This was part of an agreement. It was decided that the top job would rotate between leaders from Europe and North America.
During his time with the IIHF, Ahearne made many positive changes. He helped improve the IIHF's money situation. He worked well with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He also helped hockey grow and start in new countries. He turned the Ice Hockey World Championships into a very popular yearly event. He also introduced different levels of competition for the championships. He helped start the IIHF European Junior Championships and the Izvestia Cup in 1967. He brought advertisements to the side of hockey rinks during the World Championships. He also got deals for showing international games on TV. He made sure that money from these events was shared with IIHF members. This money helped hockey grow even more.
In 1969, the IIHF decided to allow a few former professional players in international games. The Soviet Union disagreed with this decision. They worried Canada would use too many professional players in the 1970 World Ice Hockey Championships. When the Olympics committee did not support the change, Ahearne changed his mind. Because of this disagreement, the Canadian hockey group stopped playing in international games until 1977. This led to talks for the 1972 Summit Series. Bunny Ahearne was one of four people who approved this famous event on April 18, 1972. He retired as IIHF president in 1975.
Bunny Ahearne's Personal Life
Bunny Ahearne owned a travel company called Blue Riband Travel. His offices were in Mayfair. He was married to Betty, and they had two sons. He passed away on April 11, 1985, at his home in Toddington, Gloucestershire. He died because of heart failure. Many people respected him for his business skills.
Awards and Honors for Bunny Ahearne
Bunny Ahearne received many awards for his contributions to hockey. He got the Ontario Hockey Association Gold Stick Award in 1948. He also received the AHAUS citation award in 1949. In 1975, he was named an honorary president of the IIHF.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. In 1987, he was added to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. After his death, he was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. He received honors from other countries too, like the Cross of Finland. The Ahearne Cup was named after him. This hockey tournament started in Sweden in 1952.
