Frank Calder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Calder
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| 1st President of the National Hockey League | |
| In office 1917–1943 |
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| Succeeded by | Red Dutton |
| President of the National Hockey Association | |
| In office 1917–1917 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Robinson |
| Succeeded by | None – league replaced by NHL and Calder as President of NHL |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frank Sellick Calder
November 17, 1877 Bristol, England |
| Died | February 4, 1943 (aged 65) Montreal, Quebec |
| Nationality | Canadian |
Frank Sellick Calder (born November 17, 1877 – died February 4, 1943) was a very important person in the history of ice hockey. He was born in Britain but became a Canadian citizen. He worked as a journalist and was also an athlete.
Frank Calder is best known as the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL). He led the league from its start in 1917 until he passed away in 1943. He also helped create the NHL from an older league called the National Hockey Association (NHA). This change was made to remove a team owner. Calder helped the NHL grow from just Canadian teams into the United States. He also made sure the NHL stayed the top hockey league in North America.
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Early Life and Move to Canada
Frank Calder was born in Bristol, England. His parents were from Scotland. When he was young, he played many sports like rugby, cricket, and soccer.
Later, he decided to move to North America. He flipped a coin to choose between Canada and the United States. Canada won! He moved there and became a teacher at a private school. He married a teacher named Amelia Cole, and they had four children.
Starting in Sports and Journalism
Calder first worked as a sports editor for newspapers in Montreal, Canada. He wrote about many different sports. He later became a financial editor, covering the stock market.
Even with his new job, he stayed involved in sports. He helped create a rugby league for schools in Montreal. He also worked with soccer organizations in Quebec. He even refereed a big soccer game in 1906.
Leading the National Hockey Association
In 1914, Frank Calder became a key official for the National Hockey Association (NHA). This was the main professional hockey league before the NHL. He worked as its secretary-treasurer.
By 1917, some team owners in the NHA wanted to remove one owner, Eddie Livingstone. The league's president resigned because of this problem. Calder saw a chance to fix things. He helped the owners who were against Livingstone. They decided to form a brand new league.
Creating the National Hockey League
The new league they formed was the National Hockey League (NHL). It officially started on November 26, 1917. Frank Calder was chosen as its first president.
Calder was a strong leader. For example, in 1925, some players from the Hamilton Tigers team stopped playing. Instead of talking with them, Calder suspended them and gave them fines.
He also worked to make sure the NHL was the best league. In 1926, he stopped a deal with another league, the American Hockey Association (AHA). He found out that the same owner (Eddie Livingstone) he had removed from the NHA was involved. Calder made sure Livingstone was out of professional hockey for good.
Fairness in Hockey
Frank Calder believed that all people should be able to play in the NHL. He did not want anyone to be stopped because of their race. In the 1927–28 season, he heard about the Boston Black Panthers, which was the first all-Black hockey team in the United States.
He reportedly said that "Pro hockey has no ruling against the colored man, nor is it likely to ever draw the line." This meant that the NHL would not have rules that stopped Black players from joining, unlike some other sports at the time.
The Calder Memorial Trophy
Only once did someone try to remove Calder as president. This was in 1932–33, but the other team owners did not agree to it.
Starting in 1932–33, Calder began to name the best new player, or "rookie," in the NHL each year. In 1936–37, he bought a special trophy to give to the top rookie. He continued to do this until 1941–42. After he passed away, this trophy became a permanent award. It is now called the Calder Memorial Trophy. It is still given out every year to the NHL's best rookie.
In 1937–38, Calder received a special silver gift. This was to celebrate his 20 years as president of the NHL.
Later Years and Passing
On January 25, 1943, Frank Calder was leading a meeting of the NHL's team owners. He had a heart attack. He had another one in a hospital in Toronto.
He felt well enough to travel back to Montreal on February 3. But when he arrived, he went to the hospital and had another, fatal heart attack. He passed away on February 4, 1943. He is buried in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.
Honors and Legacy
Frank Calder's impact on hockey was huge. In 1947, he was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was honored as a "builder," meaning someone who helped create and grow the sport.
Two important hockey trophies are named after him:
- The Calder Memorial Trophy: Given each year to the NHL's best rookie player.
- The Calder Cup: This is the championship trophy for the American Hockey League (AHL), which is a league below the NHL.
In 2015, Frank Calder was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. His work helped shape the game of hockey as we know it today.
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