W. A. Hewitt

William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''Toronto Daily Star'' from 1900 to 1931. He promoted the establishment of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), then served as its secretary-treasurer from 1915 to 1919, registrar from 1921 to 1925, registrar-treasurer from 1925 to 1961, and a trustee of the Allan Cup and Memorial Cup. Hewitt standardized player registrations in Canada, was a committee member to discuss professional-amateur agreements with the National Hockey League, and negotiated working agreements with amateur hockey governing bodies in the United States. He oversaw referees within the OHA, and negotiated common rules of play for amateur and professional leagues as chairman of the CAHA rules committee. After retiring from journalism, he was the managing-director of Maple Leaf Gardens from 1931 to 1948, and chairman of the committee to select the inaugural members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

Hewitt was a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee from 1920 to 1932, helped select athletes for the Summer and Winter Olympics, and was the head of mission for Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics. He served as the financial manager for the Canada men's national ice hockey team which won Olympic gold medals in 1920, 1924, and 1928; while sending reports on the Olympic Games to Canadian newspapers. He introduced the CAHA rules of play to the in 1920, and refereed the first game played in the history of ice hockey at the Olympic Games. He also served on several committees for the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, and including chairman of the registration committee which oversaw the reinstatement of professionals as amateurs.

In Canadian football, Hewitt managed the Toronto Argonauts from 1905 to 1907, served as vice-president of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, and helped organize the meeting which established the Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union in 1907. He was president of the Canadian Rugby Union from 1915 to 1919, sought to implement uniform rules of play across Canada, and was a referee for collegiate and inter-provincial games. In horse racing, Hewitt was a patrol judge at Woodbine Race Course, was a steward of the Incorporated Canadian Racing Association for 31 years, then a steward of the Ontario Racing Association for 14 years.

Hewitt was the father of radio sports announcer Foster Hewitt, and the grandfather of television sports commentator Bill Hewitt. Hewitt guided his son into radio, and together they called the 1925 King's Plate, the first horse race to be broadcast on radio. Later in life, Hewitt published his memoirs, had two arms broken in a car accident that killed his wife, and a heart attack while on a tour of Czechoslovakia with the Winnipeg Maroons. He was a life member of both the OHA and the CAHA, the guest of honour at two testimonial dinners, and multiple ice hockey trophies were named for him including the Dudley Hewitt Cup. He was inducted into the builder category of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the International Hockey Hall of Fame, and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Early life and family

William Abraham Hewitt was born on May 15, 1875, in Cobourg, Ontario, the son of a clothing merchant. His parents James Thomas Hewitt and Sarah Hopkins had Irish-Canadian heritage. Hewitt's mother was a schoolteacher born in Northern Ireland, and his father was a salesman born in Canada. The family relocated to Toronto circa 1879, when Hewitt was age 4. Hewitt's father worked as an inspector on horse-drawn carriages in Toronto, then died when Hewitt was age 8.

As a youth, Hewitt played team sports sparingly due to his small stature, and learned the sport of boxing from his brothers. At age 12, he pitched batting practice to professional baseball players at Sunlight Park, and later played baseball for the Victorias at Jesse Ketchum Park. His first job was as a newspaper boy for the ''Toronto Empire'', as he and his brothers earned money for the family after their father died. Hewitt's subsequent jobs as a youth included sorting and polishing apples, a messenger at a law office, a labourer at the Eckhardt Casket Company, and as a stock boy at a grocery store owned by his uncle. Hewitt completed his secondary school education at Jarvis Collegiate Institute.

Hewitt was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada, and married Flora Morrison Foster on October 2, 1897, at the Church of the Holy Trinity.Hewitt, W. A. (1958), p. 29 They met while singing in the church choir, and she was the daughter of a local hardware merchant. They had one daughter, Audrey (born 1898), and one son, Foster Hewitt (born 1902).Young, Scott (1989), p. 63

Journalism career

''Toronto News''

Hewitt began working in newspapers at age 14, and earned C$4 per week as a copy boy with the ''Toronto News''. The paper's city editor left Hewitt in charge one afternoon, with instructions to fire a young reporter named William Lyon Mackenzie King if he showed up. Hewitt sat at the editor's desk, when King showed up a few minutes later and resigned before Hewitt could tell him he was fired. Later in life, Hewitt regretted the missed opportunity to fire the future prime minister of Canada.

At age 15, Hewitt began his journalism career writing for the ''Toronto News'', with a salary of $10 per week. His first assignment was reporting on the strapping of a convicted sex offender at the Toronto Central Prison. He later reported on baseball and lacrosse, events at Massey Hall, and regularly covered the police and court beat in Toronto. In 1894, Hewitt reported on his first Queen's Plate for horse racing.Hewitt, W. A. (1958), pp. 141–142 He became the sports editor of the ''Toronto News'' at age 20, and gathered his information through multiple contacts he made in the sports world. His boss at the ''Toronto News'', H. C. Hocken, gave Hewitt a pay raise to $20 per week as the sports editor.

During the late-1890s, Hewitt and business partners arranged day trips by train for spectators to attend the Fort Erie Race Track, and the Kenilworth Racetrack in Buffalo, New York. In addition to sports, Hewitt covered Toronto City Council meetings, and reported on the opening of Toronto City Hall in 1899. He was also the press agent for the Grand Opera House during the late-1890s.

''Montreal Herald''

Publisher Joseph E. Atkinson convinced Hewitt to transfer to the ''Montreal Herald'' as the sports editor, with a starting salary of $25 per week, and the promise to cover Hewitt's travel expenses to and from Montreal on weekends, and future advancement if the paper prospered. He accepted the offer and learned that there was a bitter rivalry between the owners of the ''Montreal Herald'' and the ''Montreal Star''. He subsequently declined a twofold pay raise to join the ''Montreal Star'' due to his loyalty to Atkinson. Hewitt wrote in his memoirs that when he introduced nets to hockey goalposts in 1899, it increased the tension between the Montreal newspapers, and that the idea was ridiculed by the ''Montreal Star'' and the ''Montreal Gazette''. Hewitt arranged for the nets to be used in a local game between the Montreal Victorias and the Montreal Shamrocks, after taking inspiration from fellow journalist Francis Nelson, to resolve disputed goals.

''Toronto Daily Star''

Hewitt returned to Toronto, and was the sports editor of the ''Toronto Daily Star'' from 1900 to 1931. His transition from Toronto to Montreal and return took less than three months, when Atkinson purchased the ''Toronto Daily Star'' and Hewitt followed him to Toronto in January 1900. Hewitt sought for his sports staff to write articles which were accurate, brief, and included the result of the game in the first paragraph, such that it was easier to shorten the article if more page space was sold for newspaper advertising.

As the sports editor, his favourite topics were ice hockey and Canadian football. He also regularly covered baseball, boxing, horse racing, and lacrosse; in addition to sports played by the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union. He also attended and wrote about the July 4, 1919, boxing match when Jack Dempsey won the heavyweight title from Jess Willard.

During the early-1900s, Hewitt reported on the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team in the International League, and travelled with the team to spring training and some road games. Also during the early-1900s, Hewitt shared in a business venture which operated a baseball World Series scoreboard at several theatres in Toronto. The scoreboard lights for hits, baserunners, and game play, relayed by a telegrapher, to provide patrons with an in-theatre recreated version of a live baseball game. Due to the increasing costs of wire services and renting the buildings, the boards were later used outside of the ''Toronto Daily Star'' building instead.

In 1901, Hewitt began publishing horse racing results from tracks in the United States, in addition to results from tracks in Ontario. In 1910, he was charged with breach of racing laws for "printing, publishing, and selling a daily racing record". He pleaded not guilty while sale of the paper stopped, and was subsequently fined $100 for violation of the Miller Act. In 1921, he was charged with "advertising, publishing, exhibiting and selling" a horse racing form in Toronto, which was alleged to assist in placing wagers on races. Fellow journalist Francis Nelson argued that the form assisted sports editors in reporting the horse's record, that it was also useful to horse breeders, and that it did not specialize in betting any more than newspapers. Hewitt was later convicted and fined $25, despite that the judge stated Hewitt had not knowingly broken any law.

Hewitt was interested in connecting newspapers to radio broadcasts, and took his son Foster to a radio convention at the General Motors Building in 1921. He then guided his son into a career in radio, as a more popular medium for sport.

In October 1931, Hewitt resigned as sports editor of the ''Toronto Daily Star'' and was succeeded by Lou Marsh, his assistant of 26 years. During his journalism career, Hewitt preferred to write his stories by hand and never used a typewriter. Upon his retirement, ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' described Hewitt as, "a most prolific writer, a man with a keen knowledge of all sports, no matter what they are, and above all, at all times one of the fairest writers newspaperdom ever knew".

Ontario Hockey Association

Hewitt became involved in ice hockey as a player and on-ice official, and reported on the game as a journalist. He was the representative for the Toronto Wellingtons and the Toronto St. George's teams at meetings of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) during the late-1890s. At the urging of several clubs in Toronto, Hewitt was convinced to stand for election to the OHA executive. He was elected secretary of the OHA on December 8, 1903, to succeed fellow journalist William Ashbury Buchanan. As secretary, Hewitt received an honorarium for expenses which was increased annually from $200 as of 1903. He was chairman of the OHA schedule committee; and sat on sub-committees to divide teams into groups for league play, and review registrations by players requesting to change teams.

During the early-1900s, Hewitt, John Ross Robertson, and the OHA president at the time, sat on a standing committee to review protests and suspensions. Hewitt wrote in his memoirs that the committee was jokingly known as the "Three White Czars", because of their power to "exile offenders to hockey's Siberia". During the 1904–05 season, the OHA declined a request by Cyclone Taylor to transfer from Listowel to Thessalon, with the decision being relayed by Hewitt.Young, Scott (1989), pp. 65–66 Taylor recalled the incident in his autobiography, and wrote that Hewitt telephoned him with an invitation to play for the Toronto Marlboros senior team. Taylor declined the offer since he wanted to stay at home where he had a job, and stated that Hewitt responded, "If you won't play for the Marlies, you won't play anywhere". Seventy years later, Taylor said that he never forgave Hewitt for the season's suspension.

Hewitt represented the OHA executive committee during the playoffs, to witness the games any incidents that the executive may have to deal with, and to collect the OHA's share of the gate receipts.Young, Scott (1989), pp. 67–69 During a playoffs game in Smiths Falls in 1905, Hewitt arrived late when he train was delayed in a snowfall, then rink management refused to handover the gate receipts to Hewitt when the game did not complete due to on-ice incidents. The next day, Hewitt met with James Whitney, the premier of Ontario, who ordered the local clerk to hand over the money promptly.

Referees and playing rules

As the secretary, Hewitt was the de facto referee-in-chief of the OHA. He scheduled the referees for playoffs games in Ontario, and was empowered to appoint referees for league games as of 1924, instead of the two teams agreeing on a referee. He spoke annually at referee meetings to review interpretations of new and existing rules of play, and sought consistency and more strict enforcement of the rules when dealing with dissent and physical play. In 1951, he supported the implementation of monetary fines for players who verbally abused on-ice officials.

Professionalism and arena contracts

In 1924, the OHA voted to keep its ban on professional coaches in amateur hockey. When Queen's University at Kingston hired a full-time athletic director, Hewitt felt that the OHA should allow the director's involvement with the hockey team despite him being a paid professional. Hewitt proposed an amendment to the constitution which would allow the executive to scrutinize any coach and decide on the registration. The amendment was rejected by delegates who remained against any professionals in the OHA. Two years later, Hewitt brought up the issue again and argued that, "the original intention of this rule was to control the rofessionalcoach, not exterminate him".Young, Scott (1989), p. 161 His constitutional amendment was subsequently approved in the late-1920s.

When the OHA contract with Arena Gardens was up for renewal in the late-1920s, some executives preferred the Ravina Gardens where teams could get 50 per cent of the gate receipts, compared to only 35 per cent of the gate receipts at the Arena Gardens. Hewitt argued that 35 per cent of a larger arena in an established part of the city would be more profitable than 50 per cent of a smaller arena under construction in a newer part of the city. Hewitt promised to negotiate a better deal, in exchange for the contract with Arena Gardens to be renewed on a year-by-year basis. Hewitt subsequently became an influence on Conn Smythe's decision to build Maple Leaf Gardens.

Hewitt retired from journalism and became the managing-director of Maple Leaf Gardens, on October 17, 1931, and oversaw all events other than hockey The OHA signed multiple five-year contracts with the Gardens, in which all Toronto-based teams in the OHA played home games at the arena, except for the University of Toronto teams. He remained managing-director of the Gardens until 1948, and attended every professional and amateur hockey game at the arena during his tenure.

In 1933, Frank J. Selke testified in court that the Toronto Marlboros had a proposed agreement to guarantee its finances by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The agreement went unsigned when Hewitt voiced opposition to the financial support of amateur teams by professional teams. Despite concerns from some that Hewitt was connected to professional hockey in his position at Maple Leaf Gardens, the OHA executive upheld his eligibility to be the secretary, since he had no say into the management of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Later years and retirement

During World War II, Hewitt oversaw assistance by the OHA to charities in Toronto which raised funds to support the war effort, including the local Canadian Red Cross

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases