William “Bill” Levins (1922 – August 26, 1991) was an American
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
executive and sports entrepreneur. Levins was the first general manager of the
Oklahoma City Blazers of the old
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
. He is also recognized as the co-founder, along with
Ray Miron
Joseph Rodolph "Ray" Miron (March 20, 1923 – August 28, 2015) was an owner of the new Central Hockey League (CHL), as well as a National Hockey League (NHL) executive, serving in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and as general manager of th ...
, of the current
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
which began play with the
1992–93 season.
Levins lived in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
until 1965 when he moved to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...
to become the general manager of the Oklahoma City Blazers. The
William “Bill” Levins Memorial Cup was the name of the trophy awarded to the champion of the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2000 when the honour was renamed the "Ray Miron Cup". Levins died at the age of 69 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City Hockey Pioneer Bill Levins Dies at Age 69 , News OK
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Awards and honours
References
American sports businesspeople
1922 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
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