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Edward Albert Gilroy (October 10, 1879August 8, 1942) was a Canadian
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 ...
administrator. He served as president of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) from 1927 to 1934, and the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included ...
(CAHA) from 1934 to 1936. In Manitoba, he sought to expand
senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...
and establish co-operation between teams and owners of the Winnipeg Amphitheatre on schedules and reducing travel costs. He wanted all players aged 21 and younger to remain in junior ice hockey and began to negotiate with professional teams to refrain from signing them to contracts. His seven years as leader of the MAHA was the longest tenure for a president at the time, during which he oversaw continued growth of the association and improvement of finances. Gilroy sat on the rules committee while he was CAHA vice-president and sought to implement consistent
ice hockey rules Ice hockey rules define the parameters of the sport of ice hockey. The sport is governed by several organizations including the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the National Hockey League (NHL), Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and other ...
across the country. He advocated for stricter enforcement of rules for player safety and for adopting a delayed penalty rule. As president, he wanted to stop the migration of hockey players across the country as men sought to make a living by playing hockey during the
Great Depression in Canada The worldwide Great Depression of the early 1930s was a social and economic shock that left millions of Canadians unemployed, hungry and often homeless. Few countries were affected as severely as Canada during what became known as the "Dirty Thir ...
. He warned against the stacking of teams to win an
Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...
championship and wanted to resolve the situation before selecting the
Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; french: Équipe Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada inter ...
to play at the
1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...
. His efforts were supported by most of Canada but led to multiple disagreements with the
Maritime Amateur Hockey Association The Maritime Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) was a governing body for amateur ice hockey in the Maritimes of Canada. It was a branch member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1928 to 1974, with its jurisdiction including the pro ...
, where it was common knowledge that players were being paid for amateur hockey games. The relationship with
the Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
worsened when the
Halifax Wolverines The Halifax Wolverines (sometimes; Halifax Wolves) were an amateur men's senior ice hockey team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team won the 1935 Allan Cup, and were nominated to represent Canada in ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics b ...
were chosen to represent Canada at the Olympics but subsequently disbanded and their players removed from the national team after reports of demanding money. Gilroy and the CAHA reached an agreement with the British Ice Hockey Association to halt the transfer of players from Canada to Great Britain until permission was granted. The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace ruled that Jimmy Foster and
Alex Archer Alexander Albert Archer (1 May 1908 – 15 June 1979) was an ice hockey right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions. He is best remembered as a member of the Great Britain national ice hockey team which won ...
were ineligible to compete for the
Great Britain men's national ice hockey team The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team (also known as Team GB) is the national ice hockey team that represents the United Kingdom. A founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1908, the team is control ...
since they were suspended by the CAHA for not seeking permission to transfer internationally. On the eve of the Olympics, Gilroy allowed the two players to participate as a gesture of sportsmanship towards Great Britain, and objected to other countries portraying Canada as protesting the use of Foster and Archer. Great Britain defeated Canada by a 2–1 score, and the resulting silver medal was the first time in which Canada did not win the gold medal in
ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tourn ...
. Gilroy and the CAHA were subsequently scrutinized heavily by media and players in Canada for the failure at the Olympics. He was posthumously inducted into the builder category of the
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...
in 1987.


Early life and business career

Edward Albert Gilroy was born on October 10, 1879, in
Smiths Falls Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of Ottawa. As of the 2021 census it has a population of 9,254. It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county. The Rideau Canal waterway passes th ...
, Ontario. He completed his schooling in Smiths Falls. He played
minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...
in both Smiths Falls and
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, and later became an ice hockey referee and a team executive. He also played
senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...
in Smiths Falls during the early 1900s. Gilroy first arrived in
Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...
to play hockey in 1905, then spent a season playing lacrosse in
Nelson, British Columbia Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings f ...
in 1906. He returned to coach the Portage la Prairie Cities team in the Manitoba Professional Hockey League from 1906 until the team disbanded in 1909. He also served on the executive of the
Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association The Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association was an early senior-level men's amateur ice hockey league, founded in 1903, and played one season, 1903-1904 before joining the Manitoba Hockey Association. It operated in the provinces of Manitoba an ...
at the same time. Notable players on his team included Ernie Dubeau, Jack Fraser,
Newsy Lalonde Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde (October 31, 1887 – November 21, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and a professional lacrosse player. Lalonde is regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's ...
, Skinner Poulin, Don Smith, and
Cyclone Taylor Frederick Wellington "Cyclone" Taylor, MBE (June 23, 1884 – June 9, 1979) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and civil servant. A cover-point and rover, he played professionally from 1906 to 1922 for several teams, and is most well ...
. In 1913, Gilroy was elected vice-president of the Senior Independent Hockey League based at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre. The league included the
Winnipeg Falcons The Winnipeg Falcons were a senior men's amateur ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Winnipeg Falcons won the 1920 Allan Cup. That team went on to represent Canada in the 1920 Olympic games held in Antwerp, Belgium. There the Falcon ...
, the Winnipeg Strathcona, a team from Selkirk and a team from Portage la Prairie. He refereed games in the league, and was re-elected twice as vice-president, serving in the role until 1916. The league grew during his tenure and added the
Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to: * Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions *Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL), a defunct junior ice h ...
who won the
1915 Allan Cup The 1915 Allan Cup was the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) championship for senior ice hockey in the 1914–15 season. The title was first held by the Melville Millionaires as champions of their league and two challenge wins. The Mil ...
, and the
Winnipeg 61st Battalion Winnipeg 61st Battalion was a Canadian ice hockey team. Composed of players from the 61st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force created to participate in World War I, the team won the Pattison Trophy in 1915–16 as Manitoba provincial ...
who won the 1916 Allan Cup. Gilroy worked as a
court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to w ...
for several years, then worked in the clothing business, then became the first commissioner of the Manitoba Liquor Commission at Portage la Prairie. He was in charge of the government warehouse for the distribution of alcohol in Manitoba during
prohibition in Canada Prohibition in Canada was a ban on alcoholic beverages that arose in various stages, from local municipal bans in the late 19th century (extending to the present in some cases), to provincial bans in the early 20th century, and national prohibi ...
. He was the
purchasing manager Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or serv ...
for the
Government of Manitoba The powers and structure of the provincial Government of Manitoba (french: Gouvernement du Manitoba) are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" referred broadly to the cabinet of the day (formally ...
for two years based in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
, then returned to Portage la Prairie operating a wholesale business from 1922 onwards.


Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association

Gilroy served as president of the Portage Hockey Club from 1924 to 1927. He also served as a representative of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA), and sat on the executive committee of the Portage la Prairie minor ice hockey league. As Portage Hockey Club president, he was appointed by the MAHA to committee to oversee the Manitoba Senior Hockey League. He noted the team had strong support from Portage la Prairie which allowed it to grow and prosper, and advocated to find non-hockey employment for players to keep them local instead of transferring elsewhere. Gilroy was elected president of the MAHA in November 1927, to succeed newspaper executive A. E. H. Coo. A letter from Gilroy was published in the ''
Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well ...
'' in December, in which he reiterated his commitment to expanding senior ice hockey in Manitoba, and restoring it to the prominence it had before rosters were depleted by professional teams. He was open to university teams participating in the Manitoba Senior Hockey League, wanted to work with owners of the Winnipeg Amphitheatre on schedules, and address concerns of attendance figures and travel costs to games outside of Winnipeg. He also sought to keep teams based in the MAHA as opposed to playing in neighbouring districts such as the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association (TBAHA). The 1927–28 season had the greatest number of hockey teams in Manitoba at the time, with the most growth in rural areas. Gilroy advocated for support of leagues based in rural areas to grow interest in the game, and since those teams could not raise funds to travel long distances to play in larger cities. He wanted to shorten the provincial playoffs system which extended play into poor ice conditions later in the season. As growth increased, he sought to educate teams and players in Manitoba that registration requirements including transfers between clubs would be enforced in the 1928–29 season, and published letters in newspapers advising of changes to consistent with new amateur regulations across Canada. The MAHA implemented upper and lower divisions in the Manitoba Senior Hockey League for the 1929–30 season, and received more applications from teams in Winnipeg than ice availability could support. The MAHA arranged for all of the upper division teams to play in Winnipeg to reduce travel costs, and expanded the lower division with teams from Brandon, Elkhorn, Souris, and Virden. Gilroy's desire to shorten the playoffs was realized when national deadlines were imposed. The MAHA sought for all players aged 21 and younger to remain in junior hockey, but no agreement was reached with professional teams to refrain from signing players under an age limit to a contract. The MAHA approved an application from the
Kenora Thistles The Kenora Thistles, officially the Thistles Hockey Club, were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario. Founded in 1894, they were originally known as the Rat Portage Thistles. The team competed for the Stanley Cup, the ice hocke ...
based in
Northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is th ...
to play in the
Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...
for the 1930–31 season. Gilroy named a committee to explore revisions to the MAHA constitution, and approved the
University of Manitoba Grads University of Manitoba Grads were a senior men's amateur ice hockey team. They represented Canada at the 1931 World Ice Hockey Championships where they won the gold medal by defeating the United States team (represented by the Boston Hockey Club) ...
to represent Canada at the
1931 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1931 Ice Hockey World Championship was the fifth World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 1 and 8 February 1931 in Krynica, Poland. The tournament was won by Canada who were represented by the ...
and a tour of Europe. The MAHA declined applications from unaffiliated teams with commercial sponsors to enter the
Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...
and
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between ...
playoffs, and Gilroy continued a campaign to educate teams on amateur regulations for national playoffs. The MAHA faced a revolt from teams in the Manitoba Senior Hockey League before the 1932–33 season, when the
Winnipeg Hockey Club The Winnipeg Hockey Club (also known as the Winnipeg Winnipegs) were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba founded in 1890. After the Winnipegs won the 1931 Allan Cup, they represented the Canada men's ...
, the Winnipeg Falcons and the Selkirk Hockey Club withdrew and formed a commercial league in protest of the
Brandon Wheat City Hockey Club The Wheat City Hockey Club (also known as Brandon Wheat Cities) was an early amateur ice hockey club in Brandon, Manitoba. The club fielded senior-level, junior and intermediate teams from 1898. The club fielded teams in the Manitoba & Northwestern ...
being admitted. Gilroy announced that any player taking part in the new commercial league would be suspended from the MAHA, and be ineligible for the Allan Cup playoffs. After a week of negotiations, an agreement was reached where the Winnipeg Monarchs and Winnipeg Hockey Club merged, and the Manitoba Senior Hockey League operated with four teams including Brandon. When an amateur international hockey league was proposed to include teams from Winnipeg, the TBAHA and
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
for the 1933–34 season, Gilroy stated it would not be approved since there was no existing international agreement for amateur leagues at the time. Gilroy retired as MAHA president after the season and A. E. H. Coo returned to the position. Gilroy's seven years was the longest tenure for an MAHA president at the time, during which he oversaw continued growth of the association and improvement of finances.


Canadian Amateur Hockey Association

Gilroy was first appointed to a
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included ...
(CAHA) committee in 1928, when he was named to oversee
Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...
playoffs for
Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...
, and was named an Allan Cup trustee along with
Silver Quilty Sylvester Patrick "Silver" Quilty (February 8, 1891 – December 2, 1976) was a Canadian football player, referee, coach and sport administrator. As a player, he won the Yates Cup in 1907 with the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team, and was credited ...
. Gilroy also sought to implement consistent
ice hockey rules Ice hockey rules define the parameters of the sport of ice hockey. The sport is governed by several organizations including the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the National Hockey League (NHL), Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and other ...
across the country as a member of the CAHA rules committee.


Vice-president

Gilroy became the first person to be elected second vice-president of the CAHA in March 1930, when he was acclaimed to the newly created position under Jack Hamilton as president. The CAHA continued to discuss consistent application of the rules of play, and considered a proposal from the
Quebec Amateur Hockey Association Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
(QAHA) to allow the forward pass in the neutral zone of the
ice hockey rink An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners an ...
instead of it being an offside infraction. Gilroy proposed to allow
body checking Body checking is a compulsive behaviour related but not exclusive to various forms of body dysmorphic disorders. It involves frequently collecting various information about one’s own body in terms of size, shape, appearance or weight. Frequent e ...
by players of either team in either defensive zone to meet demands of modern spectators, but the rule change was defeated. Gilroy was re-elected second vice-president in April 1931. The CAHA confirmed complete authority of the referee over any match and interpretation of the rules of play. Gilroy travelled to Lake Placid as a representative of the CAHA, when the Winnipeg Hockey Club won the gold medal representing Canada in
ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States, was the fourth Olympic Championship, also serving as the sixth World Championships. Canada, represented by the Winnipeg Hockey Club, won its fourth cons ...
. Gilroy was elected first vice-president of the CAHA in April 1932. The CAHA rules committee proposed multiple changes for the upcoming season, which revisited allowing the forward passes between the blue lines. In November 1932, Gilroy arranged for public meetings for the benefit of hockey players, coaches and referees, to clarify the rule change which now allowed the forward pass in the neutral zone. Gilroy was re-elected first vice-president of the CAHA in April 1933. He oversaw arrangements for senior and junior division playoffs in Western Canada. He also sat on the CAHA rules committee which decided to implement some of the changes made by the NHL, which included allowing the forward pass in all three zones, and body checking only to the puck carrier. He also advocated for stricter enforcement of rules by referees for player safety, specifically junior ice hockey.


President, first term

Gilroy was elected president of the CAHA on April 4, 1934, to succeed
Frank Greenleaf Frank Chapin Greenleaf (May 22, 1877January 1, 1953) was a Canadian sports administrator. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association, and was an executive in the Quebec branch of ...
, and was the third Manitoban to become president of the CAHA following W. F. Taylor in 1914, and
Toby Sexsmith William Raymond "Toby" Sexsmith (August 23, 1885August 23, 1943) was a Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator. He was elected three times as a Progressive Conservative Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba representin ...
in 1922. Gilroy was also a governor of the
Amateur Athletic Union of Canada The history of Canadian sports falls into five stages of development: early recreational activities before 1840; the start of organized competition, 1840–1880; the emergence of national organizations, 1882–1914; the rapid growth of both amateur ...
(AAU of C) in his role as CAHA president, and was named to the legislation committee of the AAU of C. In May 1934, Gilroy decreed that the CAHA would halt the migration of hockey players between clubs and branches. He sought to educate on the regulations, and stated that it was unfair for clubs to stack rosters with the best players from outside of their area. The decision by players to migrate around the country looking for work was a result of the
Great Depression in Canada The worldwide Great Depression of the early 1930s was a social and economic shock that left millions of Canadians unemployed, hungry and often homeless. Few countries were affected as severely as Canada during what became known as the "Dirty Thir ...
, since more men sought to make a living by playing hockey. By sticking to the constitution and enforcing the rules, it meant many players would be ruled ineligible for hockey. In October 1934, the CAHA gave permission for players to attend tryouts for professional teams, with the expectation that any player who did not sign a professional contract would return to amateur hockey in Canada. After those players remained in the United States on amateur teams, Gilroy suspended them from the CAHA for not obtaining a proper transfer or release. Gilroy issued communication to all CAHA branch presidents that the registration and transfer rule would be strictly enforced, and did not want players being misled by team managers circumventing the rules. Gilroy expected little difficulty in enforcing the regulations, since he received assurance of co-operation from presidents of all CAHA branches except for
the Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
. He warned against the stacking of teams to win a championship, and wanted the situation to be resolved this season, since the next Allan Cup champions would be the presumptive choice to become the
Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; french: Équipe Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada inter ...
at the
1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...
. Gilroy stated that he had no intent to appoint anyone to investigate the status of amateur players within the
Maritime Amateur Hockey Association The Maritime Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) was a governing body for amateur ice hockey in the Maritimes of Canada. It was a branch member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1928 to 1974, with its jurisdiction including the pro ...
, despite reports of players and teams not following proper transfer procedures. ''
The Winnipeg Tribune ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old '' ...
'' reported it was common knowledge that players in the Maritimes were being paid to play, but that there was little the CAHA could do to prove it. Gilroy asked the Maritime Amateur Hockey Association to "declare itself on the matter", with regards to operating a commercial league which was considered professionalism and not allowed under CAHA regulations or AAU of C by-laws. Gilroy declined to reconsider any transfer requests for player who had gone to the Maritimes without approval. He also declared that any team playing commercial hockey after January 2, 1935, would be suspended from the CAHA and ineligible for the Allan Cup, which included the Moncton Hawks who were the defending 1934 Allan Cup champions. Gilroy declared that only teams playing in an inter-city league would be eligible to compete for the Allan Cup. A three-team league was agreed upon in January, which included teams from
Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because o ...
, Halifax and
Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city i ...
operating under CAHA jurisdiction and excluding players who had not completed proper transfers. Gilroy warned all teams under the CAHA that the players who were ruled ineligible in the Maritimes could not play elsewhere in Canada. The
Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...
(OHA) also sought to operate a commercial league for the 1934–35 season, and permission was granted by the CAHA with the stipulation that such teams followed proper registration and transfers regulations and would be ineligible for the for Allan Cup playoffs. Despite the experiment with commercial hockey, Gilroy predicted it had little future within the CAHA, and noted the unwillingness by commercial teams to develop younger players. The OHA was late in deciding its junior ice hockey champion due to the use of an ineligible player. Gilroy stated the matter would be dealt with at the next CAHA general meeting to avoid a repeat, as it was unfair to teams in Western Canada to sit idle waiting to play an
Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrad ...
team for the 1935 Memorial Cup. Registrations with the CAHA had increased by 13,949 players since 1925, despite the CAHA operating at a deficit of C$30,000 in the previous three seasons. The CAHA considered expanding its registration committee to include representation by all branches of the CAHA, and Gilroy cast a tie-breaking vote for further discussion by the resolution committee. He wanted to keep players under age 21 in junior hockey and was opposed to them trying-out for professional teams. He submitted a resolution to limit try-outs by age, but it was defeated. The CAHA then approved setting up a committee to improve co-operation with the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
.


President, second term

Gilroy was re-elected president of the CAHA on April 13, 1935. He appointed a committee to discuss several issues with the AAU of C, which included the definition of amateur, the desire by CAHA branches to pay a consistent price for registration cards across Canada, and the possibility for the CAHA to issue its own registration cards. He also asked the CAHA registration committee to formally write up the common exceptions to the residence rule for junior-aged ice hockey players, or any player enlisted in the
Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
or the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
. He reiterated that the residency rule would be strictly enforced subject to the allowed exceptions. He also advocated for adopting a delayed
penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalt ...
rule when teams already had two players in the
penalty box The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence not ...
, and explained that the current situation of more than two penalties being served at once was demoralizing to the offending team, and a negative experience for spectators. In August 1935, Gilroy warned that hockey players that participating in professional leagues without permission from the CAHA would be suspended. He specifically mentioned new leagues established in England and Scotland, but that permission for tryouts would be granted if properly requested. In September 1935, the CAHA and the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) agreed to halt the migration of players from Canada to Great Britain until the amateur status of each player was investigated and that permission was granted to transfer.


National team selection

At the general meeting in 1935, the CAHA approved expenses to cover travel and equipment to send a team to Germany to represent Canada in
ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, was the fifth Olympic Championship, also serving as the tenth World Championships and the 21st European Championships. The British national ice h ...
. The CAHA reserved the right to choose the best senior team within Canada, and strengthen it with additional players from other teams in Canada up to a maximum of 12 players according to Olympic rules. In July 1935, the
Halifax Wolverines The Halifax Wolverines (sometimes; Halifax Wolves) were an amateur men's senior ice hockey team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team won the 1935 Allan Cup, and were nominated to represent Canada in ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics b ...
were chosen to represent Canada. Gilroy denied a report in '' The Gazette'' that the CAHA would stage a series in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
to determine the national representative. In November 1935, reports circulated in
The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pr ...
that the Halifax Wolverines may not be able to go to the Olympics, and Gilroy expected that the
1935 Allan Cup The 1935 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1934–35 season. In the best-of-three final, the Halifax Wolverines defeated the Port Arthur Bearcats two games to none. Final ...
finalists would be invited instead. He stated the final decision would be made later in the month at the AAU of C annual meeting in Halifax. The Halifax Wolverines subsequently disbanded before the 1935–36 season. Gilroy announced that the Canadian representative would be the
Port Arthur Bearcats The Port Arthur Bearcats (Bear Cats) were a senior amateur ice hockey team based in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada – now part of the city of Thunder Bay – from the early 1900s until 1970. Before settling on the nickname of Bea ...
who promptly accepted. They had lost only one player from the previous season and were given the possibility of adding up to four players from the Wolverines. Gilroy said efforts made to reassemble the Halifax Wolverines were unsuccessful, and reiterated that the decision to send the Bearcats was final. He elaborated that if the CAHA had considered the
Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league baseball, minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm system, farm club (Triple-A (base ...
team, they would also have had to consider the other semi-finalists from
North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The B ...
. On January 7, 1936, the four members of the Halifax Wolverines that had been added to the national team, were removed after an emergency meeting in Toronto to deal with reports of them demanding money to take care of their families while they were overseas at the Olympics. Gilroy stated that the CAHA would not give preferential treatment to any player on the team, and denied that nothing beyond travel expenses were offered to the players in order to meet amateur eligibility requirements for the Olympic Games. The next day,
Walter Kitchen Walter Lawrence "Pud" Kitchen (December 18, 1912 – July 18, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics. As owner of the horse Hail To Patsy, he won the 1969 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Kitchen wa ...
,
Hugh Farquharson Hugh Miller Farquharson (November 4, 1911 – March 27, 1985) was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics. He graduated from McGill University with a BA in 1931 and a Bachelor of Common Law in 1934. He played for ...
, Dinty Moore and James Haggarty were added to the national team. According to CAHA secretary
Fred Marples Frederick Paul Henry Marples (January 27, 1885January 17, 1945) was a Canadian sports executive in ice hockey and athletics. He was president of the Winnipeg Monarchs team which won Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League championships in 1914 and 1915 ...
, the Halifax Wolverines players approached the Port Arthur Bearcats manager about taking care of their families while overseas, and the manager in turn relayed the question to Gilroy who stated he would deal with it upon arriving in Port Arthur on route to Halifax. The four players felt they were unjustly removed from the team, denied that they had asked for money, and stated that Gilroy had approached them first on the train from Port Arthur to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
and suggested they appeal for money from the
Government of Nova Scotia The Government of Nova Scotia (french: Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Écosse, gd, Riaghaltas Alba Nuadh) refers to the provincial government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is one of Canada's four Atlantic Provinces, and the sec ...
. The Maritime Amateur Hockey Association requested an official explanation of the dismissals from Gilroy and AAU of C president W. A. Fry, with suspensions forthcoming if the allegations were proven true. Gilroy stated no suspension was issued against the players at the time, but the Maritime Amateur Hockey Association called his explanation unsatisfactory that the players had requested money for their families while overseas. Gilroy sailed to Europe on January 18 aboard the along with the members of the Canadian national hockey team.


1936 Winter Olympics

The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) which oversaw ice hockey at the Olympics, met before the games started and ruled that Jimmy Foster and
Alex Archer Alexander Albert Archer (1 May 1908 – 15 June 1979) was an ice hockey right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions. He is best remembered as a member of the Great Britain national ice hockey team which won ...
were ineligible to compete for the
Great Britain men's national ice hockey team The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team (also known as Team GB) is the national ice hockey team that represents the United Kingdom. A founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1908, the team is control ...
since the players were under suspension by the CAHA for not seeking permission to transfer internationally. Great Britain's manager
Bunny Ahearne John Francis "Bunny" Ahearne (19 November 1900 – 11 April 1985) was a British ice hockey administrator and businessman. He served rotating terms as president and vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1951 to 197 ...
contested that international rules stated a player could leave a country without seeking permission, and the CAHA suspensions should not apply. Gilroy noted that Canada had lodged a complaint with the LIHG in September 1935, regarding the Canadians who went to play abroad without permission of the CAHA. He found it unfortunate that the question of eligibility was raised on the eve of the Olympics, since the LIHG had not held a meeting until then. He denied making a last-minute protest for fear of Canada losing to Great Britain. Gilroy also denied that Canada had agreed to lift the ban on the two players, stating that all players who had not received international transfers were still suspended. He chose not to object on the eve of the Olympics to the two players participating as a gesture of sportsmanship towards Great Britain. Before the second round of games began, other participating hockey nations threatened to protest the victories by Great Britain due to the use of CAHA players. ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' reported that three LIHG delegates had approached Gilroy to become president and called for an emergency meeting of the LIHG. On February 10, Gilroy was quoted as saying that, "hockey in Great Britain, as conducted by the British Ice Hockey Association, is a racket". He felt that it was unsportsmanlike for Great Britain to import as many Canadian players as it did to its domestic league. He also felt that LIHG president
Paul Loicq Paul Loicq (11 August 1888 – 26 March 1953) was a Belgian lawyer, businessman and ice hockey player, coach, referee and administrator. He played ice hockey for Belgium men's national ice hockey team and won four bronze medals from in 1910 to ...
had put Canada "on the spot" by not making a decision, and objected to Canada being portrayed as in protest. Gilroy also stated, "Canada is willing to play any team here. If we can't produce a team good enough to win the Olympics, we should be ashamed, since Canada is the birthplace of hockey". The next day, Great Britain defeated Canada by a 2–1 score. Gilroy stated he had no complaint over the inclusion of Foster and Archer the game and felt Canada lost due to "tough breaks". Before the final round began, Canada threatened to withdraw from Olympic hockey when it learned that the playoffs format would carry over the loss to Great Britain past the second round-robin series, since the tournament format stated that teams did not have to play one another more than once. Canada was faced with going into the final round of four versus the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
and Great Britain national teams, and was only able to play two games with a loss against them. Gilroy was unaware of the playoff format in advance of the Olympics, and took objection to the sportsmanship of Canadian officials being questioned, after a special meeting decided not to alter the format. Gilroy was criticized by Canadian politician
Tommy Church Thomas Langton "Tommy" Church (1873 – February 7, 1950) was a Canadian politician. After serving as Mayor of Toronto from 1915 to 1921, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1921 election as a Conservative from the riding ...
for fostering ill will against Canada due to the February 10 comments. Church called for an investigation and for the
Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...
to decide on whether to abandon the Olympics in favour of the
British Empire Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
. Great Britain went on to capture the gold medal and Canada received the silver medal. The 1936 tournament was the first time in which Canada did not win the gold medal in
ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tourn ...
, which led to the CAHA and Gilroy being heavily scrutinized by media in Canada. In remarks after the Olympics on February 18, Gilroy insisted that the CAHA had not wished to bring up the suspended Canadian players, and that it was made an issue against his wishes and gave Canada a reputation for poor sportsmanship. He was quoted as saying that Canada was given a "raw deal" by the playoffs format used, and considered cancellation of scheduled exhibition games for the national team except for those against Germany and France who supported Canada's disagreement with the playoffs format. The next day, Gilroy denied that he said Canada was given a "raw deal", and held further remarks until he returned home to meet with the CAHA. ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' sports editor Johnny Buss wondered if Gilroy was being made the
scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designat ...
for the CAHA's woes at the Olympics. He admired Gilroy for his sportsmanship, but noted the choice to let Foster and Archer play did not make any friends, nor did the comment that senior amateur hockey in England was a "racket". Buss described Gilroy as outspoken but sincere in his efforts, but speculated that Gilroy's statements were made at the urging of other CAHA officers.


Post-Olympics reaction in Canada

Upon his arrival in Halifax aboard the RMS ''Montclare'' on March 2, 1936, Gilroy spoke with Canadian media who had not been in attendance at the Olympics. He reiterated that the CAHA did not protest the use of Archer and Foster by Great Britain, and voted with the majority of LIHG members to allow them to play. Gilroy felt the playoffs format was changed to Great Britain's advantage in the middle of competition by parties who stood to gain from the change. He defended the choice of the national team and declared no CAHA officers would resign due to not winning the gold medal. He also stated, "I have been misrepresented and misunderstood so many times. I am becoming hardened to it". Neither Gilroy nor
Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ...
president
Patrick J. Mulqueen Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick o ...
elaborated on the comment that English hockey was a "racket". The Canadian Press reported the Gilroy appeared nervous in response to what Mulqueen termed "misrepresentation of his actions". Gilroy arrived in Winnipeg the next day and was quoted as saying, "No matter how you add it up, Canada should have won the Olympic hockey championship". Canada had won seven of eight games played and had a better ratio of goals for against compared to Great Britain which won five of seven games with two draws. Gilroy said, "There is no question that the fact that the rules were changed immediately following England's victory over Canada. Loicq denied that rules to decide the standings and said that Gilroy and Mulqueen did not understand the playoffs system in place. The Port Arthur Bearcats returned from Europe three weeks later than CAHA officials, since the team played an extended tour of exhibition games in Europe after the Olympics. The Bearcats were declined a spot in the
1936 Allan Cup The 1936 Allan Cup the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1935–36 sason. The 1936 championship was the 29th time the Allan Cup had been awarded. Playdowns In 1936 the Kimberley Dynamiters won the Allan Cup, defeating the Sudbur ...
playoffs because it was too late to rearrange the schedule. Gilroy upheld the decision by his vice-president and denied that a playoff berth was promised to the team. Canadian national teams players spoke with the media in Montreal later in March, and were critical of the Canadian leadership. Kenneth Farmer stated that none of Canada's officials knew what playoff system was being used and that Gilroy and Marples "were blissfully unaware of what it was all about". Ralph St. Germain said that if Canada was a seen as poor sports, "It was largely due to the incessant blustering and bickering of our officials". OHA executive J. Percy Bond stated that Gilroy did not deserve most of the criticism. Bond stated that Gilroy should have known the playoff system in place, but that Gilroy had twice threatened to return from Germany because of the lack of co-operation from other Canadian officials.


1936 CAHA general meeting

Gilroy told delegates at the 1936 CAHA general meeting that in September 1935, officials of the BIHA agreed that no Canadians would play in Great Britain without CAHA permission, but failed to keep the agreement. He also stated that Loicq declared the players ineligible in November 1935 but later rescinded. Gilroy felt it would be unfair to suspend Foster and Archer on the eve of the Olympics, and that Loicq should not have let the BIHA believe the players were eligible. Gilroy stated it was solely his doing to have the suspensions lifted. The focus of the general meeting moved towards regulating players and updating amateur regulations. Gilroy appointed a committee to meet with the
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
and discuss restrictions on player movements between Canada and the United States. He wanted to see an end to amateurs entering the United States under a professional bond due to immigration laws. The CAHA banned the migration of Canadian players to the United Kingdom until a new working agreement was reached, after Gilroy explained that the BIHA had made no effort to enforce an existing player transfer agreement from 1935. W. G. Hardy and
George Dudley George Samuel Dudley (April 19, 1894 – May 8, 1960) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960 ...
proposed new definition of amateur including "four points" in an attempt to eliminate "shamateurism", which if approved would semi-professionalize the game. Gilroy stated that if the new definition was adopted, it would automatically sever relations with the AAU of C, and lose the privilege to participate in hockey at the Olympics. The "four points" approved at the meeting were: # Hockey players may capitalize on their ability as hockey players for the purpose of obtaining legitimate employment. # Hockey players may accept from their clubs or employers payment for time lost, from work while competing on behalf of their clubs. They will not however, be allowed to hold "shadow" jobs under the clause. # Amateur hockey teams may play exhibition games against professional teams under such conditions as may be laid down by the individual branches of the CAHA. # Professionals in another sport will be allowed to play under the CAHA jurisdiction as amateurs. Gilroy supported three of the changes, but was against players receiving payments from work while competing in hockey. At the conclusion general meeting, he was succeeded as CAHA president by
Cecil Duncan Cecil Charles Duncan (February 1, 1893December 25, 1979) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1936 to 1938 and led reforms towards semi-professionalism in ice hoc ...
on April 14, 1936.


Political career

Gilroy served as an
alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
for the east ward of the Portage la Prairie municipal government for six years during the 1930s, and was an executive member of the local
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
. On October 30, Gilroy became an independent candidate in the November 1933 by-election for the Portage la Prairie electoral district in the
Manitoba Legislature The Legislature of Manitoba is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the King of Canada in Right of Manitoba, represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, and the unicameral ...
. He ran against Toby Sexsmith of the Progressive Conservative Party who was a former president of both the MAHA and the CAHA. The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' reported that the campaign for the seat vacated by
Fawcett Taylor Fawcett Gowler Taylor, (April 29, 1878 – January 1, 1940,, ) was a Manitoba politician, and was the leader of that province's Conservative Party from 1922 to 1933. Taylor was born in Meadow Lea, Manitoba, the son of William Taylor and Marie ...
had few public meetings, no noticeable political issues being discussed, and appeared to be a popularity contest between Gilroy and Sexsmith. A third candidate from the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialistThe foll ...
was reported to be a long shot. Gilroy had previously been aligned as a conservative, but felt that as an independent candidate he could appeal to both liberal and conservative voters. Sexsmith won the by-election by 238 votes over Gilroy. On June 25, Gilroy was nominated as the Liberal-Progressive Party candidate in the Portage la Prairie electoral district for the July
1936 Manitoba general election The 1936 Manitoba general election was held July 27, 1936 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. The Liberal-Progressives won minority government in this election, taking 23 seats out of 53 and 35 percent ...
. The election was a rematch versus the incumbent Toby Sexsmith. Gilroy had since completed his terms as president of the CAHA, and the ''
Medicine Hat News The ''Medicine Hat News'' is a daily newspaper published in Medicine Hat, Alberta. It features a city news section, a national news section, a world news section, a sports section, a comics section, and a classifieds section. The paper is owned b ...
'' described the election as a "Battle of the Sports Moguls", compared to the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' which called it a "Battle of Hockey Moguls". Gilroy received 1279 votes and was defeated again by Sexsmith who received 1727 votes.


Later hockey career

Gilroy was named to the MAHA executive in the past-president role, in October 1936. He was among the dignitaries which attended the opening of the new concrete and steel hockey rink in Portage la Prairie in January 1937. Portage la Prairie was the only Canadian city at the time to have two former CAHA presidents as residents, in Gilroy and Sexsmith, who both participated in the
ceremonial first puck The ceremonial first puck is a longstanding ritual of ice hockey in which a guest of honor drops a puck to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Like baseball's ceremonial first pitch, this first puck does not actually beg ...
at the new rink. As the past-president of the CAHA in May 1937, Gilroy was given the honour of presenting the
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between ...
trophy to the
Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to: * Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions *Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL), a defunct junior ice h ...
for a second time. The first was for the 1935 Memorial Cup championship and then again for the
1937 Memorial Cup The 1937 Memorial Cup final was the 19th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Copper Cliff Redmen of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association in Easte ...
championship. Gilroy was appointed chairman of the rules committee to examine changes at the CAHA general meeting in April 1938. He submitted a motion to ban commercial teams from competing for the Memorial Cup or Allan Cup, but it was defeated without debate. He also recommended to allow strengthening of teams from within their own branch, once the team won its branch championship and advanced into the national playoffs. Gilroy was named manager of the
Portage Terriers The Portage Terriers are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. History The Portage Terriers were fou ...
junior hockey team in May 1938. He felt that he had assembled the best Portage team of the 1930s, in preparation for the 1938–39 season. He later became team president and a director of the Portage Rink Company. Gilroy was a guest of the MAHA silver jubilee held in Winnipeg in October 1938, with five of the six past-presidents in attendance. The CAHA held its own silver jubilee in April 1939, at the
Royal Alexandra Hotel Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...
in Winnipeg. Gilroy was a guest where eleven of the thirteen past-presidents were in attendance. Gilroy was critical of the MAHA for allowing wholesale transfer of players between north and south divisions in the junior league in the 1939–40 season. He felt that a rink company should not be dictating to the league, and stated that the MAHA should enforce the rules strictly and have "backbone".


Personal life and death

Gilroy resided in Portage la Prairie from 1906 onwards, except for two years while working in Winnipeg. He maintained a summer home on the shores of
Lake Manitoba Lake Manitoba (french: Lac Manitoba) is the 14th largest lake in Canada and the 33rd largest lake in the world with a total area of . It is located within the Canadian province of Manitoba about northwest of the province's capital, Winnipeg, at ...
, and served as president of the Delta Beach Association for 15 years. He had two sons with his wife Gertrude Gaunce, who died in January 1942. Gilroy died on August 8, 1942, at his summer home in Delta Beach due to heart problems. He was interred with his wife in Hillside Cemetery in Portage la Prairie.


Legacy and honours

Gilroy was named an honorary president of the MAHA in 1937. He was also named an honorary patron of the Portage la Prairie Baseball Club. Journalist
Ralph Allen Ralph Allen (1693 – 29 June 1764) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. Allen was born in Cornwall but moved to Bath to work in the post office, becoming the postmaster at ...
credited Gilroy with being progressive early in his presidency of the CAHA, for enforcing the rules and upholding the constitution to protect amateur hockey in Canada. Gilroy had felt it necessary to prevent regional disparities in talent due to players migrating around the country in numbers never seen before. After Gilroy's death, Frank Sargent who was the CAHA president at the time, stated that "His term of office was a very difficult one and he discharged his duties in a most able manner". Cecil Duncan described Gilroy's presidency as "transitory and troublous" for the CAHA, and
International Ice Hockey Association The International Ice Hockey Association was a governing body for international ice hockey. It was established in 1940 when the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association wanted more control over international hockey, and was in disagreement with the ...
president W. G. Hardy felt that Gilroy acted fairly and in the best interests of hockey in Canada. In 1946, the MAHA was presented with a memorial cup to commemorate Gilroy by his son Jack. The cup became the E. A. Gilroy Memorial Trophy awarded to the Manitoba champion of the juvenile B-level division. Gilroy was posthumously inducted into the builder category of the
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...
in 1987.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilroy, E. A. 1879 births 1942 deaths 20th-century Canadian businesspeople 20th-century Canadian civil servants Businesspeople from Manitoba Canadian Amateur Hockey Association presidents Canadian Amateur Hockey Association vice-presidents Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey officials Canadian sports executives and administrators Canadian sportsperson-politicians Ice hockey people from Manitoba Ice hockey people from Ontario Lacrosse people from Ontario Law clerks Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association executives Manitoba civil servants Manitoba Hockey Association Manitoba Liberal Party candidates in Manitoba provincial elections Manitoba municipal councillors People from Smiths Falls Sportspeople from Portage la Prairie