Francis Donald Selke (September 7, 1929 – March 18, 2013) was a Canadian hockey executive and broadcaster who served as an announcer and executive for ''

Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its his ...

'' and was president and general manager of the

Oakland Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

Early life

Selke was born on September 7, 1929 in

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 ...

. He was the sixth of seven children born to and Mary Agnes (Schmidt) and

Frank J. Selke Francis Joseph Aloysius Selke (; May 7, 1893 – July 3, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey executive in the National Hockey League. He was a nine-time Stanley Cup champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens and a Hock ...

. The elder Selke, an electrician and manager of a minor professional hockey team, was hired by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

on the day Selke Jr. was born. Selke played bantam hockey in Toronto and was a member of the

St. Michael's College School St. Michael's College School, (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an independent, Catholic school for young men in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada ...

football team.

Montreal Canadiens and Hockey Night in Canada

Selke dropped out of high school to work at the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the ...

, when his father became general manager of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

in 1946. Selke started as a general labourer and moved up to working on ice crew and as an electrician's helper before becoming the Forum's publicity director in 1951. In 1960, he became the host and interviewer on ''Hockey Night in Canada'' for Canadiens' games while continuing his work with the team.

Oakland Seals

In 1967, Selke became the president of the expansion Oakland Seals. Following

Bert Olmstead Murray Albert Olmstead (September 4, 1926 – November 16, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). Olms ...

's departure in 1968, Selke stepped down as president and took over as general manager. The Seals made the playoffs in Selke's first two seasons as general manager, but struggled financially. After aborted relocations to Buffalo and Vancouver, the team was purchased by

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

owner

Charlie Finley Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas Ci ...

in 1970. Finley offered Selke a one year contract at a reduced salary to stay on as GM, but Selke declined and left the team.

Canadian Sports Network

Following his departure from the Seals, Selke headed marketing for the Canadian Sports Network (later known as Ohlmeyer Communications and Molstar), which produced Hockey Night in Canada. He retired from Molstar in April 1989, but continued to work in broadcasting as a consultant.

Special Olympics

In 1983, Selke joined the board of directors of

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

Ontario. He served as the organization's president from 1989 to 1990, and was its chairman for 11 years. In 1991, he received the Canada Volunteer Award Medal from

Health and Welfare Canada The Department of National Health and Welfare (NHW), commonly known as Health and Welfare Canada, was a Canadian federal department established in 1944. Its advisory body on welfare was the National Council of Welfare. In June 1993, Prime Ministe ...

for his work with the Special Olympics. Selke died on March 18, 2013, at age 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selke Jr., Frank 1929 births 2013 deaths California Golden Seals executives Canadian television executives Canadian television sportscasters Montreal Canadiens executives National Hockey League broadcasters Sportspeople from Toronto