John Digby Chick (June 21, 1891 – April 13, 1961) was a Canadian businessman who served as president of the International Hockey League and the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

Business

Chick was the son of Thomas and Mary Chick of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

. Thomas Chick founded the Chick Contracting Company, Chick Fuel & Supply, and the Chick Land & Building Company. Chick Fuel & Supply supplied gravel for the construction of the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is an international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, the toll bridge is the busiest international border cros ...

and the Metropolitan Building. In 1928, Chick merged his businesses with those of Louis A. Merlo, D. Herbert Woollatt, and George Cross to form the Canada Paving and Supply Corporation. Thomas Chick was chairman of the new company and John D. Chick became one of its vice presidents.

Politics

In 1925, Chick was elected president of the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Association in the new federal riding of Essex West. He was the Conservative Party nominee in the riding of Windsor—Sandwich in the 1934 Ontario provincial election.

Hockey

Chick raised money to construct the

Windsor Arena Windsor Arena (nicknamed The Barn) is an list of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in Windsor, Ontario. Its capacity is approximately 4,400 with standing room. The arena's ice is by or . The arena was the home of the Windsor Spitfires of th ...

and was one of ten Windsor businessmen who founded the Windsor Bulldogs of 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. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

. Following Herb Mitchell's resignation in 1933, Chick became the team's general manager. In 1935, Chick was elected president of the International Hockey League. In 1936, the IHL and the

Canadian–American Hockey League The Canadian–American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct predecessor of the American Hockey League. For its first ten years the Can-Am's me ...

agreed to play an interlocking schedule due to a shortage of clubs in both leagues, but decided against a full merger. In 1938, the two leagues combined to form the

. Can–Am president

Maurice Podoloff Maurice Podoloff (; August 18, 1890 – November 24, 1985) was an American lawyer and a basketball and ice hockey administrator. He served as the president of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946 to 1949, and the National Basketb ...

was elected president of the new league and Chick was elected vice president. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Chick worked with Canadian and American selective service authorities regarding the military commitments and border crossing privileges of players in the American Hockey League and

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

, which helped keep both leagues alive during the war. In 1943, Chick was mentioned as a possible acting president of the NHL while

Frank Calder Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete. Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He ...

was incapacitated by a heart ailment. Calder never recovered, but the league instead chose

Red Dutton Norman Alexander Dutton (July 23, 1897 – March 15, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. Commonly known as Red Dutton, and earlier by the nickname "Mervyn", he played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hock ...

to serve as acting president following Calder's death. Chick remained vice president of the AHL until 1954, when he was elevated to the presidency. He retired in 1957, but remained involved with the league as an advisor.

Death

On April 13, 1961, Chick, who was a marine superintendent for National Sand and Material, was looking for one of the company's sand dredges on the Old Welland Canal during a rainstorm. He misjudged the distance to the end of a seawall, his car plunged into the water, and he drowned. His funeral was attended by a number of prominent hockey and political figures, including

Paul Martin Sr. Joseph James Guillaume Paul Martin (June 23, 1903 – September 14, 1992), often referred to as Paul Martin Sr., was a noted Canadian politician and diplomat. He was the father of Paul Martin, who served as 21st prime minister of Canada f ...

Clarence Campbell Clarence Sutherland Campbell, (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, then s ...

Jack Adams John James "Jolly Jack" Adams (June 14, 1894 – May 1, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Arenas, Vancouv ...

Punch Imlach George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and t ...

Harold Ballard Harold Edwin Ballard (born Edwin Harold Ballard, July 30, 1903 – April 11, 1990) was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple ...

, Jack Stewart, Jack Gordon, Herb Mitchell, and

William Griesinger William Griesinger (June 20, 1895 – April 16, 1978) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1945 to 1959 who represented the southwestern riding of Windsor� ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chick, John D. 1891 births 1961 deaths American Hockey League presidents Businesspeople from Windsor, Ontario Canadian construction businesspeople Deaths by drowning in Canada Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario