William H. MacFarland (April 4, 1932 – August 12, 2011) was an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player who played in college for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and professionally for the

Seattle Totems The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. Under several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (renamed the Western Hockey League in 1952) between 1944 and ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ho ...

. He was inducted into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs.

in January 2009.

Junior hockey and University of Michigan

A native of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anc ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, MacFarland played

junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the Toronto Marlboros in the early 1950s. He enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1952 and played three seasons for the Wolverines hockey team. He was the captain of the Michigan teams that won back-to-back NCAA championships in the 1954–55 and 1955–56 seasons. MacFarland was also named to the NCAA

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

All-Tournament Team in 1955. While playing for Michigan, MacFarland received three All-American and All-

WCHA The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated ...

honors. MacFarland and his teammate Willard Ikola from the 1954–56 teams have both been inducted into the

Professional hockey player

After graduating from Michigan, MacFarland played eleven seasons in the

, where he received the George Leader Cup as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1962. After one season with the Edmonton Flyers, he asked to be transferred to Seattle so that he could attend the University of Washington Law School. MacFarland scored 35 goals for the

in the 1958–59 season and compiled 17 points in the playoffs as Seattle won its first WHL championship. In the 1961–62 season, he led the WHL with 46 goals and was named the league's MVP. In all, MacFarland played parts of ten seasons with the Seattle Americans and Seattle Totems. MacFarland received his law degree and was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1964 while still an active hockey player. In a profile of MacFarland, who had a reputation as an enforcer on the ice, the '' Post-Intelligencer'' said: "He simply had a cerebral side, too. This unlikely combination of ice arena and courtroom acumen made him the most erudite hockey man to come through the Northwest." In a 1963 WHL playoff game in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, MacFarland was shoved through an open gate and hit his head against a parked Zamboni. In the ensuing brawl, MacFarland had his lip split in two places, prompting the doctor treating his wounds to ask, "Didn't I read somewhere that you passed the bar exam? Why are you doing this?" In his career playing in Seattle, MacFarland scored 299 goals and compiled 643 points, ranking him third all-time in team history. He ranks second all-time in goals (25), assists (43) and points (68) for the Totems. During his entire WHL career, MacFarlnd scored 324 goals in 688 games. When he retired as a player, he had a "dislocated knee and six broken teeth among his battle scars."

Professional hockey coach and administrator

MacFarland became the Totems' coach in 1966 and led the team to WHL championships in 1967 and 1968. He retired as coach in 1970 and had a 137-121-33 record as coach of the Seattle franchise. From 1972–74, he served as president of the WHL and arranged a series of games between WHL teams and a Russian all-star team in 1974. After the demise of the WHL and the Totems franchise, MacFarland moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the onl ...

where he became one of the owners of the Phoenix Roadrunners and president of the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

from 1975–77. In spite of his previous successes Phoenix fans were appalled at the idea of his involvement with the new WHA franchise, having felt he had continually favored the Totems in decisions impacting the two teams while WHL president. As a result, his decisions were constantly criticised by the local media and a very vocal fan base during the time he managed the WHA franchise.

Career after hockey

For a short time, MacFarland also owned

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

and indoor soccer league franchises in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. He also spent 17 years working for Sterling International, a company that places high-level executives with multinational Asian businesses. Later in life, MacFarland lived in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

, and his company had offices in Tokyo,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 2 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarland, Bill 1932 births 2011 deaths Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players Seattle Totems (WHL) players University of Washington School of Law alumni Canadian ice hockey players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans