Thomas Finan Lockhart (March 21, 1892 – May 18, 1979) was an American
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 ...
administrator, business manager, and events promoter. He was president of the
Eastern Hockey League
The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league.
Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953)
The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...
from 1933 to 1972, and was the founding president of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) in 1937, which later became
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United ...
. He led AHAUS into the
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 ...
in 1940, then into the
Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace in 1947. He managed operations at
Old Madison Square Garden, introduced fans to innovative on-ice promotions which made amateur hockey a profitable event. He was the business manager of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
for six years, and was inducted into both the
Hockey Hall of Fame and the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
, and is a recipient of the
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, c ...
for building the game in the United States.
Early life
Thomas Finan Lockhart
was born on March 21, 1892, in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, near the area of
Eighth Ave and
50th Street.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 33][''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 34] As a youth, he was involved in
competitive cycling and
distance running
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength.
Within e ...
.
He participated in
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
events with the St. John's Club on 56th Street in Manhattan,
and was also interested in boxing,
but he never played hockey growing up.
Lockhart began his sports administration career by promoting amateur boxing at the
Old Madison Square Garden, and soon became vice-president of the Metropolitan Association of 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 h ...
(AAU) of the United States, before serving as vice-chairman of
USA Boxing
USA Boxing is the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing. It is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (AIBA), which sets its rules.
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, USA Boxing i ...
for four years.
He was asked by the Garden's ownership to manage its amateur hockey games in addition to boxing,
and he was successful in making Sunday afternoon amateur hockey profitable, while also serving as vice-president of the Metropolitan Amateur Hockey League (MAHL) for eighteen years, starting in 1934.
[''Miller, Chuck'' Part 1, page 1]
Eastern Hockey League
![Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Atlantic_City_Boardwalk_Trophy.jpg)
Lockhart looked to increase exposure for the New York amateur teams by seeking a league for them to play in regularly. He traveled to the
Penn Athletic Club in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
for the
Tri-State Hockey League annual meeting in 1933.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 37] He successfully convinced the league to add his three teams to its schedule, with the promise of revenue from ticket sales at Madison Square Gardens.
The group also renamed itself to the
Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) with the addition of teams in a fourth state, and elected Lockhart as its president.
Lockhart's creative business sense was evident in scheduling home games for the New York amateur teams. Since the EAHL schedule had 48 games with 24 home games each, and because the Gardens had just 16 Sunday afternoons available for games, he scheduled some of his home games at the visiting team's arena.
For the 21 games scheduled between the New York teams, Lockhart made up phony game scores and submitted them to newspapers in lieu of games that were never actually played, and the games were never questioned by the league.
[''Miller, Chuck'' Part 1, page 2][''Conner, Floyd (2002)''] To cover up the
ruse
Ruse may refer to:
Places
*Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria
**Ruse Municipality
** Ruse Province
** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency
*Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia
* Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...
, Lockhart printed a clause in the 1933 game program which read, "extra games will be played at the assigned practice hours at the Garden and will not be open to the public".
Lockhart's daughter Madeline later served as the league's secretary while her father was president.
[''Miller, Chuck'' Part 2, page 5] He defended criticism of the league's amateur status, by saying that its players earned a primary income outside of hockey, despite receiving money for basic living expenses and recreation.
He also instituted three separate trophies for competition in the EAHL. The
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...
was awarded to the regular season champions of the EAHL.
Lockhart purchased it for $500 from a
pawnbroker, after it had been previously donated to another hockey competition by Mayor
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced t ...
in 1926.
He later repurchased the same Cup from a pawnbroker for $80, and relayed the story to Dan Parker for coverage in ''
The Fairfield Mirror''.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 36] He lobbied the AAU to reactivate the
Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy, and awarded it to the playoffs champions of the EAHL.
He also recovered the Hamilton B. Wills Trophy from a pawnbroker, and awarded it for winning a challenge series between teams in Canada and the United States.
In the late 1940s, Lockhart made an interlocking schedule between the EAHL and the
Quebec Senior Hockey League The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an ice hockey league that operated from 1941 to 1959 , based in Quebec, Canada. The league played senior ice hockey under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until 1953, when it becam ...
, which allowed New York fans to see the
all-black line of
Herb Carnegie and his brothers play with the Sherbrooke team.
As the league president, Lockhart suspended a player for life in 1952, after Joe Desson assaulted referee Mickey Slowik on the ice.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 45]
In 1954, Lockhart's EAHL became the
Eastern Hockey League
The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league.
Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953)
The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...
(EHL) after being dormant for a season.
To make the game more exciting, he also introduced a 10-minute
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
period, in an effort to reduce the number of tied games.
He later arranged an exhibition schedule for the
Soviet Union national ice hockey team
The Soviet national ice hockey team was the national men's ice hockey team of the Soviet Union. From 1954, the team won at least one medal each year at either the Ice Hockey World Championships ...
to tour the United States in 1963, and for an EHL all-star team coached by
Don Hall to travel to the Soviet Union.
[''Miller, Chuck'' Part 2, page 6] Lockhart retired as EHL president in the summer of 1972.
Hockey promotions
![Sonja Henie 1936](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Sonja_Henie_1936.jpg)
Lockhart was put in charge of managing Sunday afternoon amateur hockey at Madison Square Garden by
John Kilpatrick, and made it profitable for its resident teams, the
New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Traver ...
, the
Crescent Athletic Club
The Crescent Athletic Club was an athletic club in Brooklyn. Founded by a group of Yale University alumni in 1884 as an American football club, it later expanded to include other sports, including baseball, lacrosse, ice hockey and basketball. The ...
, and the
St. Nicholas Hockey Club.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 35] He promoted hockey through radio from the Gardens, and marketed games to
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
people, charging 25-cent ticket prices.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 38] He began advance ticket sale promotions, allowing patrons of a game to purchase tickets to the following game, before general public sale, resulting in games sold out a week in advance.
Lockhart printed
souvenir programs without advertisements, but rather inserted of reading material such as columns on the teams and leagues, in hopes that patrons would take it home to share with others.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 39] He made use of his position within the MAHL to promote hockey in the United States, and develop American-born players and referees.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 48] He also used MAHL players to create improvised all-star teams when a snow storm prevented a
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) match.
Lockhart introduced on-ice entertainment during intermissions, which included racing
model aircraft
A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models.
Aircraft manufactur ...
and bicycles around the arena.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 41] He also booked
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...
acts
Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies,
and
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
multiple gold medalist
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion ( 1928, 1932, 1936) in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champi ...
to perform at the Gardens.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 40] Lockhart later booked a
grizzly bear from the circus which performed on
roller skates, to entertain during the first period intermission of a game versus the
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...
.
[''Diamond, Dan (2001)'' p. 104] He had arena staff improvise skates to fit size 40 paws, with blades tied to its feet with ropes.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 42] The bear's trainer could not skate, and wound up being pulled around the ice while holding onto the animal's leash.
Lockhart initially felt the stunt would get him fired, but it turned out to be popular with the spectators.
He later replicated the same skating bear act at the
Hersheypark Arena
Hersheypark Arena (originally Hershey Sports Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, managed by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company. The arena has a seating capacity, for hockey, of 7,286 people and in excess ...
, and other arenas in the EAHL.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 43]
New York Rangers
Lockhart managed the
New York Rovers The New York Rovers were a senior ice hockey team that was established in 1935. They played in the Eastern Hockey League as a farm team of the New York Rangers. The Rovers played alongside the Rangers in Madison Square Garden. They played in the Eas ...
, a
farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, and briefly coached the team during the 1935–36 EAHL season.
His roster that season included future NHL referee
Bill Chadwick, whom Lockhart later recruited to begin an officiating career.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 44] Some notable Rovers players signed by Lockhart include
Rudy Pilous
Rudolph Pilous (August 11, 1914 – December 5, 1994) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pilous won the Stanley Cup coaching the Chicago Black Hawks in 1960–61, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fam ...
,
Hank D'Amore, and Chinese-Canadian player
Larry Kwong
Lawrence Kwong (born Eng Kai Geong; ; June 17, 1923 – March 15, 2018) was a Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward who was the first non-White and Asian descent player in the National Hockey League (NHL). He broke the NHL ...
.
[''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 46][''Fischler, Stan (2015)''][''Fischler, Stan (2013)'' p. 47] He later managed the
New Haven Ramblers in the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
, another Rangers farm team.
Lockhart was the business manager of the Rangers from 1947 to 1953.
He took over for
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and ...
, and became the first American-born team executive in the NHL, other than a team president or vice-president.
Lockhart later managed the
Long Island Arena, a practice facility for the Rangers, and home arena for the Rovers.
United States hockey
The EAHL was under the jurisdiction of 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 h ...
(AAU) of the United States as its governing body until 1937. The AAU issued an ultimatum to the EAHL that year not to have any Canadian-born players in its league. Lockhart then entered into negotiations with the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) represented 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 ...
,
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 ...
and
W. A. Hewitt, and reached an agreement to transfer a limited number of Canadian players to the league. The EAHL chose to break away from the AAU, similar to how the CAHA broke away from 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 ...
in 1936.
Lockhart saw the need for a national governing body for hockey to efficiently manage the growing game of ice hockey.
He founded the
Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) in October 1937, and was elected its first president.
When he first started operating AHAUS, the paperwork fit into a shoebox in his New York City apartment.
[''Allen, Kevin (2011) Star-Spangled Hockey'']
![NewYorker Hotel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/NewYorker_Hotel.JPG)
In September 1938, Lockhart reached an agreement with
W. G. Hardy of the CAHA which regulated international games in North America, set out provisions for transfer of players between the organizations, and recognized of each other's authority. In 1940, he led AHAUS into a union with the CAHA by establishing the
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 ...
, and served as its vice-president.
AHAUS was later admitted as a member of the
Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace in 1947.
Lockhart arranged for AHAUS, the CAHA and the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
to hold their annual general meetings concurrently at the
New Yorker Hotel
The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel is a mixed-use hotel building at 481 Eighth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1930, the New Yorker Hotel was designed by Sugarman and Berger in the ...
in May 1949. He felt that the joint meetings demonstrated the progress made in international ice hockey co-operation. The event was also the first time that the CAHA and AHAUS held a joint annual meeting.
Lockhart established the first national ice hockey tournaments for pre-high school boys in 1949.
In 1964, he was at odds with the
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...
and its commissioner
Hal Trumble
Harold L. Trumble Jr. (August 28, 1926 – March 5, 2010) was an American ice hockey administrator and referee. He served as the executive director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States from 1972 to 1987, and managed the United ...
, regarding the perceived lack of support from AHAUS for the league, and the potential expansion of Lockhart's EHL into the Midwestern States.
As the president of AHAUS, Lockhart also participated on the
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
, and was elected to the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
committee in 1965.
He announced the establishment of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
on May 19, 1968, to be located in the town of
Eveleth, Minnesota
Eveleth is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,718 at the 2010 census.
U.S. Highway 53 and State Highway 37 (MN 37) are two of the main routes in Eveleth.
Eveleth was the site of the conflict that resu ...
. Lockhart was succeeded as president of AHAUS by
William Thayer Tutt in 1972.
Legacy and later life
![Gregg Pilling 1976 77 Firebirds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Gregg_Pilling_1976_77_Firebirds.jpg)
Lockhart was honored by the
Ontario Hockey Association in 1948 with its Gold Stick award for distinguished service to hockey.
He was elected to the builder category of the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.
He was a recipient of the
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, c ...
in 1968, for service to hockey in the United States.
He was inducted into the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
in the inaugural class of 1973.
The
North American Hockey League was one of the successor leagues of the EHL, and named its championship trophy the
Lockhart Cup in his honor.
He was also an honorary and life member of the
Century Road Club Association for his early life work in cycling.
Lockhart died on May 18, 1979.
Coaching record
Season-by-season coaching record of Tom Lockhart.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart, Tommy
1892 births
1979 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
Amateur Athletic Union
American boxing promoters
American ice hockey administrators
Businesspeople from New York City
Cycling in New York City
Eastern Hockey League
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
International Ice Hockey Federation executives
Lester Patrick Trophy recipients
Madison Square Garden
New York Rangers executives
Sportspeople from Manhattan
United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
United States Olympic Committee
USA Hockey