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William Bryden George (November 28, 1899June 25, 1972), also known as Baldy George, was a Canadian sports administrator and agriculturalist. He was president of 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 include ...
from 1952 to 1955, when Canada debated whether it would withdraw from the
Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...
and the Olympic Games. At issue was the perceived financial exploitation of 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 ...
and abuse from European media on the Canadian style of physical play. He wanted a financial guarantee for the national team when it travelled since its participation increased attendance at events in Europe. Canada did not participate at the World Championships in 1953 and placed second in 1954, which led to heavy criticism by media in Canada for the failure to win. Although Canada won the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships, George questioned future participation and was concerned that the game in Europe took on political and religious meanings in which Canada did not want to become involved. George's tenure as president saw a struggle for control of
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 jurisdict ...
and the imbalance of
junior ice 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 ...
in Canada. He helped negotiate the establishment of the Major Series of senior hockey which competed for the
Alexander Cup The Alexander Cup was the championship trophy for the Major Series of senior ice hockey in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1950 to 1954. The trophy was presented by its namesake, the Viscount Alexander as the 17th Governor General of ...
at a higher level of competition than 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 the ...
, and then saw the subsequent suspension of 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 ...
, the withdrawal of 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 became ...
and the end of the Major Series. He negotiated a new agreement with the
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 ...
to increase the amount of profits to be given to junior teams the league sponsored, but resisted requests to transfer talent to Eastern Canada which weakened junior teams in Western Canada during 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 t ...
playoffs. He served 25 years on the Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association executive and sought to expand hockey in Eastern Ontario. He oversaw the establishment of district playoffs for
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 cla ...
and welcomed teams formed of
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. ...
athletes during World War II. George served as chairman of the CAHA committee to oversee grants to develop minor hockey and how to best distribute the funds. In November 1949, he presided over the meeting which founded the Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association. George was an
Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...
graduate, taught at Kemptville Agricultural School for 34 years, became head of its
soil chemistry Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors. In the early 1850s a consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society in England, ...
department and was chairman of the Fertilizer Advisory Board of Ontario. He lectured on the importance of
soil fertility Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality.
and
soil quality Soil quality refers to the condition of soil based on its capacity to perform ecosystem services that meet the needs of human and non-human life.Tóth, G., Stolbovoy, V. and Montanarella, 2007. Soil Quality and Sustainability Evaluation - An integr ...
, and frequently spoke at conferences for the Eastern Ontario branch of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. He was a regular lawn bowler, and served as president of the Kemptville Lawn Bowling Club and the Provincial Lawn Bowling Association in Ontario. He oversaw implementation of uniform scoring and tournament draws, and establishment of a publicity committee and consistent advertising for the sport in Ontario. He was a founding member and a president of the
Kemptville Kemptville is a community located in the Municipality of North Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada in the northernmost part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. It is located approximately south of the downtown core of Ottawa and s ...
Rotary Club, and was elected Governor of District 250 of
Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...
in 1956. His community involvement also included serving as president of the local
Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The ''International Committee of the Red Cross'' (ICRC), a comm ...
and as chairman of the Kemptville District Hospital construction committee. He was posthumously inducted into the builder category of the Kemptville District Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.


Early life and education

William Bryden George was born on November 28, 1899, in the village of Highgate, Orford Township,
Kent County, Ontario Kent County, area 2,458 km2 (949 sq mi) is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was created in 1792 and named by John Graves Simcoe in honour of the English County. The county is in an alluvial plain betwee ...
, to parents Thomas Treavathen George and Rachel Ann Jamison. He was the son of a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
minister and was raised in small communities in rural areas of Kent County. He worked seasonally on local farms and spent one summer farming in Saskatchewan. He graduated from
Thamesville Thamesville is a community in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the junction of former provincial Highways 2 and 21, between Chatham and London. Its name comes from the Thames River that flows nearby and the suffix -"ville". ...
High School in 1918. He attended
Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...
where was known as "Baldy" due to having a lot of hair, and the nickname persisted throughout his professional career. George graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture The Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSAg) or the Bachelor of Agriculture (BAg) is the undergraduate academic degree awarded by tertiary faculty of agriculture. The program is typically four years of study at postsecondary level. In Canada, t ...
, then joined Kemptville Agricultural School in 1926, as the
dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
of residence and teaching courses in English and economics. He soon became involved in overseeing sporting activities at the school and directed its annual sports meet. An indoor
ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...
was constructed in
Kemptville Kemptville is a community located in the Municipality of North Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada in the northernmost part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. It is located approximately south of the downtown core of Ottawa and s ...
in 1928, and George helped organize 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 hock ...
team for the school, despite not having played the game at a high level. He soon became secretary-treasurer of the local
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 jurisdict ...
team, and an ice hockey referee.


Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association

George was elected secretary of the Rideau Group in November 1932, an ice hockey league which included teams from Kemptville,
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 thr ...
,
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and
Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It i ...
. He represented the Rideau Group at meetings for the Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association (ODAHA), was named to the ODAHA registration committee in November 1933, and assisted in issuing player registration cards and handling requests by former professionals to be reinstated as amateurs. George served as vice-president of the ODAHA from November 1936 to December 1938. The ODAHA saw growth in hockey in rural areas, and planned for smaller towns and villages to form their own league within the association and introduce an intermediate level of competition. The ODAHA restored grants given to support
junior ice 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 ...
, and received applications for affiliation from two new leagues and the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools Association. George was elected president of the ODAHA in December 1938, at a time when the association was in its best financial situation and had its greatest number of registrations. The ODAHA declined offers from professional clubs to sponsor amateur teams, choosing to remain financially independent. The ODAHA used its wealth to establish district playoffs for the juvenile age group and arranged for an inter-provincial playoff with the juvenile champion 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). The ODAHA welcomed three new intermediate leagues 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 include ...
(CAHA) began arrangements for inter-branch playoffs at the intermediate level in Eastern Canada for the 1939–40 season. World War II reduced the number of players in the ODAHA by almost half due to
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. ...
enlistments, with the biggest decrease noticed in senior hockey leagues.; When the Ottawa City Junior Hockey League disbanded midway during the 1939–40 season, George arranged a meeting to merge all of the district's remaining teams into the Ottawa and District Junior Hockey League. The ODAHA welcomed having teams formed entirely of military athletes, and allowed for civilian teams to get roster replacements for players who had enlisted. George and the ODAHA pushed ahead with
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 cla ...
in the district which had continued to expand. In April 1940, the CAHA and the
Amateur Hockey Association of the United States 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 S ...
(AHAUS) agreed to form a new governing body known as 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 invited the
British Ice Hockey Association Ice Hockey UK (IHUK) is the national governing body of ice hockey in the United Kingdom. Affiliated to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), IHUK is the internationally recognised umbrella body in the United Kingdom. IHUK was created ...
to join. CAHA president
W. G. Hardy William George Hardy (February 3, 1895 – August 28, 1979) was a Canadian professor, writer, and ice hockey administrator. He lectured on the Classics at the University of Alberta from 1922 to 1964, and served as president of the Canadian Aut ...
stated the new body was to promote and to govern international hockey since the had become inactive during the war. A constitution for the new association was delegated to a committee including George and future CAHA president
Hanson Dowell Hanson Taylor Dowell (September 14, 1906September 23, 2000) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and politician. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1945 to 1947, and was the first person from the Maritime ...
. At the 1942 CAHA general meeting, George was named chairman of the committee for grants to minor hockey. He stressed that the CAHA had a duty to foster the development of youths in Canada, and recommended that C$1,000 be granted to each of the CAHA branches to promote minor hockey. The meeting approved his recommendations with additional money for the
Prairie Provinces The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
to offset their greater travel costs. George also chaired the sub-committee to study financial reports from the branches and recommend how to best distribute the funds, and was empowered to increase or decrease the granted amounts. George was succeeded by Lorenzo Lafleur as president at the end of the 1942–43 playoffs. Minor hockey continued to grow and the ODAHA implemented plans for playoffs to have district champions at the bantam, midget and juvenile age groups. George oversaw a zone that included minor hockey teams in Kemptville and towns along the Prescott Highway. He was a director for the Kemptville Community Hockey League, then became involved in operating the St. Lawrence Junior Hockey League and was its representative at district meetings. He returned to the ODAHA executive committee in December 1946, when elected as the secretary-treasurer assistant to
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 was elected treasurer of the ODAHA in December 1947, and served in the role continuously until 1966.


Canadian Amateur Hockey Association


Second vice-president

George was elected second vice-president of the CAHA on April 28, 1948, when he defeated
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) president
George Panter George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...
by a small margin. George was named to the negotiating committee for the professional-amateur agreement between the
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) and the CAHA. The agreement included an annual $31,000 grant from the NHL, which the CAHA distributed most of to its branches for the promotion and development of minor ice hockey. George oversaw senior playoffs for 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 the ...
, and junior playoffs for 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 t ...
in Eastern Canada, and presented the
1949 Allan Cup The 1949 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1948–49 season. Final Best of 7 *Ottawa 6 Regina 4 *Ottawa 3 Regina 1 *Ottawa 7 Regina 0 *Regina 6 Ottawa 3 *Ottawa 5 Regina ...
trophy to the
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
who won the first senior championship title by an Ottawa team in 41 years. George was re-elected in June 1949. In November 1949 in Kemptville, he convened and presided over the meeting which founded the Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association to govern minor ice hockey in the Ottawa District, and was named the registrar of the new association. He directed the first minor hockey school in Eastern Ontario to be held outside of Ottawa, and aimed to grow minor hockey in the district and to create mutual respect between coaches, players and referees.


First vice-president

George was elected first vice-president of the CAHA general meeting in June 1950. The same meeting saw a proposal to establish a Major Series of senior ice hockey, to be an elite level of competition higher than the Allan Cup. Five leagues which had dominated senior hockey would compete for the
Alexander Cup The Alexander Cup was the championship trophy for the Major Series of senior ice hockey in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1950 to 1954. The trophy was presented by its namesake, the Viscount Alexander as the 17th Governor General of ...
instead. George was part of negotiations to set up the Major Series, which reached an agreement with the NHL to limit the number of players that could be drafted. George oversaw the
Barrie Flyers The Barrie Flyers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1945 to 1960, from Barrie, Ontario. The Flyers played home games at the Barrie Arena from 1945 to 1960. History The Barrie Flyers junior team was founded in 1 ...
versus Quebec Citadels series for the
George Richardson Memorial Trophy The George Richardson Memorial Trophy was presented annually from 1932 until 1971, by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. It represented the Eastern Canada junior hockey championship, and a berth in the Memorial Cup final versus the Abbot ...
, to represent Eastern Canada in the
1951 Memorial Cup The 1951 Memorial Cup final was the 33rd junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Barrie Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada competed agains ...
playoffs. When the Citadels refused to play game five in
Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...
, George gave them an ultimatum to play or forfeit the series. Quebec decided to play too late to arrive by train, but arrived half an hour late after flying. George scheduled game seven on neutral ice at
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
, despite protests from Flyers' coach
Hap Emms Leighton Alfred Emms (January 12, 1905 – October 23, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, team owner, and general manager, during nearly 60 years in hockey. Emms played 17 seasons of professional hockey as a left winger and a defenc ...
who claimed that his team only agreed to resume the series if game seven was played in Barrie. George was re-elected first vice-president in May 1951, when the CAHA introduced suspensions for failure to respect on-ice officials, and
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 others. ...
to reduce physical play and speed up the game. He oversaw scheduling for the
1952 Allan Cup The 1952 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1951–52 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Fort Frances Canadians and Fort Frances, Ontario. The 1952 playoff marked the 44th time that the Allan Cup h ...
and the
1952 Memorial Cup The 1952 Memorial Cup final was the 34th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada c ...
playoffs, and cancelled the intermediate A-level final for Eastern Canada due to the expense of hosting the event when the OHA was late in declaring a champion. George participated in negotiations with the NHL in May 1952, which agreed to a January deadline to call up players from the Major Series, and prevent the shortage of players for the Alexander Cup playoffs.


President


First term

George was elected president of the CAHA to succeed
Doug Grimston Douglas George Grimston (May 18, 1900September 14, 1955) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator who served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1950 to 1952. He oversaw the establishment of the Major Series for ...
, on June 19, 1952. The CAHA wanted to balance the Memorial Cup playoffs and avoid a further talent shift in junior hockey due to requests by professional teams to transfer prospect players to teams in Eastern Canada. The CAHA declined to grant transfers for junior players from Western Canada to Eastern Canada for two seasons. The 1952 general meeting had a lengthy discussion about the C-form, an agreement signed by an amateur player with an NHL team that promised a professional contract offer when the player turn 18 years old. The CAHA recognized that the C-form was a controversial clause since its incorporation into the professional-amateur agreement in 1947, and that it had been frequently criticized by the media, coaches and players' parents as slavery. George chaired the resolutions committee which asked for revisions to the agreement with respect to the C-form, the size of reserve lists and the right of the NHL to sponsor junior players and teams. The Ottawa Senators contested that according to the Major Series agreement, the handling of player eligibility questions and infractions of rules should be done by the CAHA instead of the QAHA. George conducted lengthy discussions in December 1952, which resulted in recommended changes to 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 became ...
(QSHL) constitution and assertion of CAHA control over the Major Series. Further discussions sought protection against continued roster raiding and increases in amounts paid by professional leagues for drafting Major Series players. The CAHA debated a recommendation from Doug Grimston that Canada withdraw from
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 tournam ...
since European tours by Canadian teams did not create goodwill, but rather led to European newspapers frequently criticizing Canadians for rough play due to body checking. This coincided with the perceived financial exploitation of 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 ...
on a European tour, and the resignation of the CAHA's European representative
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 ...
, who was also a travel agent and the vice-president of 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 m ...
(IIHF). George and
Tommy Lockhart Thomas Finan Lockhart (March 21, 1892 – May 18, 1979) was an American ice hockey administrator, business manager, and events promoter. He was president of the Eastern Hockey League from 1933 to 1972, and was the founding president of the Amat ...
issued a joint statement for the CAHA and AHAUS in August 1952, which banned Canadian and American teams from playing exhibition tours in Europe and sought financial guarantees if their respective national teams participated in future Ice Hockey World Championships. At the semi-annual meeting in January 1953, the CAHA decided not to send a national team to the 1953 Ice Hockey World Championships. George attended the 1953 IIHF congress to represent both the CAHA and AHAUS to speak on guarantees against financial loss. He stated that a decision on whether or not Canada would attend the next World Championships, would be made at the 1953 CAHA general meeting, and that no replacement would be named for Ahearne until Canada resumed international tours.


Second term

George was re-elected president in May 1953. The CAHA approved an application by the QAHA for reinstatement, after it had been suspended in February for issuing a registration certificate to
Ron Attwell Ronald Allan Attwell (February 9, 1935 – December 4, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 22 games in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers during the 1967–68 season. The rest of h ...
, who was deemed to be an invalid transfer from his team in the OHA. George criticized
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 ...
' general manager
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 Hockey ...
for trying to circumvent CAHA legislation when he attempted to have top prospect player Attwell transferred to the QAHA. George supported the QAHA's authority to decide on an ultimatum from the QSHL, which demanded a better deal to remain amateur and part of the Major Series or to become a professional league. The QSHL chose to leave CAHA jurisdiction, become professional, and operated as the
Quebec 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 became ...
.; In June 1953, NHL team owners gave notice to terminate the professional-amateur agreement with the CAHA.
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 Pre ...
reported that the decision was to protect investments into amateur teams and to improve the financial return. The NHL proposed a new national junior playoff format solely for teams sponsored by the NHL, instead of the existing Memorial Cup championship. George predicted that the NHL would not last three years without the CAHA, and stated that it would end the current system which allowed a three-game tryout for an amateur with a professional team. In August 1953, the CAHA and NHL agreed in principle to a proposal that resumed east-west transfers and increased the amount of profits to junior teams sponsored by the NHL. At the semi-annual meeting, the CAHA agreed to distribute playoffs funds proportional to the profit on a series-by-series basis, but rejected the request to resume transfers from west to east. George attended the 1953 general meeting of the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association (NAHA) to extend an invitation to join the CAHA by becoming an affiliate of the Maritime Amateur Hockey Association without loss of autonomy. The NAHA deferred a decision on the invitation and did not join the CAHA until 1966. George announced that the Alexander Cup was to be retired by the CAHA due to the lack of interest. By October 1953, four of the original five leagues which competed for the trophy had withdrawn, with only the
Maritime Major Hockey League The Maritime Major Hockey League was a semi-professional men's senior ice hockey league which operated for four seasons from 1950 to 1954, in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The league competed for the Alexander Cup as part of the Major Series operat ...
remaining. George ruled out competing for the Allan Cup due to the semi-professional nature of the league and suggested a different trophy be awarded. Teams in the Maritimes accused George and the CAHA of trying to scuttle the league, and a compromise was reached where only the Maritime Major Hockey League competed for the Alexander Cup during the 1953–54 season. The CAHA chose the
East York Lyndhursts The East York Lyndhursts were an amateur senior ice hockey team based in East York, Ontario, Canada. The team was sponsored by Lyndhurst Motors, played in the Toronto Ice Hockey League as part of the Ontario Hockey Association, and represented ...
to represent Canada at the 1954 Ice Hockey World Championships, and 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 hock ...
to tour Japan in March 1954. The CAHA had been unable to find a senior or junior A-level team for international competitions in 1954, and settled on the senior B-level team from East York and the intermediate-level team from Kenora. George stated that East York and Kenora were the only two teams willing to play internationally and that East York was the stronger of the two teams. The East York Lyndhursts lost by a 7–2 score in the final game versus 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 ...
and placed second at the World Championships. George stated that the final game was the worst he had seen the Lyndhursts play and that they seemed afraid of being penalized. The CAHA was heavily criticized by media in Canada for the failure to win the World Championships, and writer Michael McKinley stated the loss was a "day of reckoning" and a symbol of what went wrong with the CAHA's international strategy. George felt that the Lyndhursts lacked the experience necessary to deal with the political situation in Europe, and believed that much of the criticism by newspapers in Sweden had been anti-Canadian propaganda. He recommended that Canada continue to play at the World Championships, and denied reports from East York's manager that spectators in Sweden treated the Canadian team unfairly. George was convinced by the loss that experience was needed in a team to represent Canada internationally, but that finding the best players was a recurring problem due to disagreements with the international definition of an amateur. He felt a stronger national team was needed to continue at the World Championships and expected the CAHA to find a new formula to financially support future national teams.


Third term

George was re-elected CAHA president in May 1954. In August 1954, he was named to the executive committee of the IIHF for a three-year term until 1957. George attended a meeting in August 1954, with junior hockey representatives from the five CAHA branches in Western Canada in addition to the
Western Canada Junior 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 h ...
and the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...
. Western Canada sought permission for any of its league champions to add three players in the inter-provincial playoffs for the Memorial Cup. They contended that the imbalance in competition compared to Eastern Canada teams had caused lack of spectator interest and less prestige for the event, and suggested that the
Abbott Cup The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" ice hockey Champion for Western Canada. The Cup was named after Captain E.L. (Hick) Abbott who was a noted hockey pl ...
champion to have an additional three players added for the Memorial Cup final. Representatives also asked for a Western Canada Junior Hockey Association to be formed and recognized by the CAHA, and for the richer teams in Eastern Canada to pay proportionally more than poorer teams in Western Canada with respect to the overall CAHA budget. George suggested that the western branches submit requests for transfers to the upcoming CAHA general meeting, but felt that Eastern delegates would resist the increased cost burden. At the next CAHA meeting in January 1955, the request for three additional players for the Abbott Cup representative in the Memorial Cup final was approved. The CAHA reduced its annual operating budget from $70,000 to $55,000, abolished its scholarships for the finer arts, and stipulated that future scholarships must be for hockey players and their education. The CAHA also debated funding for the national team. George was opposed to siphoning funds from senior and junior teams to pay travel expenses to the World Championships, and stated that countries should consider paying the Canadian team for appearing at the World Championships. He felt that Canada had to attend at 1955 World Championships regardless of the expense, but that the future events needed a better financial arrangement. George announced that the
Penticton Vees The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the Penticton V ...
who won the
1954 Allan Cup The 1954 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1953–54 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Penticton V's and Penticton, Vernon, and Kelowna, British Columbia. The 1954 playoff marked the 46th time th ...
, were selected to represent Canada at the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships. He felt that Penticton was far superior to the East York team and was strong enough to defeat the Soviet Union. He was against adding extra players to Penticton since it might affect the morale of the players who won the Allan Cup. The Canadian Press reported that George requested a network to spy on the Soviet Union national team. Intelligence reported included accounts by Canadians who played hockey in Europe and attended the Soviet Union's games. After a Canadian exhibition game versus the Czechoslovakia national team, George discounted reports dispatched from Prague and printed in the ''
Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...
'' in London as exaggerated, and denied that Penticton's style of play was "thuggery-on-ice". He also criticized media in Canada for distorting the playing conditions in Europe and felt that players on Penticton had conducted themselves appropriately. Penticton won the 1955 World Championships with a 5–0 victory over the Soviet Union in the decisive game. George felt that the final game was "played as hockey should be played" and hoped that European teams would copy the Canadian style of play. Despite the victory, the Canadian Press reported sentiments from Canadian players and spectators that "Canada should never again take part in the tournament under its present setup". George questioned whether Canada would participate in future World Championships and was concerned that the game in Europe took on political and religious meanings in which Canada did not want to become involved. He was open to the CAHA sending a team on a tour of the Soviet Union if an invitation was received soon enough to rearrange league schedules and if adequate financial compensation was provided. The CAHA agreed on attending
ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, was the eighth Olympic Championship, also serving as the 23rd World Championships and the 34th European Championships. The tournament was held at the Oly ...
at its next general meeting. George felt that Canada was obliged to send a team to the Olympics, but continued to advocate for a better financial arrangement at the World Championships. He felt that Canadian teams were exploited due to the difficulty in transferring money out of countries in Europe in spite of its participation being a boost to attendance at the event. He was succeeded by Jimmy Dunn as the CAHA president in May 1955, and served as chairman of the 1956 Eastern Canada playoffs as the past-president.


Lawn bowling administrator

George was a regular lawn bowler. He served as president of the Kemptville Lawn Bowling Club from 1931 to 1933, when it became affiliated with the Provincial Lawn Bowling Association (PLBA) of Ontario. He later served as the club's secretary-treasurer and delegate to PLBA meetings, and was appointed a member of the Kemptville Community Park Commission to represent lawn bowling. George became the lawn bowling chairman of District 16 in Eastern Ontario, and established the W. B. George Trophy in 1939, that was awarded to the winner of the doubles competition for the district. He was elected president of the St. Lawrence Lawn Bowling League in May 1940, and grew the league to seven clubs by adding
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and invited Perth to be the eighth member. George was elected vice-president of the PLBA in May 1941. He was named to the Ontario provincial team to play matches versus the American Lawn Bowling Association at the international tournament hosted in Kitchener in 1941. George was elected president of the PLBA in November 1941, at a time when its membership had remained steady despite the war-time conditions. He expected an increase in lawn bowling clubs due to the desire for a new recreational hobby closer to home since travel was difficult with gasoline rations during the war. His tenure as president saw increased attendance at meetings and completing more business than before. The PLBA implemented uniform scoring and draws in tournament play, and limited the number of games which teams could be asked to play. A publicity committee was formed which ensured that tournament conditions used consistent advertising that were clear to all entrants. George concluded two terms as the PLBA president in 1943, was re-elected president of the St. Lawrence Lawn Bowling League, then later served as the league's secretary.


Agriculturalist and soil science lecturer

George transitioned from an English and economics teacher at Kemptville Agricultural School, to become head of the
soil chemistry Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors. In the early 1850s a consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society in England, ...
department and overseeing experiments and research on its
experimental farm A demonstration farm, or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational instit ...
. He hosted a radio program on CFLC-AM in
Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It i ...
, and regularly spoke to the community about the goals of the college and its ability to help local farmers. He served as chairman of the Fertilizer Advisory Board of Ontario, and lectured at conferences for the Eastern Ontario branch of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. George lectured on the importance of agriculture in Canada to increase its yields in proportion to the growing
population of Canada Canada ranks 37th by population, comprising about 0.5% of the world's total, with over 39 million Canadians as of 2022. Being, however, the fourth-largest country by land area (second-largest by total area), the vast majority of the country ...
. He argued that, "there is a direct relationship between the soil, the plant, the animal and the human being", and that programs to maintain
soil fertility Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality.
and
soil quality Soil quality refers to the condition of soil based on its capacity to perform ecosystem services that meet the needs of human and non-human life.Tóth, G., Stolbovoy, V. and Montanarella, 2007. Soil Quality and Sustainability Evaluation - An integr ...
were essential. He stated that Eastern Ontario farms had chemical deficiencies in
nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a covalent bonded set of two or more atoms, or of a metal complex, that can be considered to behave as a single unit and that has a net charge that is not zer ...
s,
phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...
s and
potash Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form.
, according to the results from 1,948
soil test Soil test may refer to one or more of a wide variety of soil analysis conducted for one of several possible reasons. Possibly the most widely conducted soil tests are those done to estimate the plant-available concentrations of plant nutrients, i ...
samples conducted by Kemptville Agricultural School in 1950. He advocated for continued soil tests to determine the best practices for
crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant ...
to prevent loss of
organic matter Organic matter, organic material, or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have c ...
and nutrients, and for attention to proper drainage, fertilization and soil chemistry. George remained active in the alumni association of the Ontario Agricultural College and was president of its Eastern Ontario branch. He was the secretary-treasurer of the Kemptville Agricultural Society from 1933 to 1936, which hosted the annual Kemptville Fair with co-operation from the Kemptville Agricultural School. He later served as secretary of the Eastern Ontario district for the Ontario Agricultural Society, and the Ontario Fairs Association. He retired from Kemptville Agricultural School after 34 years on October 1, 1960. He later taught agricultural classes at a local high school.


Kemptville community service

George served as president of the Kemptville 100 Club, a community service organization that was part of the Canadian-based International Association of 100 Clubs. He directed a play to benefit local hockey as the club's song leader, was on the board of directors for the association and arranged for Kemptville to host the international convention in 1932. The Kemptville 100 Club returned its charter in 1934, briefly became the Kemptville Community Club, then agreed to become part of
Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...
. The Kemptville Rotary Club was chartered in November 1934, and George was named its first secretary. He was unanimously elected president in August 1935, then became treasurer when his tenure as president ended in 1936, and maintained a perfect attendance at the Rotary Club for more than 35 years. George was elected Governor of District 250 of Rotary International for the 1956–57 fiscal year, and embarked on a tour of all 50 clubs within the district that included Northern
New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
, Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario. He sought for realignment of the district since it had grown beyond the Rotary standard of 35 clubs per district, and wanted to increase contributions to scholarship funds that had aided students from 61 countries to study abroad as of 1956. As the governor, he welcomed the West Ottawa Rotary Club into membership and presented their club charter. George was a member of the Mount Zion
Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
in Kemptville during the 1930s and 1940s, and ascended to be the lodge master. He was president of the Kemptville District
Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The ''International Committee of the Red Cross'' (ICRC), a comm ...
in 1943 and 1944, then later served as its treasurer. He was president of the St. John's United Church choir during the 1940s, and was the church's property committee chairman and secretary-treasurer. In July 1954, he was named chairman of the Kemptville District Hospital provisional committee which received a provincial charter to establish a local hospital. He later oversaw its construction committee and was named to the board of directors when the hospital opened on June 28, 1960. He was the business manager for the planning committee for the Kemptville Centennial week during July 1957, and produced a 158-page souvenir review that summarized the first 100 years of the town's history.


Personal life

George married Ellen Elizabeth Weaver in 1930. Their only son, David George, pursued agricultural programs at the
Macdonald Campus The Macdonald Campus of McGill University (commonly referred to as the ‘Mac Campus’ or simply ’Mac’) houses McGill's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (FAES), which includes the Institute of Parasitology, the School of Huma ...
of
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
. George stated that he had a desire to live "where there's rural atmosphere", and that his father had also preferred small towns. George's wife died on July 5, 1966. He died on June 25, 1972, at the Kemptville Hospital. They were interred together at the Kemptville Union Cemetery.


Honours and legacy

George was named an honorary president of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association. He received the AHAUS citation award in 1954, for contributions to the game. He was made an honorary
tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
of the Saskatchewan
Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
in May 1955, and was given the title "Chief Standing on Ice" in the same ceremony in which he presented the
Athol Murray Trophy The Athol Murray Trophy is a Canadian ice hockey series to determine the Saskatchewan Junior B championship and seed of the Keystone Cup - the Western Canada Junior "B" Hockey Crown. History Since the 1960s the tournament has been an important de ...
to the
Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (Q.I.R.S.) or Qu'Appelle Industrial School was a Canadian residential school in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. As one of the early residential schools in western Canada, it was operated from 1884 to 1969 ...
hockey team. He was also made an honorary tribal chief of the
Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...
in 1956. In May 1966, he was named to the CAHA Order of Merit for service to amateur hockey in Canada. George donated the W. B. George Award, which he annually presented to the top academic student at the Kemptville Agricultural School. In September 1977, Kemptville College dedicated a combined gymnasium and auditorium to be the W. B. George Centre. Henry Heald of the ''
Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...
'' reported that during George's tenure at the school, the standard advice for a student looking to solve a problem, was to "ask Mr. George". The Kemptville Rotary Club made him the namesake of the W. B. (Baldy) George Trophy, awarded to the champion team of its annual ice the hockey tournament. George was posthumously inducted into the builder category of the Kemptville District Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, William Bryden 1899 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Canadian educators Agriculture educators Canadian agriculturalists Canadian Amateur Hockey Association presidents Canadian Amateur Hockey Association vice-presidents Canadian bowls administrators Canadian Freemasons Canadian ice hockey officials Canadian male bowls players Canadian schoolteachers Canadian soil scientists Canadian sports executives and administrators Ice hockey people from Ontario International Ice Hockey Federation executives Lecturers Ontario Agricultural College alumni Ottawa District Hockey Association executives People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties Rotary International leaders Sportspeople from Chatham-Kent