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Frank Calder | |
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1st President of the National Hockey League | |
In office 1917–1943 | |
Succeeded by | Red Dutton |
Personal details | |
Born | Frank Sellick Calder November 17, 1877 Bristol, England |
Died | February 4, 1943 Montreal, Quebec | (aged 65)
Nationality | Canadian |
Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete.
Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He also served as the last acting president of the NHL's predecessor league, the National Hockey Association (NHA), and was instrumental in the transition from the NHA to the NHL, a transition made to expel a franchise owner. He presided over the expansion of the NHL from Canada into the United States, while at the same time fending off rivals to the NHL's status as the premier North American ice hockey league.