CHL Statement on the Passing of Bill Hay
October 27, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) mourns the loss of beloved Hockey Hall of Famer Bill Hay, who sadly passed away on Friday morning at the age of 88.
Born in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Hay had a significant impact on the game of hockey over his illustrious career as both a player and executive. On the ice, as a forward, Hay played two seasons with the Regina Pats before enjoying eight years in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. It was there in Chicago that Hay won a Calder Trophy during the 1959-60 season as the NHL's Rookie of the Year before he helped the Blackhawks end a 23-year championship drought with a Stanley Cup title in 1961.
Once his playing career came to a close, Hay devoted his time to growing hockey off the ice, which is where he helped to shape the game both in Canada and the United States. Over his years as a hockey executive, Hay held many key roles, including as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Hockey Canada, Chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a member of its selection committee, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Flames, and the Creator of the D.K. (Doc) Seaman Hockey Resource Centre.
His leadership, along with that of the late Murray Costello, was essential to the negotiations that led to the merger of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in the mid-1990s, the latter of which created the Hockey Canada that we all know today.
Moreover, through his generosity, Hay helped create the Bill Hay Future Leaders Program, which provided university or college graduates with the opportunity to gain work experience in the game of hockey. The latter included opportunities across the CHL, with members of this program earning placements to work in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) offices. To this day, there are members of the Bill Hay Future Leaders Program who continue to work within hockey, helping to further Hay's incredible legacy.
In recognition of his work and years of service to the game, Bill Hay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2015 - following in the footsteps of his father Charlie who was inducted as a Builder in 1974. Among some of his other accomplishments, Bill was invested in the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021. He is also a member of the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
The CHL sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Bill Hay, and to all those who were fortunate enough to be touched by the immense impact that Bill had on the game of hockey.
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