George Dudley
George Samuel Dudley was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960. He was elected to Canadian Amateur Hockey Association executive in 1936, served as its president from 1940 to 1942, as its secretary from 1945 to 1947, and as its secretary-manager from 1947 to 1960. He was secretary of the International Ice Hockey Association from 1945 to 1947, and was later vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1957 to 1960. He was expected to become the next president of the IIHF before his death. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1917 then practiced law for 43 years as the town solicitor for Midland, Ontario.
Dudley and W. G. Hardy led the way in revising the definition of an amateur hockey player to keep amateur players in Canada and slow the number of Canadians turning professional. Dudley negotiated deals with the National Hockey League and the British Ice Hockey Association to govern the transfer of players internationally. He introduced contracts for junior ice hockey players, as a means to obtain development payments from professional teams seeking new talent. He supported an alliance between the CAHA and the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States, and sought for international recognition of AHAUS as the governing body of ice hockey in the United States. He threatened to withdraw Canada from ice hockey at the Olympic Games if the International Olympic Committee did not accept the Canadian definition of amateur, and supported the IIHF hosting its own Ice Hockey World Championships separate from the Olympics. Dudley's role as secretary-manager of the CAHA made him influential in Canadian hockey since he served as the regular delegate to IIHF meetings, and was in charge of selecting the Canada men's national team. He facilitated the first exhibition tour by the Soviet Union national team in Canada, and oversaw ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics on behalf of the IIHF
Dudley was committed to implementing reforms for amateur hockey, believing that they were in the best interest of hockey in Canada. He was opposed to governments funding or controlling amateur sports associations, and supported the continuation of hockey and incorporating Royal Canadian Air Force teams into the CAHA as a morale boost during World War II. Dudley was described by journalist Jack Sullivan as a staunch and shrewd hockey official and a problem solver. Journalist Scott Young stated Dudley was a low-key figure at first who grew to prominence by his reputation as being a busy and able volunteer. Young further stated that Dudley was a forward thinker, and had the ability to listen to a conversation and find a compromise without forcing anyone to change his mind. Young credited Dudley for dealing with reforms to amateurism, and regulations on player salaries and transfers, which led to increased interest in hockey.
Dudley was inducted to the builder category of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958, and was posthumously inducted into the Midland Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He was made a life member of both the CAHA and OHA, received the Gold Stick award from the OHA in recognition of service to hockey in Ontario and the AHAUS citation award for service to amateur hockey in the United States. He was named to the selection committee for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and previously sat on the same committee for the Original Hockey Hall of Fame. He and W. A. Hewitt were made the namesakes of the Dudley Hewitt Cup, first awarded by the Canadian Junior Hockey League in 1971.
Early life and legal career
George Samuel Dudley was born on April 19, 1894, in Midland, Ontario. His parents were William Thomas Dudley, and Sarah Agnes Dudley. His father served 37 years on the local public utilities commission. Dudley grew up playing minor ice hockey in Midland, but poor eyesight prevented him from a further athletic career.Dudley attended Midland Secondary School, then graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1917. While studying law, he served as an articled clerk for the local member of parliament, William Humphrey Bennett. Dudley entered into a law practice in a partnership with William Finlayson in 1917. They established at Finlayson & Dudley, Barristers and Solicitors at 212 King Street in Midland. Dudley took over the firm upon Finlayson's death in 1943. He practiced law for 43 years as the town's solicitor until 1960.
Early hockey career
Dudley first attended Ontario Hockey Association meetings in 1925. He was elected an executive member of the OHA in November 1928, and urged the OHA to reassert its jurisdiction over all hockey in Ontario and its intention to introduce associate memberships to regulate leagues under its domain. He was an early advocate of professional hockey coaches in the amateur game, and supported the reforms by W. A. Hewitt to allow them.At the OHA general meeting in 1930, Dudley supported measures to bring attention to rules already in place which did not allow players with an active professional contract in the OHA. He successfully campaigned for the construction of a new arena in Midland in 1931, to replace the previous structure lost in 1926. Dudley oversaw construction of the Midland Arena Gardens by autumn 1931 during the Great Depression, and it became the only artificial ice rink between Toronto and Winnipeg at the time.
OHA president
Dudley served as president of the OHA from 1934 to 1936. In 1934, he advocated for ratification of the first Canadian Amateur Hockey Association agreement with the National Hockey League, regarding player control and compensation to the junior clubs for developing the player. To gain the financial concessions, the CAHA conceded to allow body checking in the neutral zone, and use the same ice hockey rules as the professional league. Dudley later introduced a motion at the OHA general meeting to adopt the same playing rules as the NHL.At the CAHA general meeting in 1935, Dudley stated it was important to keep younger players amateurs as long as possible, and prevent professionalism at a young age which excluded them from the OHA. He felt that once a player reached age 21, he would have gained the knowledge to make an informed decision on his future. Dudley felt that OHA needed to be offer financial opportunities competitive with what was available elsewhere. He was nominated by CAHA president E. A. Gilroy, to be part of a special committee dealing with the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada to discuss the definition of amateur, the cost of player registration cards, and the right for the CAHA to issue its own registration cards.
In October 1935, Dudley stated that the number of players leaving for the United States was compromising rosters in Canada, and that the rate of exodus was not sustainable. He decreed that the OHA would decline all player transfer requests to the United States, and players not returning to Canada by November 15, would be suspended from the OHA. He began to put rules in place for the transfer of players internationally, and stated that, "It's going to happen. We might as well try to regulate it". Dudley and CAHA second vice-president W. G. Hardy negotiated agreements with the NHL, and the British Ice Hockey Association to govern the transfer of players and prevent the raiding of Canadian rosters. Limits were placed on the number of allowed transfers, and the organizations agreed to recognize each other's authority and suspensions.
Dudley and Hardy soon began a campaign to rewrite the definition of amateur, to decrease the number of amateurs from turning professional. They felt that the requirement to have an AAU of C registration card to play in the OHA, and the Olympic Games, was an obstacle to progress, and made the AAU of C their main target of reforms. At the AAU of C general meeting in November 1935, Dudley supported a defeated resolution to drop the word amateur from the AAU of C name. At the same meeting, Dudley and Hardy presented "four points" to update the definition of amateur, as supported by the CAHA's special committee dealing with the AAU of C.
The "four points" were:
- Hockey players may capitalize on their ability as hockey players for the purpose of obtaining legitimate employment.
- Hockey players may accept from their clubs or employers payment for time lost, from work while competing on behalf of their clubs. They will not however, be allowed to hold "shadow" jobs under the clause.
- Amateur hockey teams may play exhibition games against professional teams under such conditions as may be laid down by the individual branches of the CAHA.
- Professionals in another sport will be allowed to play under the CAHA jurisdiction as amateurs.
At the 1936 CAHA general meeting, Dudley and Hardy presented the four points, which were adopted by the CAHA. In doing so, the CAHA took its stand against the definition of amateurism, and recognized that players should receive compensation. The stand meant the likelihood of breaking ties with the AAU of C. The Winnipeg Tribune reported that support for the "four points" was strong, and that the "old guard" of amateurism supported by AAU of C president W. A. Fry would eventually lose. Dudley stated that common sense had not prevailed in previous AAU of C discussions on the matter. Fry stated that the decision was "the most important matter ever to come before an amateur body in Canada", and that "It would be a sorry day for the AAU of C should it split with its strongest supporter, the CAHA. As a former CAHA president, he sympathized with the resolution, but did not give approval.