Harley Hotchkiss | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harley Norman Hotchkiss (1927-07-12)July 12, 1927 Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | June 22, 2011(2011-06-22) (aged 83) Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Education | Michigan State University |
| Known for | Businessman Owner of theCalgary Flames |
| Honors | Hockey Hall of Fame (2006) |
Harley Norman Hotchkiss,CC AOE (July 12, 1927 – June 22, 2011) was a Canadian business and community leader who was best known for his contributions to health and sports development in Canada. He was part of the consortium that brought theAtlanta Flames of theNational Hockey League (NHL) toCalgary in 1980, and remained a part-owner of theCalgary Flames until shortly before his death. For much of that time, he was the team's governor, and hence the public face of the ownership group. He served as chairman of the board of the NHL between 1995 and 2007, and was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2006.
A graduate ofMichigan State University in 1951 and ageologist by trade, Hotchkiss moved to Calgary in 1951 and began a long career in the oil and gas industry. He served as president of Alcon Petroleum into the 1960s, and started up his own companies, including Sabre Petroleum with long-time business partnersByron andDoc Seaman. His peers remembered him as an "icon" in the industry.[1] In 1980, he joined withRalph T. Scurfield,Norman Green,Norman Kwong and the Seaman brothers to buy the Flames and move them to Calgary.
A noted philanthropist, theUniversity of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute is named in honour of his contributions.[2] He also supportedHockey Canada, investing in the growth of the sport across the country.[3] He was named an Officer of theOrder of Canada in 1997, elevated to Companion in 2009, and named to theAlberta Order of Excellence in 1998.[4][5] In May 2012, it was announced that a new neighbourhood in southeast Calgary,Hotchkiss, would be named after him.[6]
In 2009, Harley Hotchkiss along with Paul Grescoe wrote a memoir,Hat Trick - A Life in the Hockey Rink, Oil Patch and Community.
| Preceded by | Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors 1995–2007 | Succeeded by |
