Frank Calder

Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was an ice hockey executive, a journalist and athlete. He is most notable for serving as the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1917 until his death in 1943. He was the last 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 of rivals to the NHL's status as the premier ice hockey league.

Biography

Frank Calder was born to Scottish parents in Bristol, England on November 17, 1877. Calder participated in many English sports as a youth, including rugby, cricket, handball, golf, and soccer. As a young man, he immigrated to Canada and became a teacher at a private school. Before leaving the United Kingdom, he flipped a coin to decide whether he should immigrate to Canada or to the United States.