HOCKEY NOTES

Frank Patrick

Defense

b. 21 Dec 1885 Ottawa, Ontario
d. 29 Jun 1960

The NHL rule book contains 22 pieces of legislation drawn up by Frank Patrick. He was one of the true innovators in hockey, having invented the blue line, forward passing and the penalty shot. He got the idea to keep track of assists. He also came up with the first standard playoff system.

In his earlier days, Patrick was a top-notch defender, a rugged, well-built man who never shied away from the rough stuff. He was also a strong skater whose stickhandling ability allowed him to indulge his fondness for the rush. Although not quite the offensive force his brother Lester was, Frank was a standout for teams such as the Montreal Victorias, Renfrew Creamery Kings and Vancouver Millionaires.

The Patricks were true visionaries whose bold, bright ideas had lasting influence on the game of hockey. They saw the advantages presented by artificial ice and built Canada's first artificial rinks in Vancouver and Victoria. To make the buildings pay, they formed a professional league, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, in 1911. Not only did Frank play three seasons on defense for Vancouver, he also owned the team and acted as league president until its demise in the mid 1920s. At the start of the 1914-15 season, he decided to devote all his energy to executive matters. However, with his team headed for a championship, he could not stay off the ice. He played a pocketful of games that year and when Si Griffis broke his leg, Patrick hopped over the boards yet again. He scored two goals as Vancouver swept the series from the Ottawa Senators in three straight games.

In 1924 the Seattle Metropolitans folded, and the two remaining Pacific league teams, Frank's Vancouver Maroons and Lester's Victoria Cougars, joined the Western Canada Hockey League. Two years later, that league also called it quits, and Frank Patrick engineered what was the biggest deal hockey had seen to date, selling the Western Hockey League's assets to the NHL. Frank served as managing director of the NHL in 1933-34, as coach of the Boston Bruins from 1934-36, and as assistant GM and business manager of the Montreal Canadiens on April 27, 1941.

Frank Patrick died of a heart attack in Vancouver on June 29, 1960, two years after he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.

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