William Dickenson Hunter CM (1920 - 2002)

Born 5 May 1920 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Died 16 Dec 2002 at age 82 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Biography

He was born the first of ten children. He attended Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan from 1938 to 1940, a school famous for it's sports, in particular hockey. ^[1]. He left early to to join the Royal Canadian Air Force and served for about four years as a fighter pilot based in England during World War II.^[2]

He was owner, general manager and coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1965, a junior team who went on to win the Memorial Cup in 1966. He helped found the World Hockey Association (WHA). On November 1, 1971, the Alberta (later Edmonton) Oilers became one of the 12 founding WHA franchises, founded by "Wild Bill" and partner, Dr. Charles A. "Chuck" Allard (1919 – 1991). The Oilers would later join the National Hockey League (NHL) when it merged with the WHA in 1979, after Hunter had sold his share of the team. ^[3]

Hunter attempted to bring the NHL to Saskatoon, his hometown, in 1983. by buying the St. Louis Blues for $12 million. He had planned to move the team to an 18,000-seat arena he had constructed, but it was blocked by NHL Governors.^[4]

He was a Companion of the Order of Canada since 2000 and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Also inducted into the Notre Dame, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Alberta Sports Halls of Fame. In 2010, he was elected as an inaugural inductee into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in the builders category.^[5]

He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Edmonton, Alberta.

Sources

1. ↑ Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
2. ↑ Wild Bill helped change hockey. Bob Weber. Globe and Mail. 17 Dec 2002.
3. ↑ William “Bill” Hunter, Saskatechewan Sports Hall of Fame
4. ↑ Bill Hunter, 82, Oilers Owner And Founder of N.H.L. Rival. Bloomberg News. Dec. 19, 2002
5. ↑ "Wild" Bill Hunter dead at 82, CBC Sports, Dec 17, 2002