Article content

CALGARY — Former Chicago Blackhawks star and Hockey Hall of Fame executive Bill Hay has died. He was 88 years old.

Hockey Canada, of which Hay was president and chief operating officer from 1990 to 1995, confirmed Hay’s death in a statement released Saturday. The cause of death was not provided.

Hay played eight seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks and was named the league’s rookie of the year during the 1959-60 season, when he had 24 goals and 30 assists in 70 games.

Article content

The Saskatoon center had 11 goals and 48 assists during the following regular season and added two goals and five assists in 12 playoff games to help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

Hay had 113 goals and 273 assists in 506 career NHL games and was a two-time All-Star before retiring in 1967.

He continued acting after his retirement, serving as president and CEO of Calgary Flames from 1991 to 1995 alongside his role with Hockey Canada.

He was instrumental in the merger of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in the mid-1990s.

He was also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee from 1980 to 1997 and a member of the hall’s board of directors from 1995 until his retirement in 2013, including 15 years as president.

Hay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015 and invested into the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 26, 2024.

Share this article on your social network