W. A. Hewitt

William Abraham Hewitt, known as Billy Hewitt, was a Canadian sports leader and journalist born on May 15, 1875, and passed away on September 8, 1966. He played a big role in organizing ice hockey in Canada. From 1903 to 1966, he was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association. He also worked as sports editor for the Toronto Daily Star from 1900 to 1931.

Hewitt helped create the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and held many important jobs there for many years. He made sure players were properly registered and worked on rules for both amateur and professional hockey. After leaving journalism, he managed Maple Leaf Gardens from 1931 to 1948.

He was involved in the Olympics, helping choose athletes and manage the Canada men's national ice hockey team, which won gold medals in 1920, 1924, and 1928. Hewitt also worked with other sports groups and helped start important events like the King's Plate race on radio with his son, Foster Hewitt. Many honors were given to him, and he was added to several halls of fame for his big contributions to sports.

Early life and family

William Abraham Hewitt was born on May 15, 1875, in Cobourg, Ontario. His parents were James Thomas Hewitt and Sarah Hopkins, who had Irish-Canadian heritage. When Hewitt was about 4 years old, his family moved to Toronto. His mother was a schoolteacher from Northern Ireland, and his father worked with horse-drawn carriages before passing away when Hewitt was 8.

As a child, Hewitt didn’t play many team sports because he was small, but he learned boxing from his brothers. At age 12, he helped professional baseball players practice by pitching to them at Sunlight Park. He also played baseball for the Victorias at Jesse Ketchum Park. After his father died, Hewitt started working early jobs, like selling newspapers for the Toronto Empire, sorting apples, and working at a grocery store. He finished his schooling at Jarvis Collegiate Institute.

Hewitt was part of the Anglican Church of Canada. He married Flora Morrison Foster in 1897 at the Church of the Holy Trinity. They had a daughter named Audrey, born in 1898, and a son named Foster Hewitt, born in 1902.

Journalism career

Toronto News

Billy Hewitt started his newspaper career at just 14 years old, working as a helper for the Toronto News for $4 a week. When the main editor was away, he was left in charge and had to decide what to do when a young reporter, who would later become the prime minister of Canada, showed up to work.

At 15, Hewitt began writing stories for the Toronto News, earning $10 a week. He covered many different events, including sports games, court news, and important city meetings. By age 20, he was the sports editor, making $20 a week and using his many contacts in the sports world to get the best stories.

Montreal Herald

Later, Hewitt moved to work for the Montreal Herald as the sports editor. He was offered $25 a week and the chance to cover games and events. Even though another newspaper offered him much more money, he stayed loyal to his boss, Joseph Atkinson. Hewitt also helped introduce nets behind hockey goalposts to prevent arguments over goals.

Toronto Daily Star

In 1900, Hewitt returned to Toronto to become the sports editor of the Toronto Daily Star, a job he kept until 1931. He wanted his writers to keep stories short and clear, especially when space was limited. His favorite sports to cover were ice hockey and Canadian football, but he also wrote about baseball, boxing, horse racing, and lacrosse.

Hewitt also covered big events, like a famous boxing match in 1919. He even created a way for theatre-goers to follow along with live baseball games using special scoreboards. Later in his career, he helped his son get started in radio broadcasting.

In 1931, Hewitt stepped down as sports editor of the Toronto Daily Star. He was known for writing his stories by hand and never using a typewriter. When he retired, he was praised for being a fair and knowledgeable writer about all kinds of sports.

Ontario Hockey Association

Billy Hewitt started playing and officiating ice hockey, and he also wrote about the game. He became the secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in 1903. In this role, he helped plan schedules and made sure players could switch teams properly.

As secretary, Hewitt was in charge of choosing referees for important games. He talked about the rules every year to make sure everyone followed them. He also worked on making sure players behaved well and suggested fines for bad behavior.

Hewitt had strong opinions about coaches and arenas. He thought it was okay for some paid coaches to help teams, even though many others did not agree. He also helped decide where games would be played and supported building a big new arena called Maple Leaf Gardens.

During World War II, Hewitt helped the OHA support charities in Toronto. Over time, he handed over some of his duties to other people but kept working until he retired in 1966.

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association

As the sports editor of the Toronto Daily Star, Hewitt supported the idea of creating a national group to manage amateur hockey. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) started on December 4, 1914, and began organizing national competitions for the Allan Cup, awarded to the best senior ice hockey team. They also created rules for players and teams.

When the leader of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) became the CAHA leader in 1915, Hewitt was chosen to help run the CAHA. During World War I, Hewitt managed the CAHA's work by mail because meetings were too expensive. He helped plan competitions for the Allan Cup and worked with others to create fair rules for the games.

In 1919, the Memorial Cup was started for junior ice hockey champions. Hewitt helped organize these games and became one of the cup's leaders. Later, he was named the CAHA's registrar, responsible for keeping track of player information and team registrations. He made sure players followed the rules and couldn't move teams just for fun.

Hewitt later became the registrar-treasurer, adding financial duties to his work. He helped create and manage many important hockey events and rules throughout his long career.

Olympics and athletics executive

During World War I, Hewitt helped provide sports equipment to soldiers by working with a group called the Sportsmen's Patriotic Association. After the war, he helped rebuild sports organizations in Canada.

In the 1920 Summer Olympics, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association chose a team called the Winnipeg Falcons to represent Canada in ice hockey. Hewitt helped manage their finances and traveled with them to the games in Antwerp. He also helped introduce Canadian hockey rules to international play and even refereed the first Olympic hockey game.

Hewitt continued to help with Olympic teams through the 1920s. He managed travel and finances for Canadian athletes, helped choose teams, and even served as head of the Canadian team for the 1928 Winter Olympics. His work helped Canadian athletes win many medals during this time.

Football career

Billy Hewitt was a football referee in the early 1900s. He played for the Toronto Football Club and the Toronto Wellesleys before becoming a referee. Later, he managed football teams and helped recruit players he knew from refereeing.

He was an executive with the Toronto Football Club and managed the team starting in 1904. He later managed the Toronto Argonauts after they merged with his team in 1905. He also helped create a new league called the Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union in 1907, which included teams from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton. Hewitt served in many leadership roles in football organizations and helped create standard rules for the sport.

Horse racing official

Billy Hewitt often visited the secretary of the Ontario Jockey Club, W. P. Fraser, while reporting on horse racing. In 1905, Fraser appointed him as a patrol judge at the Woodbine Race Course. Later, Hewitt became a steward at several race tracks, including Thorncliffe Park Raceway, Devonshire Raceway, Kenilworth Park Racetrack in Windsor, and Stamford Park in Niagara Falls.

In 1925, Hewitt and his son Foster announced the first horse race broadcast on radio, the King's Plate. Hewitt served as a steward for the Incorporated Canadian Racing Association for over 30 years and became its chief steward in 1937. He helped create rules for horse racing, including new requirements for jockeys and horses, and used film to review races for fairness.

Personal life

Billy Hewitt lived on Roxborough Street near Yonge Street in the Rosedale neighborhood of Toronto. He also had a summer home on the Toronto Islands close to Hanlan's Point Stadium. On Sundays, he often took his family on trips in their 1912 Pullman automobile to places like Hamilton or Oakville. Sometimes, his children joined him in the press box when he was reporting on sports events.

In 1948, Hewitt recovered from a skin problem that doctors thought might affect his heart. In 1952, his wife passed away in a car accident. Hewitt broke both arms in that same accident. Later in life, he lived with his son and then in a retirement home in Toronto. He passed away on September 8, 1966, and was buried with his wife in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. He left behind an estate worth CA$136,262, which is about $1,223,243 today.

Honours and awards

Billy Hewitt received many honors for his work in hockey. In 1925, he became a life member of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). In 1938, he was a special guest at a banquet and received a silver cup for his 35 years of service with the OHA. In 1939, at the OHA's golden jubilee, he was honored for helping the association reach this important milestone.

In 1945, Hewitt was chosen to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and he received a special scroll in 1948. He was also given the OHA Gold Stick Award in 1947, one of the highest honors from the OHA. In 1950, he received a citation for helping set up amateur hockey leagues in the United States. In 1953, 500 sportsmen celebrated his 50 years as secretary of the OHA at a special dinner. In 1960, he became a life member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), and in 1966, he was honored again for his OHA career and named honorary life secretary of the OHA.

Legacy and reputation

Several important hockey trophies were named after W. A. Hewitt. These include the W. A. Hewitt Trophy for winners of playoff games between top teams in Ontario, another W. A. Hewitt Trophy for a different level of Ontario champions, and yet another for young players in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. Hewitt and George Dudley also share the name of the Dudley Hewitt Cup, first given in 1971 to the best junior team in Central Canada for the national Centennial Cup competition.

Hewitt was also known for helping introduce nets on hockey goalposts during a game in Montreal when he was a sports editor. He said the idea came from a friend named Francis Nelson, who thought of it during a visit to Australia. Many people still credit Hewitt with being the first to use nets in hockey games.

Hewitt was highly respected for his work with hockey. One person said the Ontario Hockey Association was very lucky to have him and that he helped the sport grow a lot during difficult times. Others praised him for being a smart leader who helped change rules to allow professional coaches in hockey.