Al Leader
Encyclopedia
George Alfred "Al" Leader (December 4, 1903, Barnsley, Manitoba – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian-American ice hockey
player, referee
, and administrator. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
in the "Builder" category. Leader settled in Seattle, Washington in the 1930s and became involved in hockey as the administrator of the Seattle City League. He worked as a player, referee, and administrator at the city level for several years before organizing the Defense Hockey League in 1940, which involved five teams from Seattle and Portland, Oregon
.
In 1944, Leader was elected as the secretary-manager of the Pacific Coast Hockey League
. Throughout the decade, Leader worked to manage and promote amateur hockey on the west coast, also taking on an administrative role with the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States. In 1952, the Pacific Coast Hockey League became part of the now defunct professional Western Hockey League
and Leader became the league president. He served in this capacity until 1969, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the same year.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, referee
Official (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. There are two categories of officials, on-ice officials, who are the referees and linesmen that enforce the rules during game play, and off-ice officials, who have an...
, and administrator. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in the "Builder" category. Leader settled in Seattle, Washington in the 1930s and became involved in hockey as the administrator of the Seattle City League. He worked as a player, referee, and administrator at the city level for several years before organizing the Defense Hockey League in 1940, which involved five teams from Seattle and Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
In 1944, Leader was elected as the secretary-manager of the Pacific Coast Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
. Throughout the decade, Leader worked to manage and promote amateur hockey on the west coast, also taking on an administrative role with the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States. In 1952, the Pacific Coast Hockey League became part of the now defunct professional Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
and Leader became the league president. He served in this capacity until 1969, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the same year.