Jim Hendy
Encyclopedia
James Cecil "Jim" Hendy was an ice hockey
writer, historian, and statistician
born in Barbados
, British West Indies
. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
in the "Builder" category, he is credited with developing the statistical methods for tracking professional player and team performance. His methods have been in use since the 1930s.
, British Columbia
before moving to New York City
and working a number of odd jobs. He took a position submitting statistics and other information to Western Union
for various sporting events at Madison Square Garden
. His accuracy, graceful style, and general sports knowledge earned him a reputation as a quality writer with newspapers in the city. This reputation led him to a number of other writing posts for publications such as The New York Telegraph, Saturday Evening Post and McCall's
.
In 1933, Hendy began publishing a statistical work entitled The Hockey Guide which he produced yearly until 1951. Due to the increase in demands on his time by his career, he transferred responsibility for his statistics to the National Hockey League
(NHL). In the following years, Hendy took numerous jobs in hockey including president of the United States Hockey League
, publicist
for the NHL New York Rangers
, and general manager of the American Hockey League
Cleveland Barons.
three times during his tenure, including being named "Executive of the Year" twice by The Hockey News
. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968 and is listed as a major contributor to modern web sites such as the Internet Hockey Database.
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...
writer, historian, and statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
born in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
. 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, he is credited with developing the statistical methods for tracking professional player and team performance. His methods have been in use since the 1930s.
Writing and statistical work
Hendy spent time in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
before moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and working a number of odd jobs. He took a position submitting statistics and other information to Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
for various sporting events at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. His accuracy, graceful style, and general sports knowledge earned him a reputation as a quality writer with newspapers in the city. This reputation led him to a number of other writing posts for publications such as The New York Telegraph, Saturday Evening Post and McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
.
In 1933, Hendy began publishing a statistical work entitled The Hockey Guide which he produced yearly until 1951. Due to the increase in demands on his time by his career, he transferred responsibility for his statistics to the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). In the following years, Hendy took numerous jobs in hockey including president of the United States Hockey League
United States Hockey League (1945-51)
The United States Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated from 1945 to 1951. It was a post-World War II revival of the American Hockey Association, which shut down in the fall of 1942 . The league playoff champion was awarded the Paul W...
, publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
for the NHL New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, and general manager of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Cleveland Barons.
Reputation and honors
Hendy earned several honors with the Cleveland Barons as they won the AHL Calder CupCalder Cup
The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...
three times during his tenure, including being named "Executive of the Year" twice by The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968 and is listed as a major contributor to modern web sites such as the Internet Hockey Database.