Lloyd Turner

James Lloyd Turner (August 9, 1884 in Elmvale, Ontario – April 7, 1976) was a Canadian sports promoter who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 as a builder. Turner was known primarily for constructing arenas, organizing hockey teams and leagues, and contributing significantly to the popularity of the Allan Cup.

Turner's first real experience with hockey began in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He played on an amateur team with his three brothers. In his spare time, he worked at the local rink, managing it and making its ice. Despite becoming involved in hockey, Turner was still primarily a baseball player. When he moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1907, Turner played as the catcher for the team in Calgary, where he was the only non-American player in the Western Canada Baseball League. However, this is where his reputation as a hockey promoter grew.

At the time, hockey was still young throughout Western Canada, and one of his primary goals was to help establish the game. He met the task by converting a roller skating rink to a hockey rink, and followed through by establishing a team and league. When the arena burned down in 1915, he built a nearby outdoor facility so the team would not have to stop playing.

In what was arguably his most notable achievement, Turner started up two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton, two of which eventually became the foundation of the Western Canada Hockey League. He personally managed the Calgary Tigers, who played so well in the WCHL that they challenged the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup in 1924, albeit in a losing effort. Afterwards, he managed the Minneapolis Millers of the American Hockey Association and led them to a championship in 1926. Soon after, he flew back to the west to manage the Seattle Metropolitans, who had joined the Western Canada Hockey League, which at this point had amalgamated with the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to become the Western Hockey League.

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