Wren Blair
| Wren Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 2, 1925 Lindsay, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | January 2, 2013 (aged 87) Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
Wren Alvin Blair (October 2, 1925 – January 2, 2013) was a Canadian ice hockey coach, scout and executive in the National Hockey League.
Blair was born in Lindsay, Ontario, the son of Audrey and Alvin Blair. The family moved to Oshawa when his father took a job in a dairy. Wren grew up playing hockey on the rink outside Westmount Public School. He was given the nickname "The Bird" and was known for his wild behavior on the bench. This behavior often involved climbing on boards to profanely berate officials and his players.
Blair was founder, coach and General Manager of the Whitby Dunlops, who would win the Allan Cup in 1957 and 1959. In 1959 the team represented Canada in 1958 World Ice Hockey Championships winning the tournament. From 1958-1971, Blair served as the General Manager of the Clinton Comets of the Eastern Hockey League.
From 1963-65, Blair was general manager of the Minneapolis Bruins, of the Central Hockey League, before his jump to the NHL.
In 1960, Blair began negotiations with Boston Bruins president Weston Adams to begin building the new Oshawa Generals, a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The agreement was made contingent on a new arena being built in Oshawa, Ontario. The Oshawa Civic Auditorium would later open in 1964. The Oshawa Generals were reactivated 1962 as a team playing in the Metro Junior A League. For this year, the team played its home games at Maple Leaf Gardens.
...
Wikipedia