Jack Ruttan
Canadian amateur player and coach, 1913 Allan Cup champion.
John Douglas Ruttan, known as Jack, was a Canadian amateur hockey player and coach born on April 5, 1889, who died on January 7, 1973. He is best known for winning the Allan Cup with the Winnipeg Hockey Club in 1913 and being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.
Ruttan began playing juvenile hockey with Winnipeg’s Armstrong’s Point team, which won the city’s juvenile championship in 1906. He moved to the Rustler club the next season, and they took the 1907 juvenile title. In 1908, he joined St. John’s College (now the University of Manitoba), whose team won the Manitoba University Hockey League championship. He stepped up to senior hockey in 1909 with the Manitoba Varsity team, which captured the Winnipeg Senior Hockey League championship in 1911. In 1912, he joined the Winnipeg Hockey Club, and that season the club won the Allan Cup as Canada’s senior champions.
Before the First World War, Ruttan spent five years in the Canadian militia: three with the 100th Winnipeg Grenadiers and two with the 34th Fort Garry Horse. In April 1915, he enlisted with the 10th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, and was promoted to captain. He never served on the front lines due to health problems including pharyngitis, appendicitis, anemia, and a duodenal ulcer. Sent back to Canada in 1917, he helped organize the Winnipeg Military Hockey League for the 1917–18 season, which featured three teams named after recent battles—Somme, Vimy, and Ypres—to support the war effort. He played one game with the Somme team, his last competitive match.
In 1919, Ruttan became a coach for the Winnipeg Hockey Club. From 1920 to 1922, he refereed in the Winnipeg League, and he coached the University of Manitoba for the 1923–24 season.
His honours include the 1913 Allan Cup championship, induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963, and recognition as an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1889-04-05
- Birth Place
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Death Date
- 1973-01-07
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 8
- Position
- Defence
- Played For
- Winnipeg Hockey Club / Winnipeg Somme
- Career Start
- 1905
- Career End
- 1918
- Halloffame
- 1963
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Ruttan began his playing career in juvenile hockey with Winnipeg's Armstrong's Point team, winning the Winnipeg juvenile championship in 1906. He then played for the Rustler club, winning the 1907 juvenile championship, before entering St. John's College (now the University of Manitoba) and winning the Manitoba University Hockey League championship. He moved to senior hockey in 1909 with the Manitoba Varsity team, winning the Winnipeg Senior Hockey League championship in 1911, and joined the Winnipeg Hockey Club in 1912, winning the Allan Cup that season.
Ruttan served in the Canadian militia for five years before the First World War, enlisting in April 1915 with the 10th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles. Promoted to captain, he did not serve on the front lines due to health issues including pharyngitis, appendicitis, anemia, and a duodenal ulcer. Sent back to Canada in 1917, he helped organize the Winnipeg Military Hockey League for the 1917–18 season, with teams named Somme, Vimy, and Ypres. He played one game with the Somme team, his last competitive match.
After the war, Ruttan became a coach for the Winnipeg Hockey Club in 1919, refereed in the Winnipeg League from 1920 to 1922, and coached the University of Manitoba for the 1923–24 season.
Reader's Guide
Jack Ruttan's significance lies in his contributions as both a player and organizer in early Canadian amateur hockey. As a player, he won multiple juvenile championships and the 1913 Allan Cup with the Winnipeg Hockey Club, the top senior hockey prize in Canada at the time. His coaching and refereeing roles in Winnipeg after his playing career ended helped sustain local hockey. Notably, during the First World War, he organized the Winnipeg Military Hockey League, using battle names for teams to support the war effort. His induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963 recognized his overall impact on the sport, and he is also an Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Did You Know?
- Ruttan won the Winnipeg juvenile championship in 1906 with Armstrong's Point and again in 1907 with the Rustler club.
- He was a member of the 1913 Allan Cup championship team with the Winnipeg Hockey Club.
- During World War I, he organized the Winnipeg Military Hockey League with teams named Somme, Vimy, and Ypres.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Builders and Executives, Part 3 1-24
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