Clarence Campbell

Lore & Background

Campbell refereed in the NHL during the 1930s, officiating historic games such as the 1937 contest where Howie Morenz broke his leg, and a rough playoff game between the Montreal Maroons and Boston Bruins where he called Dit Clapper a profane name and was punched. He also made a controversial call in 1939 involving Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Red Horner, leading Leafs owner Conn Smythe to call for his dismissal. After his refereeing career, league president Frank Calder groomed him as a successor, but World War II intervened. Campbell enlisted in the Canadian Army, rose to lieutenant colonel, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1945. He served with the No. 1 Canadian War Graves Investigation Unit and was one of the prosecutors at trials of leading Nazis, though he denied participating in the Nuremberg Trials. After Calder's death, Red Dutton served as president until Campbell returned in 1946, at which point Dutton resigned and Campbell accepted the presidency. One of his first acts was expelling players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger in 1948 for betting on games.

Reader's Guide

Campbell's legacy as NHL president is defined by two major events. In 1955, he suspended Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice 'Rocket' Richard for the remaining three regular-season games and the entire playoffs after Richard struck a linesman. This decision sparked the Richard Riot at the Montreal Forum, where a tear gas bomb was released, the game was forfeited to the Detroit Red Wings, 60 people were arrested, and $500,000 in damage was done. Campbell was also instrumental in the 1967 NHL expansion, which doubled the league's size, and he often worked 18-hour days. The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl was donated in his honor at the start of the Expansion Era in 1967–68, and the NHL named one of its two conferences after him in 1974. Although the conference was renamed the Western Conference in 1993, the Campbell Bowl continues to be awarded to the conference's playoff champion. In 1976, Campbell was charged with bribing Senator Louis Giguère in the 'Sky Shops' scandal; he was convicted, but the NHL paid his fine and he served no time due to his age. He retired in 1977 due to illness and died in 1984.

Did You Know?

• Campbell was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club.
• He was one of the prosecutors at trials of leading Nazis after World War II, though he denied participating in the Nuremberg Trials.
• The Richard Riot resulted in 60 arrests and $500,000 in damage at the Montreal Forum.
• Campbell was convicted in the 'Sky Shops' bribery scandal in 1976, but the NHL paid his fine and he served no time.