Al Pickard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 2, 1895 Exeter, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | April 7, 1975 (aged 80) Exeter, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation(s) | Principal and schoolteacher |
| Known for | President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association |
| Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame (1958) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Service | Canadian Expeditionary Force, Canadian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1918 – 1920 |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
Allan Wilfrid Pickard (January 2, 1895 – April 7, 1975) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, who served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1947 to 1950. When Canada opted out of the 1947 Ice Hockey World Championships and decided not to participate in the 1948 Winter Olympics, Pickard felt that Canada was obliged to send a team due to its place as a top hockey nation, and nominated the Ottawa RCAF Flyers who won the gold medal for Canada and lived up to the requirements of the Olympic Oath as amateurs. Despite disagreement with the International Olympic Committee, he sought for the International Ice Hockey Federation to adopt the CAHA definition of amateur in the face of increasing difficulty in selecting the Canada men's national ice hockey team.
Pickard was against proposals by the National Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey Association to semi-professionalize player contracts in 1948, which coincided with calls for the word amateur to be dropped from the CAHA name, and to retire the Allan Cup and Memorial Cup since the trophies were no longer perceived to represent amateur competition. Pickard sought to maintain the existing professional-amateur agreement, and keep regulations which limited player movement across Canada to suit the amateur needs. In response to alleged exploitation of players by professional teams, Pickard embarked on a campaign to establish hockey as a reputable profession with the co-operation of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States and professional leagues. He was opposed to granting exclusive radio broadcast rights to any station for the CAHA playoffs, and wanted to see ice hockey rules more strictly enforced for player safety while condemning the failure players and coaches to respect the on-ice officials.
Pickard previously served a vice-president of the CAHA for five years, was chairman of both the finance and minor ice hockey committees, and annually sought to increase grants for the development of minor hockey in Canada. He founded a YMCA hockey league in the mid-1920s which evolved into the Regina Parks Hockey League, and later founded the Regina Aces senior ice hockey team in the late 1920s. He served as president of the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association and the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League during World War II, where he facilitated the participation of Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army teams. After his time as CAHA president, Pickard served the 1950–51 season as president of the Western Canada Senior Hockey League when the Major Series of senior hockey and the Alexander Cup were introduced. He later returned as president of the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League, then became a governor of the Western Canada Junior Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He retired from hockey in 1955 after managing the first CAHA general meeting to be held in Saskatchewan.
Pickard was born and raised in Exeter, Ontario, and graduated from the University of Western Ontario before moving to Saskatchewan. After working for the Regina Public School Board as a school principal for 30 years, he returned to Exeter and served as the chairman of town's first planning committee. He oversaw the preparation of its zoning by-laws and development strategy, and later sat on the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. Pickard was inducted into the builder category of both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958, then was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee.