Joe Kryczka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 4, 1935 Coleman, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | January 11, 1991 (aged 55) Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, Justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta |
| Known for | Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Alberta Amateur Hockey Association president |
| Awards | Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Alberta Sports Hall of Fame |
Joseph Julius Kryczka QC (/ˈkrɪskɑː/; June 4, 1935 – January 11, 1991) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, coach and referee, and had a legal career as a lawyer and judge, where he was commonly known as "Justice Joe".[1][2][3][4] He graduated from the University of Alberta, and played hockey with the Golden Bears. He practiced law in Calgary for more than 20 years, beginning in 1959 as a lawyer, becoming a judge, and was eventually elevated to a justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.
His hockey administration career included tenures as president of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association from 1967 to 1969, and later the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1971 to 1973. Kryczka successfully resolved several notable disagreements in Canadian hockey. When the Western Canada Hockey League broke away from the governing body, Kryczka was able to reunite the league with the rest of Canada, which maintained the continuity of the threatened Memorial Cup. He brought Alberta hockey back under the national umbrella when it resigned, and later dealt with the World Hockey Association when it raided rosters of Canadian junior teams without compensation. Kryczka was the lead negotiator in securing the agreement for Canada to play the Soviet Union at the 1972 Summit Series. His negotiating skills went unrecognized at the time, and his contributions were overshadowed by Alan Eagleson.
Kryczka was later a director with the Calgary Cowboys, and played a key role with Calgary's successful bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics. He was inducted into both Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, for his service to Canadian sports and ice hockey.
- ^ "Joseph Kryczka". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. 1990. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Joe Kryczka and Adam Kryczka University of Alberta Golden Bears". HockeyGods. March 16, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- ^ "Joe Kryczka". 1972 Summit Series. Archived from the original on November 6, 2002. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Kryczka dead". Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta. January 15, 1991. p. 7.