Norman Dawe | |
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| Born | Robert Norman Dawe October 18, 1898 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | January 4, 1948 (aged 49) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Resting place | Mount Royal Cemetery |
| Occupation | Human resources manager |
| Employer | Canadian Car and Foundry |
| Known for | Quebec Amateur Hockey Association president, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association vice-president |
Robert Norman Dawe (October 18, 1898 – January 4, 1948) was a Canadian sports executive. He originated as an ice hockey referee for minor ice hockey games in Verdun, Quebec, before becoming involved in the administrative aspect of sports. He was a member of the local YMCA executive, served as secretary of the Verdun Playgrounds Commission from 1923 to 1948, and organized the Verdun Hockey Board. He served as a member of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association (QAHA) executive committee for 23 seasons, and helped establish a provincial referee's board in 1936. In Montreal and Verdun, he was involved in girls' fastpitch softball. He served as the Montreal Ladies' Major Softball League president from 1940 to 1945, then was president of the Verdun Ladies' Softball League from 1945 to 1947. He began organizing Canadian football in 1945, when he established the Verdun Juvenile Football League and served as president.
Dawe served as a QAHA vice-president from 1936 until 1940, and as president from 1940 to 1947. He advocated for the development of minor hockey, welcomed the Montreal Minor Hockey Association into QAHA membership, and oversaw the establishment of a constitution to for minor hockey in Quebec. He felt that retaining players in junior ice hockey until they were eligible to become professional was a primary issue for the QAHA, and oversaw the split of junior hockey into tiers to better identify the talent. He encouraged leagues to support Canadian military hockey teams during World War II, and his financial management of the QAHA allowed the military teams to play without paying an entrance fee. He worked with the Quebec Senior Hockey League to resolve disputes on player registrations, the sharing of gate receipts, and travel expenses in the playoffs. He sought for the QAHA to have more say on the dates and locations of Allan Cup and Memorial Cup playoffs games were determined, and to be a voice for hockey in Eastern Canada.
The QAHA made Dawe a life member after seven years as president, and he was feted by multiple sporting organizations with Norman Dawe Day at the Montreal Forum on March 30, 1947. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) named Dawe to its minor hockey committee from 1942 to 1945, which gradually increased grants to fund the development of minor hockey across Canada. He served as a vice-president of the CAHA from 1945 to 1948, and oversaw the national playoffs for Eastern Canada. He led efforts to bolster the Ottawa RCAF Flyers in advance of ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics, who then won the gold medal representing Canada. He remained active in hockey until his death from a heart attack at age 49, and was a candidate for the Verdun mayoral election later in 1948. He was posthumously made the namesake of two Norman Dawe Memorial Trophies in Quebec, and the Norman Dawe Memorial Sports Association was formed in 1948 to promote hockey and other youth sports in Verdun. The Gazette wrote that Dawe was, "one of the men who has done most for Canada's national sport"; and that he was "one of Montreal's best goodwill ambassadors".[1]
- ^ Roberts, Fred (March 29, 1947). "Around The Circuit: Between The Lines". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. p. 17.