Morrison, former Hockey Hall of Fame president, dies at 95

Ian "Scotty" Morrison, a former NHL referee and executive who later became chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, died Wednesday in Invermere, British Columbia. He was 95.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Scotty Morrison," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "A true Builder of the game, Scotty dedicated his life to hockey and helped shape the Hockey Hall of Fame's mission of celebrating excellence and preserving hockey's history.

"In addition to his lasting contributions to the Hall, Scotty also served the game with distinction as an on-ice official and respected hockey executive, bringing integrity, leadership and deep knowledge to every role he held. His impact on the game will be felt for generations."

Morrison was born in Montreal on April 22, 1930, and turned to officiating after playing junior hockey in the Montreal Canadiens organization. In 1954, at age 24, referee-in-chief Carl Voss signed Morrison, and he became the youngest referee to work an NHL game.

He left the NHL after two years to enter private business while still working part-time as a referee in the Western Hockey League. When Voss retired in 1965, Morrison returned to the NHL as its referee-in-chief, helping the League expand its pool of officials and improve their conditioning and performance. He was named vice president of officiating in 1981.

Then-NHL President Clarence Campbell said that Morrison's one-year contract to replace Voss was in fact for two years, because, "before either party can terminate the contract, one year's notice must be given."

Eight men were considered for the job, which was first pitched to Morrison six weeks before he agreed to terms.

"A referee must have good judgment," he said in a 1965 interview. "He calls the penalties he feels he must and lets minor infractions go. If he didn't, the penalty box would be filled all night.

"The hockey official has to be a take-charge guy who has the respect of the players. He has to have authority on the ice and a minimum of arguing. He isn't supposed to be friendly with the players, but he must have their respect so he can keep control."

Morrison's career would take a turn in 1986 when he became NHL vice president of project development and was assigned to the Hall of Fame, where he was made president. He was tasked with finding a new and permanent home for the Hall, which had outgrown its location on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto.

He would relocate the shrine to its current location at the downtown corner of Yonge and Front streets for its grand opening June 18, 1993, two years earlier having been named the Hall’s chairman and chief executive officer.

"Scotty was known as an enthusiastic and articulate ambassador who touched the lives of hockey fans and professionals all over the world," Hockey Hall of Fame chair of the board Mike Gartner said.

"Among his many contributions as an on-ice official and hockey executive, he is widely credited for providing the creativity and vision for the Hall while building a dedicated team to develop and operate a state-of-the-art museum and place of entertainment for the game of hockey."

Morrison and the shrine's board of directors figured the Hall would attract 325,000 visitors in its first year after relocation, up dramatically from the 180,000 who had visited the CNE address in 1992, many of those merely the curious who were attending the summer exhibition on the fairgrounds.

All were stunned when a half-million visited the new location in its first year downtown, about 100,000 more than the number of visitors that year to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

"This is an indication to us that hockey is not only a key game for Canadians, but also to people in the United States," Morrison told the Toronto Globe and Mail. "In the summer, we found that a lot of fans came from the U.S. for Blue Jays (baseball) games, but the first thing, you know, they found themselves at the Hall of Fame."

Morrison said in 1994 that the Hall’s strength, as it is to this day, is its interactivity, fans able to go hands-on with many displays and exhibits.

"We call our approach the three E's -- entertainment, education and excellence," he said. "We want to fulfill all of those in a fun way so that everyone from a casual fan to the really serious hockey fan can leave here with a greater knowledge of our game."

Morrison retired in 1998 and was elected to the Hall in the Builders category in 1999, part of a class that included Wayne Gretzky and referee Andy Van Hellemond.

He became a trustee of the Stanley Cup in 2002.

"The NHL family sends its heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and the many people across the hockey world who will miss him," Bettman said.