BIRTHPLACE: New York, NY

BORN: October 10, 1915

DIED: October 24, 2009

TEAMS/ASSOCIATIONS: National Hockey League

Bill Chadwick rose from the relatively unlikely hockey background of New York City to become one of the premier referees to officiate in the National Hockey League.  When he laid his whistle aside after the 1955 season he was the league’s senior official, the only American to ever achieve that position.

Chadwick was a protégé and long time friend of United States Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinee Tom Lockhart, President of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States from 1937 to 1972.  He played his early hockey with the Stock Exchange team in the New York Metropolitan League.  This League usually played preliminary games before the New York Rovers traditional Sunday afternoon games in Madison Square Garden.  It was while playing in the Metro League that he caught the eye of a scout and won a spot on the Rover’s team.  Then, it was while sitting out a Rovers game because of an injury that Chadwick got his first officiating opportunity.  Encouraged by Lockhart, he took an immediate liking to this aspect of the game and was soon working numerous amateur games in the New York area.  An NHL official observed his work and Chadwick spent the 1940 season as a linesman before becoming a referee. 

Similar to another United States Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinee, Ralph Winsor, Chadwick was a hockey innovator. Not knowing what to do with his hands he developed the signals now in common use for denoting penalties.  While the initial reaction to Chadwick clasping his wrist for a holding penalty was negative, it soon became apparent that he had introduced a desirable feature to the game for all concerned.  Hand signals quickly became universally used throughout the hockey world.  Upon retiring Chadwick maintained an active interest in the game and later served as a color commentator for New York Ranger telecasts.