Walter Bush

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Walter Lewis Bush, Jr. (September 25, 1929 – September 22, 2016) was an American ice hockey administrator. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Contents

In 1960, he organized and promoted a semi-pro Northwestern League consisting of six teams in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska sanctioned under the auspices of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS). He was also instrumental in bringing National Hockey League hockey to his home state with the Minnesota North Stars as a minority owner. As the president of USA Hockey for nearly two decades, he was responsible for two key achievements: he (alongside Lou Nanne) successfully lobbied for Herb Brooks to coach the Olympic team in the 1980 games (which resulted in a gold medal), and Bush was instrumental in the efforts that brought women's hockey into the Olympic program in 1998. [1] He assumed in June 2003 the position of USA Hockey's chairman of the board, a position he still held in May 2009.[ citation needed ]

Bush was vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1996, [2] when he and Kimmo Leinonen led efforts to establish the IIHF Hall of Fame. [3]

From 1996 to 2001, he was the owner and chairman of the board of the American Hockey League's Kentucky Thoroughblades.[ citation needed ]

He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2002, [4] and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2009. [5] [6]

He was portrayed in the 2004 Disney film Miracle by Sean McCann. Bush died on September 22, 2016, at the age of 86. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb Brooks</span> American ice hockey player and coach

Herbert Paul Brooks was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. At the Games, Brooks' American team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the "Miracle on Ice."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Craig (ice hockey)</span> American ice hockey goaltender

James Downey Craig is an American former ice hockey goaltender who is best known for being part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Craig had a standout Olympic tournament, including stopping 36 of 39 shots on goal by the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice', as the U.S. won 4–3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland, 4–2, to clinch Olympic gold. Craig went on to play professionally in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars from 1980 to 1983. He was inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Johnson (ice hockey)</span> American ice hockey player and coach

Mark Einar Johnson is an American ice hockey coach for the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's ice hockey team. He is a former National Hockey League (NHL) player who appeared in 669 NHL regular season games between 1980 and 1990. He also played for the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Hockey</span> National organization, founded 1937

USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Before June 1991, the organization was known as the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter A. Brown</span> American basketball and hockey team owner (1905–1964)

Walter Augustine Brown was an American sports executive. He was the founder and original owner of the Boston Celtics, operated the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation, and served as president of the Boston Athletic Association. In ice hockey, he coached the Boston Olympics to five Eastern Hockey League championships, owned the Boston Bruins, and served as president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965, and IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John P. Riley Jr.</span> American ice hockey player and coach

John Patrick Riley was an American ice hockey player and coach. The hockey coach at West Point for more than 35 years, Riley coached the United States to the gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. He played for the U.S. Olympic team at the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics. He received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1986 and 2002, was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, and into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Darwitz</span> American ice hockey player and executive

Natalie Rose Darwitz is an American ice hockey executive, coach, and retired player, most recently serving as general manager of PWHL Minnesota in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

Karyn Lynn Bye is a retired ice hockey player. She was the alternate captain of the 1998 Winter Olympics gold-medal winning United States Women's Hockey Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIHF Hall of Fame</span> International ice hockey hall of fame

The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario. Inductions are made annually at the medal presentation day of the Ice Hockey World Championships. As of 2025, the IIHF has inducted 261 members.

Louis Vincent Anthony Nanne is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League defenceman and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars between 1968 and 1978 and then served as the general manager of the team from 1978 to 1988. He also coached the team briefly during the 1978–79 season. Internationally Nanne played for the American national team at the 1968 Winter Olympics and the 1976 and 1977 World Championships, as well as 1976 Canada Cup, and managed the American teams at the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.

William David Christian is an American former ice hockey player. He led the United States to a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984, and the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.

William Thayer Tutt was an American executive for several ice hockey leagues and organizations, who was born in Coronado, California and died in El Paso. He is the son of Charles L. Tutt, Jr., and has two brothers, Charles L. Tutt, III and Russel Thayer Tutt, and one sister. William married Margaret Bradford Timmons on November 4, 1932. Later he married former figure skating champion Yvonne Sherman.

Louis Joseph Vairo is an American former ice hockey coach and administrator. He served as head coach of the United States men's junior team at five IIHF World U20 Championships, and the United States men's team at four Ice Hockey World Championships and the 1984 Winter Olympics. He was an advance scout for the United States gold medal team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, and was an assistant coach on the United States silver medal team at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He has also served as head coach of the Netherlands men's team and the Italy men's team at the Ice Hockey World Championships. Vairo has coached in professional hockey leagues in Europe, won a Serie A championship with HC Milano Saima, and served as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. In junior ice hockey, he won five Metropolitan Junior Hockey League championships and the New York State junior championship, and coached the Austin Mavericks to two Midwest Junior Hockey League championships and one national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Nagobads</span> American physician (1921–2023)

Visvaldis Georgs Nagobads was a Latvian-born American physician. He earned a medical degree from the University of Tübingen in Germany, then immigrated to the United States in 1951. He served 34 years as the team physician for Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey and was a part of three NCAA Division I championship teams. He also served as the physician for the US men's national team at five Winter Olympics and was on the Miracle on Ice team which won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Ridder</span> American ice hockey executive and businessman (1919–2000)

Robert Blair Ridder was an American ice hockey administrator, media businessman, and philanthropist. He was the founding president of the Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association, and managed the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. He was a director in the Knight Ridder media company which controlled several television and radio stations, and newspapers in Minnesota. His wealth allowed him to be a founding owner of the Minnesota North Stars and helped him provide funding for the construction of Ridder Arena at the University of Minnesota. For his work in hockey in the United States, he received the Lester Patrick Trophy, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Trumble</span> American ice hockey official and executive (1926–2010)

Harold L. Trumble Jr. was an American ice hockey administrator and referee. He served as the executive director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States from 1972 to 1987, and managed the United States men's national ice hockey team to a silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics. He previously refereed games in the 1968 Winter Olympics, and was later inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Hans Dobida was an Austrian ice hockey administrator. Playing ice hockey and on the Austria men's national handball team in early life, he had a lengthy involvement with ATSE Graz while serving as president of the Austrian Ice Hockey Association. He helped Austria organize hosting ice hockey at the Olympic Games and the Ice Hockey World Championships; and as a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) council, oversaw the IIHF Continental Cup, and sat on the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship committee. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, the German Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Slovenian Hockey Hall of Fame, and received the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Kimmo Leinonen is a Finnish ice hockey executive and writer. He was the director of public relations and marketing for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1995 to 2007, and held similar positions for SM-liiga and Ilves. He served as general secretary of the 2012 and 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships co-hosted in Finland and Sweden. He also coached junior ice hockey for Ilves, managed the Ilves Naiset who won three Naisten SM-sarja championships, was a scout for the New York Rangers, and a sports commentator for hockey broadcasts in Finland.

References

  1. "Burnside: Brooks' importance goes beyond 'Miracle'". 8 November 2006.
  2. 1 2 "Walter Bush, former hockey executive, dies at 86".
  3. Podnieks, Andrew (9 December 2022). "IIHF honours international mix for Hall of Fame '23". International Ice Hockey Federation . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. "Olympic Order Awarded to Hockey Celebrities". IOC. February 19, 2002. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  5. "A formidable presence at all levels of the hockey world': Walter Bush dies at 86". NBC Sports . Associated Press. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  6. "IIHF Hall of Fame Inducts Five". International Ice Hockey Federation . 10 May 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2023.