page_title: Lloyd Pollock
section_title: CAHA president
hierarchical_section_title: Lloyd Pollock / Canadian hockey / CAHA president
caption_attribution_description: English: VIA Rail station in Chatham, Ontario
context_page_description: Lloyd Thompson Pollock was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman.
  He was involved with running the Windsor City Hockey League, assisted in the foundation of the Windsor Softball League, and later started a junior ice hockey league in Windsor, Ontario. He was a cofounder of the International Hockey League in 1945, and founder of the original Windsor Spitfires junior team in 1946. He served as president of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1963, welcomed the Montreal Junior Canadiens into the OHA when it was divided by the Metro Junior A League, and supported measures to preserve the Northern Ontario Hockey Association.
  He served four years as a vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1964 to 1968, and was its president in 1968. He oversaw international tours between the Canadian and Soviet national teams, and arbitrated disputes in Memorial Cup competition as vice-president. He served as the CAHA president at a time when the Western Canada Hockey League left the CAHA jurisdiction and joined the rival Canadian Hockey Association over disputes on the age limit of junior players.
context_section_description: Pollock was elected president of the CAHA at its general meeting in May 1968. Later that month, Bill Hunter of the WCJHL announced the league would use an age limit of 21 in defiance of the CAHA and NHL agreement. The WCJHL stopped short of declaring independence from the CAHA, and claimed that the lower age limit would decrease its talent pool and negatively affect ticket sales. In response, Pollock was quoted as saying that if the higher age was used, the league and its players would be suspended by the CAHA and not be allowed to transfer to other CAHA teams in good standing. A week later in a telephone interview, Pollock said that he wanted to avoid repeating the mistake of suspending those involved with the WCJHL age limit issue. He felt the previous suspensions were premature, as they did not stop the teams from playing. He also said that his stand on suspensions was misunderstood a week before. He said that players would not likely be released just to play outside the CAHA, and would be suspended for doing so; and that teams which played outside of the CAHA would lose their annual subsidy, and be ineligible for the Memorial Cup playoffs.
  On June 10, 1968, the WCJHL announced a name change to the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), and that it was leaving the CAHA to affiliate with the rival Canadian Hockey Association (CHA). The WCHL and the CHA were led by Ron Butlin as president of both association and league. Prior to the separation, Pollock had called for meetings to discuss a new junior playoff format, but with fewer teams under its jurisdiction the CAHA decided to allow those remaining to continue playing for the Memorial Cup. Later in June, the NHL confirmed that it would not cooperate with the CHA or WCHL, and Pollock stated that he was aware of the Niagara Falls Flyers being sympathetic to the CHA, and that Butlin was canvassing for more support in British Columbia and Northern Ontario.
  In July 1968, Pollock helped to set up meetings across Western Canada to outline the CAHA's development plan for teams which had remained within the CAHA. Later that month, he approved a series of exhibition games for teams in the OHA to play the Regina Pats and Weyburn Red Wings, after Regina and Weyburn had asked for assistance in forming the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Pollock also laid out plans to make player transfers easier between provinces to support the Saskatchewan teams. The CAHA also agreed to help cover the OHA's costs to go west, and also play the Canada men's national ice hockey team in Winnipeg.
  In September 1968, the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League (WOJHL) left the OHA and joined the rival CHA. Pollock stated that players leaving for the WOJHL would face difficulty in being reinstated with the OHA, but no suspensions were issued. He also felt that Butlin was making a smokescreen for the failing CHA, when claims were made that NHL teams had contacted the CHA for placement of prospect players.
  In October 1968, Pollock was feeling overwhelmed by the expectations as the CAHA president. He announced his resignation after taking a week's vacation to contemplate his future. Fred Page announced that he had received the resignation of Pollock on October 22, 1968, and that no changes would be made to the CAHA committee until the semiannual meeting in January 1969. Page also said the association will "greatly miss the many years of hockey experience which Pollock brought to the CAHA as an officer". Pollock resigned for "business reasons" after his professional career shifted from Windsor to Chatham, Ontario. 
  Journalist Reyn Davis of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that the resignation was not a surprise, and described Pollock as a silver-haired gentleman with a kind disposition, who had been run ragged by the time demands of being CAHA president. Pollock was transferred to Chatham in July 1968, commuted round-trip from Windsor each weekday, was frequently contacted at work for hockey matters, spent his evenings responding to CAHA business, and was away on weekends for hockey events. He considered sel
caption: Train station in Chatham, where Pollock worked while president of the CAHA
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