Robert Norman Dawe (October 18, 1898January 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".
Early life and family Robert Norman Dawe was born on October 18, 1898, in the Point Saint Charles neighbourhood of Montreal. He had six sisters and was the son of Robert Dawe. Dawe's father originated from Newfoundland, and his grandfather was a part-owner of the Canada Leather Company. Dawe resided in Verdun from age four onward, worked for 30 years at the Canadian Car and Foundry, and had become the assistant manager of human resources. He was married to Dorothy Mary Busby, the daughter of Montreal journalist Thomas H. Busby. They raised two sons, one of whom died as a child due to pneumonia after playing hockey outside in the winter.
Verdun community service
Dawe was a Freemason as a member of the Elgin Lodge A.F. and A.M. He was described by The Gazette as "well known in Verdun's social life and a prominent member of the YMCA", where he sat on the board of directors. He served as secretary of the Verdun Playgrounds Commission from 1923 to 1948, organized youth and amateur sports in Verdun, and advocated for programs to include both the adults and children in families.;
In Montreal and Verdun, Dawe was involved in girls' fastpitch softball. He was an umpire in the Montreal Ladies' Major Softball League during the 1930s, served as the league's president from 1940 to 1945, then was president of the Verdun Ladies' Softball League from 1945 to 1947. He oversaw upgrades to Viau Park in 1941, which included new dugouts and floodlights, higher fencing, and increased spectator seating. In the same season, he implemented an interlocking schedule with the Ottawa Ladies' Softball League which featured doubleheaders on alternating weekends.; He had the Woodland Park softball field reserved for the Verdun Women's Softball League; and led the league into an affiliation with the Women's Amateur Athletic Federation of Canada to maintain amateur status for players who also participated in organized basketball.
In 1945, Dawe began organizing Canadian football played in the autumn to fill the gap between the baseball and ice hockey seasons. He established the Verdun Juvenile Football League, served as its president, had football goalposts and floodlights installed at Woodland Park for games, and affiliated the league and its four teams with the Quebec Rugby Football Union. The league added a midget age group for the 1946 season, and attendance for the season exceeded 22,000 spectators for the midget and juvenile games. The league included four teams in both age groups for the 1947 season, and Dawe presided over the juvenile division of the Quebec Rugby Football Union.
In politics, Dawe was secretary of the Verdun Co-operative Commonwealth Federation association in 1942, and sat on the nominating committee of the Verdun Voters' League in 1946. He was petitioned by 3,000 signatures to be a candidate in the Verdun mayoral election on April 1, 1948. He accepted the nomination but made no announcement of a platform.
Ice hockey career Early involvement
Dawe was an ice hockey referee for minor ice hockey games and struggled to officiate after the death of his son, and stated "every kid out there reminds me of my own boy". Dawe soon became involved in the administrative aspect of the game. He organized the Verdun Hockey Board in 1923 to oversee local minor hockey, then served as a member of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association (QAHA) executive committee for 23 seasons. The Gazette credited Dawe for spending most of his time with the juvenile, midget and bantam age groups, and attending many minor hockey games played during the winter on outdoor rinks.
During the mid-1930s, Dawe refereed in the Montreal and District Intermediate Hockey League, and officiated for the QAHA in the provincial intermediate level playoffs.; In 1936, he officiated the Eastern Canada final in the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association playoffs.; During the 1935–36 season playoffs, the QAHA established a referee's board and named Dawe the convenor. He sought to unify all officials in Quebec under a governing body to assign games in the provincial playoffs and establish a grading system for referees.
QAHA vice-president Dawe served as a vice-president of the QAHA from the 1936–37 season until 1940.; ; ; ; He was a regular delegate to Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) general meetings, and presided over minor hockey within Quebec.; In 1938, Dawe helped establish an inter-provincial playoff for the QAHA juvenile age group champion versus the Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association (ODAHA) champion. Registrations in minor hockey had increased to 200 teams by 1940, and Dawe oversaw expansion of the provincial playoffs to include a championship for the midget age group. He then scheduled provincial finals to be played at the Montreal Forum due to increased attendance for the minor hockey playoffs.
QAHA president 1940–41 season
Dawe was elected president of the QAHA on April 29, 1940. He had served as chairman of QAHA minor hockey for three years, which saw minor hockey in Quebec grow to its greatest registration at the time. The QAHA agreed to appoint a new chairman once he became president. The QAHA executive formed a committee to oversee the referee's board, when the latter did not operate in the previous season.
Beginning in 1940, Dawe oversaw efforts by the QAHA to host benefit games to aid the Canadian Red Cross during World War II. He wanted the QAHA to support hockey teams composed of Canadian servicemen during the war, and appointed a committee to liaise with military leaders on how the QAHA could provide a place to play or provide financial assistance. Military leagues from Quebec City, Montreal, and Sherbrooke, then affiliated with the QAHA.
The Gazette reported rumors that Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) players discussed strike action in protest of lower financial compensation given to players for their expenses, which was blamed the implementation of a reserve list system which prevented teams from competing for the same players. Dawe and the QAHA arbitrated disputes where teams disagreed on player registrations, but the reserve list remained as a gentlemen's agreement among the teams.
The QAHA wanted more influence into how the CAHA determined the dates and location of playoffs games for the Allan Cup and the Memorial Cup. Dawe and the QAHA objected to the 1941 Allan Cup playoffs beginning earlier than usual, which shortened the QSHL playoffs. When the Montreal Royals advanced to the 1941 Memorial Cup semifinals, he lobbied for games to be played at the Montreal Forum instead of all games in Toronto. The CAHA voted against his request due to budget constraints and travel costs. In the 1941 Memorial Cup final, the Montreal Royals won both games played on home ice, but failed to win the cup when since they lost all three games played in Toronto.
1941–42 season In April 1941, The Gazette credited the QAHA for having carefully handled expenses which profited more than C$2,400 during wartime conditions, and allowed the QAHA to invest $4,000 into victory bonds for the war effort. Dawe helped arrange a game between alumni of the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens in February 1942, to further contribute to victory bond fundraising.;
Dawe remained involved with the QAHA minor hockey board as an ex-officio member. By 1941, the board oversaw its own player registrations, and had grown to include a vice-chairman and district convenors. Under his guidance in November 1941, the QAHA minor hockey board established the first constitution for minor hockey in the province. To benefit minor hockey players, the QAHA produced the instructional film Hockey Fundamentals in December 1941, which featured coach Dick Irvin and players from the Montreal Canadiens.
Dawe sought for teams from Eastern Canada to have more home games during the Memorial Cup and Allan Cup playoffs. At the CAHA general meeting in April 1941, his motion was approved to allow the eastern and western portions of the national playoffs to be handled by the respective CAHA branches. Despite the approval, the CAHA had expressed concerns about the low gate receipts at the Montreal Forum, compared to expected profits elsewhere, and reserved the right to change the location of the games.