The Hockey Hall of Fame announced the passing of former chairman Ian “Scotty” Morrison on Thursday.
He was 95.
A native of Montreal, Morrison became the youngest referee in NHL history at the age of 24 before working for the league head office for years. In 1986, he was made NHL vice-president of project development and took on the Hockey Hall of Fame file and was named president. He transitioned into the role of Hall of Fame chairman in 1991 before retiring in 1998.
”Scotty was known as an enthusiastic and articulate ambassador who touched the lives of hockey fans and professionals all over the world,” chair of the Board of the Hockey Hall of Fame and Hall of Famer Mike Gartner said in a statement. “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 was at the heart of the Hall of Fame’s relocation from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds to its current home in downtown Toronto at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets. The newly relocated hall opened in the summer of 1993.
Morrison was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 as part of the Builder Category.
