Father David Bauer Olympic Arena - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Trail Blaisers
N 51° 04.425 W 114° 07.587
11U E 701298 N 5661954
Father David Bauer had an incredible impact on the sport of hockey. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.
Waymark Code: WM105XG
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 03/04/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 3

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the "Builder" category. According to his biography on that website (https://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=b198901&page=bio&list=ByName):

In the 1960s, while working at the University of British Columbia, Bauer began to think seriously about putting together a national team of the top amateurs from across Canada. He presented his idea at the annual meeting of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1962 and it was accepted. The first test of the national team came at the 1964 winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. The Canadians finished fourth on goal difference and Bauer was presented a gold medal for exemplary leadership.

Between 1969 and 1979, when Canada withdrew from international hockey because it was not allowed to use its best NHL players, Bauer shared his knowledge with lesser hockey playing nations. He avoided the national team program at this time because he vehemently opposed the use of professionals at the Olympics. During this period he travelled to Japan twice a year for six weeks of instruction. His on-ice expertise and outlook on personal growth through sports was readily accepted in the disciplined Japanese culture. In 1973 he went to Austria for a year at the request of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, which feared that its national team would be demoted from "B" to "C" pool. He led the Austrians to a fifth place finish at the "B" pool championships that year which allowed them to keep their place in that level of competition.

In 1981 Bauer was appointed the vice-president of Hockey Canada and the chairman of Canada's Olympic program. He also continued to teach at St. Mark's and help out with the UBC hockey program.

In the years just before his passing in 1988, Father Bauer was accorded a multitude of honours reflecting his importance to the game. These included the Order of Canada (1967), having an arena named after him in Calgary to serve as the home base of the national team (1986) and a bursary in his name at St. Michael's College (1987).
Year it was dedicated: 1988

Location of Coordinates: the arena

Related Web address (if available): [Web Link]

Type of place/structure you are waymarking: arena

Visit Instructions:
  • Please post a comment and distinct photo.
  • A "visited" only remark will be deleted.
  • A "visited" remark by the 'Waymark Owner' at the time of posting is not appreciated and won't be accepted. If visiting at another time a "Visit" would be acceptable.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest People-Named Places
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet.