Frederic McLaughlin
The late Major Frederic McLaughlin (Chicago, Ill.) was a pioneer in American hockey in the 1920s and 30s, with his efforts in founding the Chicago Blackhawks and securing two Stanley Cup titles during his tenure, serving as a catalyst for the growth and evolution of the sport not only in Chicago, but throughout the Midwest and beyond.
It was in 1926 that McLaughlin -- the son of a prosperous coffee merchant who took over the family business four years after graduating from Harvard University in 1901 when his father passed -- led a consortium of Chicago businessmen in purchasing the NHL expansion Chicago Blackhawks.
The team received its namesake from the Army’s 86th Blackhawk Division of the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion, which McLaughlin commanded during World War I.
A strong-willed owner and president, McLaughlin was determined for the team to succeed financially through his first few years of ownership, going head-to-head against rival teams and league heavyweights in his goal to bring elite, high-level hockey to the Midwest.
McLaughlin carried a reputation for being an ardent supporter of Americans. He sought to fill his Blackhawks roster with as many Americans as possible in an era that saw U.S. born players touching NHL ice in incredibly scarce numbers.
McLaughlin was hands-on in team operations and often involved himself in player decisions and coaching changes. His keen eye for talent and strategic moves led to the Blackhawks' first Stanley Cup championship in 1934, just eight years after the team was founded.
The Blackhawks earned their second Stanley Cup under McLaughlin’s guiding watch in 1938 with a team that included the largest concentration of Americans of any NHL team ever at the time, and featured the first American-born goaltender Mike Karakas and American-born coach, Bill Stewart, to win the Cup. No other Stanley Cup winning team would feature more than the eight American-born players from McLaughlin’s team until 1995, when the New Jersey Devils winning roster included 12.
The Blackhawks headman capitalized on the success of his franchise, helping to grow the game across the U.S. After the 1938 Cup win intensified interest across the Midwest, McLaughlin advocated for Lake Forest College to have its own ice rink to support both the college and local community.
McLaughlin remained active with the organization until his death in 1944 at age 67, even after retiring as president in 1939 due to health concerns.
Posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963, his steadfast dedication to the growth of American hockey has no doubt influenced the success the sport is enjoying in the U.S. today.