Biography

Two years younger than brother, Lester, Frank Patrick grew up in Montreal and attended McGill University. He earned a B.A. at that school but also began refereeing games in the Montreal Senior Hockey League. He was so well respected that by the time he was just 20 years old, he was officiating a Stanley Cup game. As a player, Frank was the first defenceman to rush with the puck, a revolutionary style of play he took with him to the west coast when he and Lester started the Pacific Coast league. Frank and Lester both played for Renfrew, Frank teaming with Cyclone Taylor on defence. He and his brother left Renfrew to establish a new league in British Columbia. They built two arenas with artificial ice, and in 1911 had introduced to hockey the most sophisticated, successful league known to hockey. Frank was league president of the Pacific Coast Hockey League, the general manager of the Vancouver Millionaires, and also the team's star player. He once scored six goals in a game as a defenceman and led the team to a Stanley Cup in 1915. In the ensuing years, he played less and ran the league more. He was a pioneer in understanding how changes could make the game better. Frank introduced the blueline, for instance, and allowed forward passing. He also gave hockey a playoff system featuring best-of-three or best-of-five series instead of the traditional two-games, total-goals series. All told, Frank was credited with 22 rules in the NHL's official rules book. In 1926, the brothers sold the league and moved on. Frank coached the Boston Bruins for two years (1934-36) and was general manager of the Montreal Canadiens for two seasons (1939-41) until heart troubles forced him to step down. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960.