Former Chicago Blackhawks star and Hall of Fame hockey executive Bill Hay, who was also the former president and CEO of the Calgary Flames, has died. He was 88 years old.

Hockey Canada, where Hay served as president and chief operating officer from 1990 to 1995, confirmed Hay’s death in a statement Saturday. The cause of death was not stated.

“Bill Hay lived an extraordinary hockey life that reflected the best of our sport,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. World.”

Hay played eight NHL seasons with the Blackhawks and was named the league’s rookie of the year with 24 goals and 30 assists in 70 games during the 1959-60 season.

The center from Saskatoon had 11 goals and 48 assists in the following regular season and added two goals and five assists in 12 playoff games while helping Bobby Hull and the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

Hay had 113 goals and 273 assists in 506 career NHL games and was a two-time all-star before retiring in 1967.

Former Chicago Blackhawk players, from left, Eric Nesterenko, Bill “Red” Hay, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall, sing the national anthem before the Chicago Blackhawks’ win over the New York Islanders 5 after being honored on the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Stanley Cup champions. -0 in an NHL hockey game in Chicago on Sunday, January 9, 2011. Hay, former president and CEO of the Calgary Flames, has died. He was 88 years old. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charles Cherney

He continued playing after his retirement and, in addition to his position with Hockey Canada, served as president and chief executive officer of the Calgary Flames from 1991-95.

He was instrumental in the merger of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in the mid-1990s.

Hockey Canada legend

Saturday, Hockey Canada published a statement Here’s a tribute to Hay, who is also a member of the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan hHckey Hall of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

“Bill’s leadership, along with the late Murray Costello, was instrumental in the merger of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in the mid-1990s, creating the Hockey Canada we all know today,” said Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson.

“Thanks to his generosity, the Bill hay Future Leaders Program has also provided recent college students with the opportunity to gain work experience in sports, which has positively impacted the lives of everyone involved in the program and their colleagues.

“We extend our condolences to Bill’s family, friends and all those who benefited from his significant contribution to the game.”

He was also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee from 1980-97 and a member of the hall’s board of directors from 1995 until his retirement in 2013; He chaired it for 15 years.

Hay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015 and invested in the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021.

His father, Charles Hay, helped organize the 1972 Summit Series and is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.

With files from The Canadian Press