1. Joseph Julius Kryczka was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, coach and referee, and had a legal career as a lawyer and judge, where he was commonly known as "Justice Joe".
98 Facts About Joe Kryczka
1. 2.
Joe Kryczka graduated from the University of Alberta, and played hockey with the Golden Bears.
3.
Joe Kryczka practiced law in Calgary for more than 20 years, beginning in 1959 as a lawyer, becoming a judge, and was eventually elevated to a justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.
4.
Joe Kryczka brought Alberta hockey back under the national umbrella when it resigned, and later dealt with the World Hockey Association when it raided rosters of Canadian junior teams without compensation.
5.
Joe Kryczka was the lead negotiator in securing the agreement for Canada to play the Soviet Union at the 1972 Summit Series.
6.
Joe Kryczka's negotiating skills went unrecognized at the time, and his contributions were overshadowed by Alan Eagleson.
7.
Joe Kryczka was later a director with the Calgary Cowboys, and played a key role with Calgary's successful bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics.
8.
Joe Kryczka was inducted into both Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, for his service to Canadian sports and ice hockey.
9.
Joseph Julius Joe Kryczka was born on June 4,1935, in Coleman, Alberta.
10.
Joe Kryczka grew up playing minor ice hockey until the juvenile age level in Coleman.
11.
Joe Kryczka attended Coleman High School, and received a bursary from the Elks of Canada for having the highest marks in grade nine.
12.
Joe Kryczka graduated with honours in 1953 as the class valedictorian.
13.
Joe Kryczka enrolled at University of Alberta in 1953, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957.
14.
Joe Kryczka was active in student life, serving as president of both the political science and law clubs, and was secretary of the student council.
15.
Joe Kryczka played junior baseball for his Coleman team in summers.
16.
Joe Kryczka played three seasons of ice hockey as a defenceman with the Golden Bears, and was teammates with his brother Adam in 1955.
17.
Joe Kryczka won three Dr W G Hardy Trophy titles as a Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union champion in 1954,1955 and 1956.
18.
Joe Kryczka earned two varsity letters in university, but a shoulder injury ended his playing career.
19.
Joe Kryczka completed his law degree in 1958 at the University of Alberta.
20.
Joe Kryczka became an articled clerk in Calgary under future Court of Appeal of Alberta justice David Clifton Prowse, and was called to the bar in 1959.
21.
Joe Kryczka was originally associated with the law firm of Peter Lougheed in the early 1960s, and then became a partner of Mason and Kryczka.
22.
Joe Kryczka later served as vice-president of the Alberta Young Liberal Association in 1966, and continued to practice law in Calgary until 1980.
23.
Joe Kryczka began volunteering as community hockey coach in 1959, and refereed in various leagues.
24.
Joe Kryczka was elected to the executive committee of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association in 1963, and served as the Calgary Booster Club president from 1964 to 1965.
25.
Joe Kryczka was elected second vice-president of the AAHA in September 1966, and became its president in October 1967.
26.
Later that month, Joe Kryczka gave an ultimatum to the Alberta Hockey Referees Association, stating that the AAHA would only use referees which did not officiate in the WCHL.
27.
At the 1969 CAHA annual general meeting, Joe Kryczka said that the WCHL succeeded in drawing many fans, and gave an opportunity for many young men to play in Western Canada.
28.
Joe Kryczka felt that CAHA branches such as Alberta, should be able to establish a major junior category for higher-level competition, similar to what the WCHL did across three provinces.
29.
Joe Kryczka was elected vice-president of the CAHA in May 1969.
30.
Joe Kryczka felt it would be possible if the WCHL agreed to appropriately compensate CAHA teams from which players were signed, and that there would be no expansion into cities with an existing CAHA team.
31.
Joe Kryczka further confirmed that the CAHA had not approved of its players being signed by the WCHL, or relocation into its territory.
32.
Joe Kryczka said that the CAHA would not agree to those demands of the WCHL, which are against CAHA regulations.
33.
The CAHA added multiple vice-presidents as of 1970, and Joe Kryczka was elected first vice-president by acclamation on May 29,1970.
34.
Joe Kryczka felt that the CAHA adequately resolved its disagreements with the WCHL, and did not need NHL personnel getting involved.
35.
Joe Kryczka stated that the 1971 Memorial Cup would not likely be played, due to the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A division and the Quebec Junior Hockey League being in disagreement with the number overage players in the WCHL.
36.
Joe Kryczka mentioned the potential for changing regulations at the upcoming general meeting, requiring teams to agree to the competition in order to receive development funds from the NHL agreement.
37.
Joe Kryczka succeeded Earl Dawson as president of the CAHA, on May 29,1971.
38.
Joe Kryczka hoped to make the CAHA financially independent of both the NHL and the Government of Canada, and become more of an administrative body.
39.
Shortly after becoming president, Joe Kryczka announced a resolution to the Memorial Cup competition, where the Ontario and Quebec leagues agreed to compete with the Western Canada teams which gave up having extra overage players.
40.
Later that year in September, Joe Kryczka stated that the CAHA had not been invited to play in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and accused Ahearne of political grandstanding for saying that Canada could be removed from the IIHF for its refusal to play.
41.
Joe Kryczka stated that Canada would voice its concerns at the next IIHF general meeting in the summer of 1972.
42.
Joe Kryczka felt that the IIHF should allow professionals in the World Championships similar to FIFA, and reiterated that the CAHA had a good relationship with the NHL, which would release such players for an event.
43.
Joe Kryczka remained open to other competitions, which included the Izvestia Cup.
44.
Meanwhile, Joe Kryczka had been collaborating for two years with Charles Hay from Hockey Canada, in attempts to convince the Soviet Union to play Canada in a hockey series allowing professional players.
45.
Joe Kryczka was chosen as the lead negotiator on behalf of the Canadian delegation due to his legal background.
46.
Joe Kryczka went into the negotiations with an understanding of the Russian language, but never revealed this to the Soviets.
47.
Joe Kryczka later gave an interview to journalist Jim Coleman, and said that the Soviets had previously decided they could defeat any NHL team, and drew out negotiations to get more concessions on the rules of play.
48.
Joe Kryczka was encouraged by feedback from IIHF vice-president Page, who was keeping the CAHA informed of international matters, and was a CAHA director-at-large.
49.
Joe Kryczka began his second year as president by speaking to delegates at the 1972 general meeting of the CAHA.
50.
Joe Kryczka warned of a government report which recommended a paid commissioner to run and oversee amateur hockey in Canada.
51.
Joe Kryczka felt that would take away the incentive for parents to volunteer in amateur hockey, and kill programs at the grass roots levels of hockey.
52.
The meeting saw the CAHA vote down a rule amendment that would have allowed Karen Koch to play on a men's team, and Joe Kryczka announced that the CAHA would study its organizational structure, and would be prepared to include female teams and leagues in the future.
53.
Joe Kryczka remained confident that an Alberta branch could be reformed, and operate with the CAHA.
54.
Joe Kryczka announced in August 1972, that the AAHA rejoined the CAHA after working out their differences.
55.
Joe Kryczka went to the 1972 summer congress of the IIHF in Mamaia, Romania, to make his proposal for professionals at the World Championships, and was expecting a North American delegate to replace Ahearne as IIHF president.
56.
Joe Kryczka had been a vocal opponent of IIHF president Ahearne, and criticized Ahearne's meetings as non-parliamentary, and not following acceptable procedures.
57.
Joe Kryczka was nominated by the United States, but he declined the position feeling he wasn't experienced enough.
58.
Joe Kryczka was disappointed that players from the World Hockey Association were excluded from the series since he felt the team should be open all Canadians regardless of which professional league they played for, but he ultimately accepted the decision.
59.
Joe Kryczka was against having the West German officials Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader referee the game, and demanded to have Ove Dahlberg of Sweden, and Rudolf Bata of Czechoslovakia.
60.
Joe Kryczka received little credit at the time for his role in the series and was overshadowed by Eagleson, with whom he shared a mutual dislike.
61.
Joe Kryczka felt that Kryczka only helped with the totem pole, and nothing else.
62.
Joe Kryczka said that Canadian amateur hockey gained from the series because the CAHA earned $100,000 as its share of the profits, and it would be probable to see another similar professional event due to public demand.
63.
Joe Kryczka was open to more tournaments and games which followed IIHF statutes, and condemned reports that the NHL and the NHLPA were trying to negotiate international games on their own for the sake of keeping profits to themselves, instead of following proper international procedures.
64.
Joe Kryczka felt that the CAHA deserved its credit for developing the international game, and opening the door for the NHL to play the Soviets.
65.
Joe Kryczka said that European clubs were interested in playing, as long as sanctioning went through the IIHF, the CAHA or AHAUS.
66.
Joe Kryczka looked towards junior hockey as the next big stage for international hockey to be played at the IIHF World U20 Championship being planned in 1974, and said that Canada and the USA had been collaborating on a planned 1975 event.
67.
Joe Kryczka said that at the junior age level, there would be no concerns over who is or is not a professional player, and that the CAHA agreed to send the reigning Memorial Cup champion to represent Canada at the events.
68.
Joe Kryczka announced in January 1973, that he would not seek reelection as CAHA president.
69.
Joe Kryczka's remaining four months as president were occupied by dealing with the WHA competing for junior-aged players, and threatening the CAHA's existing draft and development agreement with the NHL.
70.
Joe Kryczka had previously sent a letter to WHA president Gary Davidson, requesting the league honour the age at which players become professionals, as agreed with the NHL.
71.
On February 15,1973, the WHA permitted its teams one month to negotiate and sign any junior, college, or non-professional of amateur draft age, which Joe Kryczka called disruptive to junior hockey.
72.
Joe Kryczka warned CAHA teams that any player which signed a professional contract would be ruled ineligible to continue playing in the CAHA.
73.
Joe Kryczka felt that the WHA was trying to break apart unity by attempting to deal directly with the WCHL instead of the CAHA, and he discounted rumors that the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association wanted to break away from the CAHA.
74.
Joe Kryczka was succeeded as president of the CAHA by Jack Devine, on May 25,1973 at the annual meeting.
75.
Joe Kryczka fined the Humboldt Broncos management $500, for refusing to play game six of the 1973 Centennial Cup playoffs.
76.
Joe Kryczka was one of directors for the Calgary Cowboys team in the WHA.
77.
Joe Kryczka agreed with the ultimate decision to continue the series, and avoid further discredit to the WHA.
78.
Joe Kryczka stated that Calgary needed to build a replacement for the Stampede Corral, in order to remain competitive in major league hockey.
79.
Joe Kryczka was recognized as a Queen's Counsel in 1975, for accomplishments as a lawyer, and contributions to the community.
80.
Joe Kryczka was appointed to the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta by Jean Chretien in July 1980, the then Minister of Justice of Canada.
81.
Joe Kryczka served as a justice on the Court of Queen's Bench for the remainder of his life.
82.
Joe Kryczka was named the director of legal affairs for Calgary's 1988 Winter Olympics bid in 1979.
83.
Joe Kryczka worked with the Canadian Olympic Committee, and helped win the first Winter Olympic Games hosted in Canada.
84.
Joe Kryczka met with members of the International Olympic Committee, and was confident that the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics would not affect the voting for Calgary's bid.
85.
The Soviet Olympic Committee told Calgary bid president Frank King, that it would vote for Canada, if Joe Kryczka ran the hockey events.
86.
Joe Kryczka died January 11,1991, at Foothills Medical Centre, and was interred at St Mary's Cemetery in Calgary.
87.
Joe Kryczka was the second of three sons to Joseph and Maria Joe Kryczka, who immigrated to Canada in 1934 from Zabawa, Poland.
88.
Joe Kryczka's father worked in the coalfields at Crowsnest Pass.
89.
Joe Kryczka's eldest brother Ted played hockey for the Golden Bears, once participated in a Chicago Blackhawks training camp, and was a town counselor for Coleman from 1961 to 1978.
90.
Joe Kryczka's younger brother Adam was a goaltender on the Golden Bears, and is the namesake of the Adam Kryczka Memorial Trophy.
91.
Joe Kryczka's sister-in-law was Alberta politician Karen Joe Kryczka, who was married to his brother Adam.
92.
Joe Kryczka's niece Kelly Kryczka was an Olympic medalist, and the daughter of Adam and Karen.
93.
Joe Kryczka's family kept souvenirs from the Summit Series, including the original two-page document signed in Prague, which had been stored in a safe at his law office.
94.
Joe Kryczka was named the 1972 Air Canada Amateur Sports Executive of the Year.
95.
Joe Kryczka received a special achievement award in hockey from the Calgary Booster Club in 1972, and was made an honorary life member of the club in 1982.
96.
Joe Kryczka was inducted into the Hockey Alberta Hall of Fame in 1984.
97.
Joe Kryczka was recognized for his contributions to sports and ice hockey in Canada by induction as a builder into both the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
98.
Joe Kryczka is the namesake of the Joe Kryczka Arena, at the Southland Leisure Centre in Calgary.