Harvey Sproule
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Frederick Harvey Sproule | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 12, 1883[1] |
| Died | July 9, 1959 (aged 76)[2] |
| Occupations | NHL owner, coach, referee, journalist |
F. Harvey Sproule (January 12, 1883 – July 9, 1959) was a Canadian hockey player, National Hockey League coach, owner, executive, and referee, as well as a curler, journalist, and race horse owner.
From Milton, Ontario, where he attended school, Sproule was a competitive cyclist and played amateur hockey in his hometown. Records show Sproule lived with his Uncle John Head and his wife Mary Elizabeth Sproule in Milton as young as age 8 in 1891.[3]
Sproule's uncle, John Head, had been a Milton town councillor,[4] and a business merchant in Milton since at least 1881,[5] selling men's and women's clothing,[6] before getting a customs job in Toronto and moving there with the family in the mid-1890s.[7] In 1901, Sproule and his sister were still living with their Uncle John Head and his wife Mary in west Toronto.[1] In 1905, Sproule's sister Mildred died at age 20 at their uncle's home.[8]
While in Toronto, Sproule played for the Toronto Old Orchard and the Toronto Rowing Club hockey teams.[9][10][11] He then became involved in team management as coach and manager of the Toronto Victorias and Toronto Crescents.
Notable relatives
Sproule was related to William Kingston Flesher (June 10, 1825 – July 22, 1907), a settler of southwestern Ontario, a militia officer, businessman and political figure. As well as founding the village of Flesherton, he represented the riding of Grey East in the House of Commons of Canada as a Conservative member from 1872 to 1878.[12]
Flesher's son-in-law was Thomas Simpson Sproule, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada and Canadian Senator.[13][14]