Irving Small

Small was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and spent his early years growing up in the state, where he played amateur hockey in Boston. In 1913, he relocated to California but continued to travel back east during the winters to compete in hockey. He captured the 1922 United States Amateur Hockey Association (USAHA) championship as a member of the Westminster Hockey Club.^[1][2] The following year, he helped the Boston Athletic Association ice hockey team secure the 1923 USAHA title and was one of five B.A.A. players chosen to represent the United States at the 1924 Winter Olympics.^[3]

In May 1925, Small initiated legal action against the New Boston Arena Company, asserting that he was entitled to $1,000 in unpaid salary for his time playing with the B.A.A. hockey team. Small alleged that the Arena's management covertly paid its amateur players, violating the amateurism rules of the time, with some athletes reportedly earning as much as $2,500 per year. He further claimed that these secret payments were concealed in hidden locations throughout the arena to avoid detection.^[4] However, rather than proceed through a lengthy court battle, both sides reached an undisclosed out-of-court agreement, and the lawsuit was formally withdrawn on May 22, 1925.^[5]

Small died on December 12, 1955, in Monrovia, California.^[6]

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com
• Irving Wheeler Small at Olympics.com
• Irving Small at Olympic.org (archived)
• Irving Small at Olympedia
• Irving Small at databaseOlympics.com (archived)