| Daryl "Doc" Seaman | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 28, 1922 Rouleau, SK, CAN |
| Died | January 11, 2009 (aged 86) Calgary, AB, CAN |
| Education | B.Sc, LL.D |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Daryl Kenneth "Doc" Seaman, OC, AOE (April 28, 1922 – January 11, 2009) was a Canadian businessman. He was also involved in the sport of ice hockey as the owner of the Calgary Flames and on various ice hockey commissions. Seaman was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2010.[1] He was also involved in the awarding of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was also involved with charitable foundations in Alberta.
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Born in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, the son of Byron L. Seaman and Mae (Patton) Seaman, he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. During World War II, he served with Royal Canadian Air Force as a Flying Officer, flying 82 combat missions,[2] and was wounded during combat in the North African campaign of the war.[3]
In 1949, he was the Co-founder of Bow Valley Industries, an international oil and gas company.[3] He sold his company to Talisman Energy in 1994, but remained chairman of the board of directors of Bow Valley Energy Limited until his death.
From 1984 to 1985, he was a member of the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada.
He was part owner of the Calgary Flames, and was one of the original group of six Calgary businessmen that worked to bring the National Hockey League's Atlanta Flames to Calgary in 1980.[3] The other original investors are Harley Hotchkiss, Ralph T. Scurfield, Byron Seaman, Norman Green, and Norman Kwong. Seaman was instrumental in bringing the 1988 Winter Olympics to Calgary and in building the Olympic Saddledome in 1983 for both the Winter Games and the Flames.[4] He won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989.
Seaman and Hotchkiss combined to create Project 75 (now known as the Seaman Hotchkiss Hockey Foundation), a charitable organization that seeks to improve all aspects of hockey across Canada. The organization is credited as playing a major role in Canada's international success.[3] It was through this foundation that Seaman built community arenas and offered scholarships.[4]
Seaman died on January 11, 2009 after a long battle with prostate cancer. In his honour, the Hockey Hall of Fame has named its new archive and resource centre at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto the D.K. (Doc) Seaman Hockey Resource Centre.[5]
In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1983, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Saskatchewan.[6] In 2004, he was inducted into the Calgary Business Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence "for his leadership in the fields of energy and business and his longstanding involvement with civic and charitable organizations across Alberta".[7]
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame.[5]