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Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Born Ernest Sidney Leacock in Wood Green, North London in
March 1906 – as he often put it, “a penny bus ride,” from the site
of the future Harringay Arena, Ernie Leacock was raised in Banff,
Alberta as his family emigrated to Canada with Ernie just two years old. By the time he was twenty years of age, Ernie was playing
professional hockey in the Pacific Coast League, and over the course of
the eight years spanning 1926 to 1934, he played defence for Victoria,
Tacoma, Portland and Saskatoon. Returning to Britain in 1934, he tried
out with the Wembley Lions, but signed for the Richmond Hawks. In February 1935, Ernie Leacock was selected for the Great
Britain squad to compete in the world championships, however the
Canadians protested that he was not eligible due to not having served
the then necessary three-year period as a reinstated amateur. When the
protest was upheld, Ernie decided to retire from playing and take up
refereeing, a role in which he performed with great distinction over the
following thirty years. Ernie Leacock officiated in
over two thousand senior games and became highly respected by players,
fans and his fellow officials. He gave great help and encouragement to
the post-war generation of British referees and although he stood no
nonsense on the ice, he was always prepared to give a player the benefit
of the doubt. He refereed at the world championships in 1950 and 1951,
held in London and Paris respectively before the highlight of his career
in 1952, when at the tournament staged in Oslo Norway he had the honour
of being the first professional referee to officiate at the Winter
Olympics. Ernie Leacock poignantly retired from refereeing and hung
up his skates for the last time on May 23rd, 1965 after
officiating in the last ever game at the Brighton Sports Stadium. For his services to ice hockey as a referee, Ernest Sidney
‘Ernie’ Leacock, who died in 1977, was inducted into the British Ice
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. Compiled with research, provided
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