'Scotty' Morrison, former top executive of Hockey Hall of Fame, dead at 95

Hockey legends Wayne Gretzky (left), Scotty Morrison and Andy Van Hellemond (right) laugh as they show off their new Hockey Hall of Fame rings during his induction ceremony at the Hall in Toronto on Monday Nov. 22, 1999.(CP PHOTO/Kevin Frayer)

TORONTO — Ian (Scotty) Morrison, a former NHL referee and top executive with the Hockey Hall of Fame, has died. He was 95.

The Hockey Hall of Fame said in a release that Morrison died Wednesday in Invermere, B.C. A cause of death was not given.

The Montreal native joined the NHL as a referee in 1954 after two years of officiating in the Western Hockey League. The 24-year-old was the youngest referee to work an NHL game at that time.

Morrison was appointed the NHL's Referee-in-Chief in 1965. He became the league's vice-president of officiating in 1981.

In 1986, then-NHL president John Ziegler appointed Morrison to an executive position with the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He became the Hall's chairman and chief executive officer in 1991 and was instrumental in helping the organization find its current home in downtown Toronto.

The Hall's 50,000-square-foot facility, located at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets, opened June 18, 1993.

Morrison retired in 1998. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 along with superstar Wayne Gretzky and referee Andy Van Hellemond.

”Scotty was known as an enthusiastic and articulate ambassador who touched the lives of hockey fans and professionals all over the world,” Mike Gartner, chair of the board of the Hockey Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “Among his many contributions as an on-ice official and hockey executive, he is widely credited for providing the creativity and vision for the Hall while building a dedicated team to develop and operate a state-of-the-art museum and place of entertainment for the game of hockey.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Morrison a "true builder of the game."

“In addition to his lasting contributions to the Hall, Scotty also served the game with distinction as an on-ice official and respected hockey executive, bringing integrity, leadership, and deep knowledge to every role he held," Bettman said in a statement. "His impact on the game will be felt for generations."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.

The Canadian Press