Hugh John PLAXTON

Left winger Hugh Plaxton had an incredibly varied series of careers over his life, of which amateur and professional hockey was a significant part. While studying for his law degree at the University of Toronto, he was a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity and the university’s hockey team, on which he played from 1921 through 1925. After graduating, he suited up with the Toronto Graduates for two seasons, winning the Allan Cup in 1927 as a member of the Canadian men’s senior amateur championship team. It was this victory that sent him to the 1928 Winter Olympics, where he played in three games, scored twelve goals, and took home a gold medal. He also stirred up controversy when he threatened to boycott the games unless his cousin Roger and brother Bert Plaxton were added to the team. This threat was successful, even though it went against coach Conn Smythe’s original wishes. He took a break from hockey after the Olympics, practicing law in Ontario from 1928 until 1932. In this year, he joined the Windsor Bulldogs of the International Hockey League, the Vancouver Maroons of the Western Canadian Hockey League and the Montreal Maroons of the National Hockey League, playing 15 games for the latter.

Plaxton retired from hockey and returned to his law practice, but his interests soon turned to politics and he successfully ran for MP of the Toronto riding of Trinity as a liberal in 1935, defeating former Toronto mayor George Geary. His platform included promises on health insurance, minimum wage increases and youth improvement. During his time in Parliament, he introduced a resolution that would call for the creation of a Ministry of Sports, but was eventually forced to withdraw it for political reasons. After losing the Liberal Party’s nomination in 1940, he served in World War II in the Canadian Navy as Lieutenant Commander of the HMCS York. After the war, he regained the Liberal Party’s nomination, but failed to capture the riding of Kingston City. It was his last foray into politics, and afterwards he resumed his law career.