Bill Hay, who helped the Blackhawks win a Stanley Cup in 1960-61 and was one of hockey's great ambassadors, has died at the age of 88.

Former Stanley Cup champion Bill Hay has passed away, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL have confirmed. The hockey community has lost a beloved figure, one that played an integral role in our sport for many, many years.

Red Hay jumped into hockey prominence well ahead of his pro career. He played junior hockey with the Regina Pats in 1952 and 1954 — interrupted by a brief five games at the University of Saskatchewan.

All 44 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams (21 from the OHL, 15 from the WHL and eight from the QMJHL), while 15 represented Canada at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (Chartrand, Croskery, Di Iorio, Edwards, Ellsworth, Esler, Lawrence, Lin, Preston, Wassilyn, L. Ruck, M. Ruck, Rudolph, Valentini, Verhoeff).

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward and Hall of Fame executive Bill Hay has died. He was 88. Hockey Canada confirmed Hay’s death in a release Saturday. Hay was the president and chief operating officer for the organization from 1990-1995.