William Raymond "Toby" Sexsmith (August 23, 1885August 23, 1943) was a Canadian politician and ice hockey administrator. He was elected three times as a Progressive Conservative Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba representing the Portage la Prairie riding from 1933 to 1943. He served as president of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association from 1921 to 1923, and sat on the association's executive committee for 25 years. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1922 to 1924, and set a precedent that future CAHA presidents would also be given two-year terms.
The Allan Cup was formally recognized as the senior ice hockey championship of Canada while Sexsmith was CAHA president, and eligibility rules were expanded to allow more teams to compete for the title. Profits from the Allan Cup playoffs were invested into amateur and minor ice hockey and the Canada men's national ice hockey team. He began the efforts to establish a standard set of national ice hockey rules and amateur competitions between the United States and Canada. He sought to grow youth interest in the game and encourage sportsmanship, and spoke out against growing professionalism in the sport. He was the first president of the Portage Rink Company. He led efforts to build an arena and establish a team in Portage la Prairie in 1919, and oversaw construction of a second arena when the original was destroyed by fire in 1936.
Sexsmith was a lawyer before entering politics and was a partner with Arthur Meighen, the future Prime Minister of Canada. Sexsmith wanted improvements to infrastructure for drainage districts. He defended small businesses against the efforts of the Canadian Performing Rights Society, sought to reintroduce the 12-man jury system and the daytime speed limit in Manitoba, and supported using a compromise between representation by population and district representation. He was named a King's Counsel on January 1, 1938, in recognition of his legal career. He died in office on his 58th birthday, and was credited by the Winnipeg Free Press as a person who tackled contentious issues, and gave sound advice and constructive criticism.
Early life and legal career
Sexsmith was born on August 23, 1885, in Napanee, Ontario, to parents Tobias Sexsmith and Jane Metcalfe, and moved westward with his parents at a young age. He completed his secondary school education in Portage la Prairie while reporting for the Portage Review and the Portage Daily Graphic.
Sexsmith was known by the nickname "Toby" for most of his life. The name began during his time as an ice hockey player, and was reported by the Winnipeg Tribune to be linked to his father's name being Tobias. Sexsmith played as a winger on the 1906 Portage la Prairie men's ice hockey team, and was a teammate to Harry Scott. Sexsmith scored eleven goals in six games played for the Portage la Prairie Cities in the Manitoba Professional Hockey League. He had a career as an ice hockey referee after his playing days. He refereed senior ice hockey in Manitoba in 1912, and was still active as an official in 1924.
Sexsmith served as an articled clerk with the firm Cooper & Meighen in 1911, then solely articled for Arthur Meighen in 1913. Sexsmith was called to the bar on June 30, 1915, then became a full partner with Meighen. After Meighen became the Prime Minister of Canada in 1920, Sexsmith partnered with J. C. Miller in the firm Sexsmith & Miller until 1922, then practiced law independently for the remainder of his career.
Hockey administrator
Early involvement
Sexsmith was primarily responsible for the fundraising efforts to build the Portage Rink in 1919. He applied to the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) for a senior ice hockey team based in Portage la Prairie for the 1919–20 season but was recommended for the lower level intermediate league instead, despite raising C$20,000 to construct a new arena. The Portage Rink was initially built with a tarpaulin covering that was replaced by a permanent roof in 1921. The additional $8,000 upgrade brought the completed construction cost to $28,000.