Norman Alexander "Red" Dutton (July 23, 1897 – March 15, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. Also known earlier by the nickname "Mervyn", he played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans of the National Hockey League (NHL). A rugged and physical defenceman, Dutton often led his team in penalty minutes, won the WCHL championship in 1924 as a member of the Tigers and was twice named a WCHL All-Star.
Dutton coached and managed the Americans, and later purchased the team before suspending operations in 1942 due to World War II. He served as the second president of the NHL between 1943 and 1946 before resigning the position after the NHL's owners reneged on a promise to allow the Americans to resume operations following the war. He served as a Stanley Cup trustee for 37 years but otherwise limited his involvement with the NHL following the Americans' demise. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.
A successful businessman, Dutton operated a construction company that built Calgary's McMahon Stadium in 1960 and he served for a time as the president of the Calgary Stampeders football club and later the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. He was invested as a member of the Order of Canada in 1981 and is honoured by both the Manitoba Hockey and Alberta Sports Halls of Fame. He was posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1993 in recognition of his contributions to the game of hockey in the United States.
He was the last surviving former player of the Calgary Tigers.
Dutton was born in Russell, Manitoba, on July 23, 1897. His father, Bill, was a successful contractor who helped build Canada's transcontinental railway system, and the younger Dutton often helped his father at his work when he was a boy. He had at least two elder brothers, and a sister.
His given name was Norman Alexander Dutton, but his birth names were quickly ignored. A family friend of the Duttons refused to call him Norman as the name had a negative connotation for her, so she instead called him "Mervyn", a name that stuck. His friends called him "Red" after the colour of his hair, and to most, he was known as Mervyn "Red" Dutton.
Dutton attended school at St. John's College in Winnipeg. He left school in 1915 to volunteer with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in World War I and served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He lied about his birth date on his CEF enlistment papers as he was not yet 18, and served for four years. Dutton fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917 where he suffered a shrapnel wound to his leg serious enough that doctors pressed for amputation. Dutton refused and spent the following 18 months working to recover full use of his leg. He played hockey almost constantly to regain strength, at one point playing in seven different Winnipeg leagues at the same time.
Following the war, Dutton sought to build his own contracting business. However, an economic depression in 1920 forced its closure. He then worked in a packing plant in Winnipeg that also ceased operations. Penniless, with only his pride preventing him from asking his father for help, he was met by the owner of a hockey team in Calgary who had sought him out. Dutton was offered $2,500 to play in the Alberta city.
Dutton joined the Calgary Canadians of Alberta's Big-4 League for the 1920–21 season, then moved onto the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) in 1921–22 where he scored 16 goals and 21 points in 22 games. Two seasons later, in 1923–24, Dutton and the Tigers won the WCHL championship. He assisted on the championship winning goal in a 2–0 victory over the Regina Capitals by carrying the puck the length of the ice before passing to Cully Wilson who scored. The team then defeated the Pacific Coast Hockey Association's Vancouver Maroons before losing to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals.
Named a WCHL first team all-star on defence in 1922 and 1923, Dutton played five seasons for the Tigers. Known for his aggressive, physical style, he led the team in penalty minutes in each of those five years, and the league in 1921–22 and 1923–24. Financial pressures forced the Western League to sell its interests to the NHL following the 1925–26 season, and having suffered a serious knee injury during the season, Dutton was left unsure of his future.
Nonetheless, his rights were sold to the Montreal Maroons, and he made his NHL debut on November 20, 1926 against the Canadiens. Dutton played four seasons with the Maroons, scoring 15 goals and 41 points. He played in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in his career in 1927–28, but the Maroons lost the best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals three games to two. He led the league in penalty minutes the following season.
Dutton was the subject of trade talks between the Maroons and the Chicago Black Hawks following the 1928–29 NHL season. The teams had been negotiating to send Cyclone Wentworth to Montreal in exchange for Dutton and Babe Siebert before the Black Hawks purchased the contract of Taffy Abel, which ended the Hawks pursuit of Dutton. The Maroons continued to make him available, with the Toronto Maple Leafs showing interest following the 1929–30 season. Finally, he was sold to the New York Americans along with Mike Neville, Hap Emms and Frank Carson for $35,000.
At first distraught at leaving Montreal, Dutton quickly adapted to playing in New York. He maintained his aggressive style of play with the Americans, again leading the league in penalties in 1931–32. Despite his fiery temper, Dutton became one of the most popular players in New York amongst both the fans and his fellow players. He was not able to turn the Americans' fortunes on the ice around, however, as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in his first five seasons with the team.
Dutton was named the coach of the Americans for the 1935–36 NHL season, and in doing so became the second player-coach in NHL history. Under his leadership, the Americans finished third in the Canadian Division with a 16–25–7 record and qualified for the postseason. The Americans then went on to defeat the Black Hawks 7–5 in a two-game, total-goal series to face the Maple Leafs in the league semi-final series. Dutton was unable to play parts of the series against Toronto due to a hip injury, and the Americans lost the best-of-three series two games to one. Dutton retired as a player following the season and turned his focus to coaching full-time.
While Dutton focused on coaching the team, the Americans were facing bankruptcy. Heavily in debt, team owner Bill Dwyer turned to Dutton who lent him $20,000 to allow the team to continue operating. When the NHL finally forced Dwyer out and took over ownership of the franchise, the league asked Dutton to take over management of the team.
Though the ownerless team was written off by the press and labelled as being "orphans", Dutton built an Americans team in 1937–38 that finished with a 19–18–11 record. It was only the third time in the team's 13-year history they finished with a winning record. It was also only the third time the Americans qualified for the playoffs. They faced, and defeated, their rival New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Black Hawks in the league semi-final. Dutton pioneered the use of air travel as the Americans became the first hockey team to fly between games in 1938.
The Americans continued to defy expectations in 1938–39. They again qualified for the playoffs, losing to Toronto in the first round, while Dutton was named an NHL Second-Team All-Star as coach. He led them to the playoffs again in 1939–40, but the loss of players due to World War II took its toll on the franchise. After finishing in last place the season before, the league announced that the Americans had suspended operations for the 1942–43 NHL season, though Dutton continued to represent the team on the Board of Governors. Dutton believed that if the Americans could have held on through the war, his team would become more popular than the Rangers. "A couple of more years and we would have run the Rangers right out of the rink," he said.