David Andrews

David Andrews (born October 4, 1948) is a former Canadian ice hockey executive and player. He is the Chair Emeritus of the Board of Governors and former president and CEO of the American Hockey League (AHL), the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League. He has been inducted into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame (2006), and the American Hockey League Hall of Fame (2021). In 2010, Andrews was a recipient of the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey in the United States.

Early life Born in Nova Scotia, Andrews attended King's-Edgehill School in Windsor, Nova Scotia, then went on to Dalhousie University in Halifax and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he excelled in varsity hockey at these institutions as a goaltender, garnering multiple conference all-star status. After graduation, he played four years of professional hockey in the Netherlands.

Andrews contributed to the growth of hockey by playing a leadership role in rules innovations — such as hybrid icing and 4-on-4 and later 3-on-3 overtime play — and player safety initiatives. The AHL has instituted safety standards relative to head checking and checking from behind; introduced mandatory visors for all skaters; and provided a safer environment for its players by adopting a modified schedule that reduced the number of games played, increased the length of the playing calendar and eliminated sequences of teams playing four games in five days. with Andrews set to assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Governors on July 1, 2020.

Accolades Andrews was inducted into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 2010, Andrews was a recipient of the prestigious Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in the United States. In 2020, following his 26-year tenure as league president, the AHL awarded him the 2020 Thomas Ebright Memorial Award for outstanding career contributions to the league.

Andrews is a former chair of the Hockey Canada Foundation, former chair of the Board of Governors of King's-Edgehill School, and former chair of the selection committee for the Order of Hockey in Canada. He is also a former adjunct professor of sport management at Springfield College.

In 2021, Andrews was elected to the AHL Hall of Fame.