Frank Selke Jr.

Francis Donald Selke (September 7, 1929 – March 18, 2013) was a Canadian hockey executive and broadcaster who served as an announcer and executive for Hockey Night in Canada and was president and general manager of the Oakland Seals.

Early life Selke was born on September 7, 1929, in Toronto. He was the sixth of seven children born to and Mary Agnes (Schmidt) and Frank J. Selke. The elder Selke, an electrician and manager of a minor professional hockey team, was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on the day Selke Jr. was born. Selke played bantam hockey in Toronto and was a member of the St. Michael's College School football team.

Montreal Canadiens and Hockey Night in Canada Selke dropped out of high school to work at the Montreal Forum, when his father became general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in 1946. Following Bert Olmstead's departure in 1968, Selke stepped down as president and took over as general manager. The Seals made the playoffs in Selke's first two seasons as general manager, but struggled financially. After aborted relocations to Buffalo and Vancouver, the team was purchased by Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley in 1970.

Canadian Sports Network Following his departure from the Seals, Selke headed marketing for the Canadian Sports Network (later known as Ohlmeyer Communications and Molstar), which produced Hockey Night in Canada. He retired from Molstar in April 1989, but continued to work in broadcasting as a consultant.

Special Olympics In 1983, Selke joined the board of directors of Special Olympics Ontario. He served as the organization's president from 1989 to 1990, and was its chairman for 11 years. In 1991, he received the Canada Volunteer Award Medal from Health and Welfare Canada for his work with the Special Olympics.