Walter L. Bush, Jr. (born September 25, 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American ice hockey administrator.
In 1963, he helped start the Central Hockey League, which turned into one of the more successful minor professional hockey leagues of that era. He was also instrumental in bringing National Hockey League hockey to his home state with the Minnesota North Stars as a minority owner. As the president of USA Hockey for nearly two decades, he was instrumental in the efforts that brought women’s hockey into the Olympic program in 1998. He assumed in June of 2003 the position of USA Hockey’s chairman of the board, a position he was still holding in May of 2009.
As Chairman of the IIHF Women's Ice Hockey Committee, Walter Bush is shown here presenting captain of Team USA Krissy Wendell the Silver plate at the 2007 Women's Ice Hockey Championships.
Awards and honors[]
He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2002, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2009.