Former OHL commissioner, CHL president David Branch dead at 77

Former Ontario Hockey League commissioner and Canadian Hockey League president David Branch has died. He was 77.

The OHL and Canadian Hockey League announced his death Monday, stating he died Sunday. No cause of death was revealed.

Branch was commissioner of the OHL from 1979 until his retirement in 2024. He was also president of the CHL from 1996-2019.

"This is a very sad day for a lot of people," said OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford. "David's contributions to the game of hockey will continue to impact the game for generations. The entire league mourns the loss of a great leader and visionary who oversaw the growth and evolution of the Ontario Hockey League, always prioritizing the players and putting their experience first."

The CHL player of the year award was renamed after him in 2019-20, in addition to the leader of the year award given to the top OHL executive.

Branch, a Bathurst, N.B., native and longtime resident of Whitby, Ont., had served on the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee, received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2016 and was inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in 2017.

"The CHL would not be the top development hockey league in the world without David Branch," said CHL president Dan MacKenzie. "His relentless focus on the player experience, both on and off the ice, will be his greatest legacy, as the game is safer, faster, and more skilled because of his influence and leadership.

"David had both the vision and the will to do big things, and he brought people together to get them done. He was a true builder, and his rightful place should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day."

In a release, the OHL credited Branch for guiding "the OHL through an era of unprecedented growth and