Fred Marples

{{Infobox person

| name = Fred Marples

| image = Frederick Paul Henry Marples photo circa 1915.jpg

| alt = Black and white photo of a man in a suit and tie

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1885|1|27|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1945|1|17|1885|1|27|mf=y}}

| death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| occupation = Merchant, businessman

| family = Stan Marples (brother)

| known_for = {{Hlist|Canadian Olympic Committee|Canadian Amateur Hockey Association|Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association}}

| awards = Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

}}

Frederick Paul Henry Marples (January 27, 1885{{Spnd}}January 17, 1945) was a Canadian sports executive in ice hockey and athletics. He was president of the Winnipeg Monarchs team which won Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League championships in 1914 and 1915, and the Allan Cup as senior ice hockey champions of Canada. His operation of a reserve team to support the Monarchs led to debates on player eligibility for the Allan Cup and calls for a national governing body of hockey. As the secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League, he helped establish both the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1914; then served as secretary-treasurer of the MAHA from 1914 to until 1934, and as secretary of the CAHA from 1926 to 1945. He sought to grow the game in rural regions of Manitoba, promote minor ice hockey as a source of future senior players, to keep players in junior ice hockey until age 21, and was against the exodus of amateur players to professional teams.

Marples was an athlete in his younger days and won the relay event at the 1909 Canadian Track and Field Championships with a team from the Winnipeg North End Amateur Athletic Club. He later served as secretary-treasurer of the club, then as a track and field official for the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, the 1928 Summer Olympics, and the 1930 British Empire Games. As the secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Olympic Committee from 1922 to 1936, he urged Canadians and provincial governments to support fundraising efforts for athletes at international competitions, and led efforts to establish the Manitoba Citizens' Olympic Committee in 1932. He served as the head of mission for the Canadian delegation at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Germany, which saw the Canada men's national ice hockey team fail to win the gold medal amid disagreements on the eligibility of players and how the medals were determined. He was posthumously inducted as an individual into the builder category of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, and was inducted into both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Winnipeg Monarchs.

Early life and Winnipeg athletics

File:Main Street Subway, Winnipeg, looking south, circa 1910.jpg

Frederick Paul Henry Marples was born on January 27, 1885, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.{{Citation|title=Registration number 1885-002062|place=Winnipeg, Manitoba|publisher=Government of Manitoba|publication-place=Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency|year=2021|url=https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/}} He grew up in a family of ten boys and one girl, raised by parents Francis William Marples and Katherine Marples.{{Citation|title=Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta|date=June 24, 1906|place=Winnipeg, Manitoba|publisher=Government of Canada|publication-place=Library and Archives Canada|page=11}} Marples was an all-round athlete in his younger days.{{cite news|title=Mourn Passing CAHA Secretary|date=January 17, 1945|newspaper=Medicine Hat News|location=Medicine Hat, Alberta|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-17-1945-1640875/}} He ran on a Winnipeg North End Athletic Club team which won the relay event at the 1909 Canadian Track and Field Championships held in Winnipeg.{{cite news|title=Crack Relay Team|date=April 30, 1910|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=39|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-30-1910-2533754/}} The team included his brother Herb and had won all fifteen of its races as of 1910. Marples also played recreational curling with the Winnipeg North End Athletic Club.{{cite news|title=Among the Curlers|date=January 25, 1911|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-25-1911-2533857/}}

Marples was elected secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg North End Amateur Athletic Club in 1909, and helped co-ordinate its running events and track and field meets.{{cite news|title=Prizes Are Presented|date=May 11, 1909|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=7|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-11-1909-2532797/}}; {{cite news|title=Fifteen-mile Race Tomorrow Evening|date=June 17, 1909|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-17-1909-2532801/}} He was a regular on-course judge and a track and field official for events held by the club and the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada (AAU of C).{{cite news|title=Labour Day Officials|date=August 24, 1911|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=11|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-aug-24-1911-2566631/}}; {{cite news|title=Sam Kirbyson Wins Seven Mile Race|date=May 19, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=7|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-19-1913-2566639/}} He was the club's delegate to meetings of the Manitoba branch of the AAU of C,{{cite news|title=Joe Fahey Leads Northenders For Another Season|date=April 16, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-16-1914-2534444/}} was elected first vice-president of the branch in 1914,{{cite news|title=Provincial Amateur Body Ready For Coming Season|date=March 21, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-21-1914-2534288/}}; {{cite news|title=Provincial Amateur Body Ready For Coming Season (Continued From Page Six)|date=March 21, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=28|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-21-1914-2534291/}} and sat on the organizing committee for the 1915 Canadian Track and Field Championships held in Winnipeg.{{cite news|title=Boosting For Big Dominion Track And Field Meet|date=June 8, 1915|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-08-1915-2536615/}}

In 1922, Marples resigned from the Winnipeg North End Athletic Club to focus his efforts on Canadian national teams and the Olympic Games.{{cite news|title=North End Athletic Club Has Done Well|last=Einarson|first=Jimmy|date=May 21, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=9|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-21-1932-2539841/}} He remained involved as an on-course judge for the club's races, and was made honorary vice-president of the club in 1926.{{cite news|title=Joe Fahey Is Club President|date=April 16, 1923|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=9|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-16-1923-2537834/}}; {{cite news|title=Joe Fahey Again Heads W. N. E. Club|date=April 22, 1926|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-22-1926-2539072/}}

Manitoba hockey executive

=Early hockey career=

Marples became an ice hockey executive during the 1909–10 season, when he was appointed secretary of the Winnipeg Monarchs.{{cite news|title=Sparks From The Anvil|last=Smith|first=Maurice|author-link=Maurice Smith (journalist)|date=January 18, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-18-1945-2532712/}} The Monarchs were a senior ice hockey team which played in the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League, and included his brother Stan Marples.{{cite news|title=Stanley Marples Dead At Moose Jaw|date=January 27, 1928|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=1|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-27-1928-2539107/}} As secretary, Marples co-ordinated exhibition tours by the Monarchs in the United States in 1910 and 1912.{{cite news|title=Monarch All-Stars from Winnipeg|date=April 19, 1952|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-19-1952-2532564/}}

File:Sheasamphitheatre.png

The Monarchs merged with the Winnipeg Strathconas as of the 1912–13 season due to struggles in finding ice time, and elected Marples as their president.{{cite news|title=Monarchs Expect to Line Up Strong Seven on Ice; Officers Elected at Meeting|date=November 12, 1912|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-12-1912-2533875/}} He was also elected as the secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League in which the Monarchs played.{{cite news|title=Monarchs Cause Commotion In Winnipeg Hockey League|date=November 14, 1912|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-14-1912-2533882/}}; {{cite news|title=Monarchs Cause Commotion In Winnipeg Hockey (Continued From Page Six)|date=November 14, 1912|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=7|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-14-1912-2533886/}} He arranged extra time at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre for practices and games, and felt that it would improve the chances of the Monarchs winning the Allan Cup.{{cite news|title=Which Team Will Land Allan Cup?|date=December 7, 1912|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=23|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-07-1912-2533889/}} The decision to use the Amphitheatre caused a rift within the league which had an agreement in the previous season to play all games at the Winnipeg Auditorium. Marples and the Monarchs felt that the league did not have the authority to bind any club to any single rink, and that the Amphitheatre had better amenities for the players and spectators. League president W. F. Taylor cast a tie-breaking vote to uphold the agreement to play all games at the Auditorium.{{cite news|title=Winnipeg Hockey League Stands by Auditorium Rink|date=November 21, 1912|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-21-1912-1904488/}}

=1913–14 season and the Allan Cup=

The Winnipeg Tribune wrote that the leadership of Marples and Taylor had brought peace and financial stability to the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League, and both were re-elected to the same positions for the 1913–14 season.{{cite news|title=Winnipeg Hockey League Re-elects The Old Officers|date=November 10, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=12 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-10-1913-2533966/}} Marples advocated for the league to appoint a board of on-ice officials to avoid in-season arguing over the selection of officials.{{cite news|title=Board Of Referees To Be Advocated By Secretary Marples|date=November 7, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-07-1913-2533944/}} The league approved of the proposal by Marples, appointed a board of referees in advance of the season, and chose to play its games at both the Amphitheatre and the Auditorium.{{cite news|title=Senior Hockey Season to Open Here December 18|date=November 14, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-14-1913-2533996/}}

Marples resurrected the Strathconas senior team and entered them into the Independent Amateur Hockey League, in addition to operating the Monarchs in the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League.{{cite news|title=Monarchs To Have Plenty Of Material|date=October 22, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-22-1913-2533930/}}; {{cite news|title=Kenora Club Threatens To Break Away From Independent League|date=November 7, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-07-1913-2533949/}}; {{cite news|title=Independent Hockey League Fails To Settle Troubles|date=November 12, 1913|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-12-1913-2533977/}} He felt it necessary to give the younger players more opportunities to practice and play in order to develop talent, secured more ice time and operated the Strathconas as a reserve team to support the Monarchs.{{cite news|title=Sudden Death Game To Decide Allan Cup|date=March 10, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-10-1914-2534284/}} The Monarchs won the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League regular season title and were chosen to defend the first challenge for the 1914 Allan Cup on behalf of the league.{{cite news|title=Defenders of the Allan Cup|date=February 28, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=22|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-28-1914-2534257/}}

File:Allan Cup.jpg

The Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League debated whether or not players from the Strathconas were in a lower level of hockey and eligible to be a reserve player.{{cite news|title=Questions That Are Giving Big League Food For Thought|date=January 12, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=8|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-12-1914-1906371/}} Trustees for the Allan Cup also struggled to determine player eligibility since there was no authoritative national body to classify leagues by the level of play.{{cite news|title=Fate of Allan Cup Will Not Be Known Until This Morning|date=March 9, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-09-1914-1906385/}} When Allan Cup trustee William Northey ruled that Dick Irvin of the Strathconas was ineligible to compete, the Monarchs refused to defend the Allan Cup. Marples considered the Strathconas to be a reserve team for the Monarchs and that the decision was unfair to his team.{{cite news|title=Allan Cup Games Off; Dick Irvin Is Barred; Kenora May Get Trophy|date=March 7, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-07-1914-2534269/}} After three days of negotiating, the Monarchs agreed to play without Irvin in a one-game Allan Cup challenge versus the Kenora Thistles, instead of the customary two-game series decided on total goals scored. The Monarchs won by a 6–2 score versus the Kenora Thistles, then lost the second Allan Cup challenge in a one-game final by a 5–4 score to the Regina Victorias.{{Cite web|url=http://www.allancup.ca/allancuparchivescores.htm|title=Allan Cup archives|website=Allan Cup|access-date=August 1, 2011|archive-date=May 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515065832/http://www.allancup.ca/allancuparchivescores.htm|url-status=dead}}

Players on the Winnipeg Monarchs were presented with motorcycles as gifts after the Allan Cup playoffs. The action was criticized by members of the Manitoba branch of the AAU of C for being against amateur principles and promoting professionalism, despite that the AAU of C constitution did not forbid gifts. Marples defended the action and stated that he and the club would ensure the players did not exchange or sell the motorcycles for profit.{{cite news|title=Boyd's Motion To Blacklist Soccer Players Defeated|date=April 14, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-14-1914-2534438/}}

=Founding the MAHA and the CAHA=

The Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League met with Allan Cup trustees in June 1914, and agreed on the need to form a national commission to govern ice hockey in Canada and competition for the trophy. The meeting formed a provisional Manitoba Hockey Commission with Marples appointed as its secretary.{{cite news|title=Another Step Nearer Hockey Commission|date=June 23, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=21|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-23-1914-2534454/}} Marples sent letters to other clubs and leagues in Canada and advocated for establishment of the national commission.{{cite news|title=Will Clear Up Allan Cup Muss|date=July 3, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jul-03-1914-2534464/}} He was formally elected secretary of the Manitoba Hockey Commission in July 1914, and assisted in drawing up recommendations for a constitution.{{cite news|title=Would Organize Canadian Body|date=July 7, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jul-07-1914-2534467/}}

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was established on December 4, 1914, in a meeting at the Château Laurier in Ottawa. Marples represented the Winnipeg Monarchs at the meeting, in which Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League president W. F. Taylor was elected president of the CAHA. The new association adopted of a constitution, established by-laws and competition rules which included player registration and eligibility, recognized the Allan Cup as its championship trophy, and affiliated with the AAU of C to exclude professionals from amateur hockey.{{cite news|title=Dominion Amateur Hockey Commission Is Now A Reality|date=December 5, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=28|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-05-1914-2566658/}}

The Manitoba Hockey Commission met later in December 1914, and changed its name to become the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) to align with the CAHA. The MAHA ratified the player registration rules put in place by the CAHA to maintain amateurism and exclude professionals, and sought to expand within Manitoba by recruiting existing leagues to join.{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeymanitoba.ca/information/about-hockey-manitoba|title=About Hockey Manitoba|year=2020|website=Hockey Manitoba|access-date=July 16, 2020}}

=1914–15 season and the Allan Cup=

File:1915 Winnipeg Monarchs team photo collage.jpg

Before the 1914–15 season, a separate organization named the Strathcona Hockey Club was formed. Marples condemned the new club and stated that the Monarchs had already incorporated the Strathcona name into their club.{{cite news|title=Monarchs Plan Another Championship Season|date=October 31, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-31-1914-2534476/}}; {{cite news|title=Monarchs Plan Another Championship Season (Continued From Page Six)|date=October 31, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=7|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-31-1914-2534478/}} He felt that the gift of motorcycles to the Monarchs had upset members on the Strathconas who then broke away to form their own club. He vowed to continue the Strathconas under the same management and was recognized by the Winnipeg Independent Hockey League as the representative for the Strathconas.{{cite news|title=Brandon Club Admitted To Independent Hockey League|date=November 5, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-05-1914-2534486/}}

Marples returned as secretary of the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League which agreed to register players according to the Allan Cup's eligibility rules.{{cite news|title=All Is Harmony In The Ranks Of Big Puck League|date=November 11, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-11-1914-2534507/}} The Winnipeg Monarchs repeated as league champions in the 1914–15 season.{{cite web|url=http://honouredmembers.sportmanitoba.ca/inductee.php?id=308&criteria_sort=name|title=Honoured Members Database: 1915 Winnipeg Monarchs|year=2004|website=Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=May 8, 2021}} In the 1915 Allan Cup playoffs, the Monarchs defeated the Winnipeg Falcons by a total score of 27–14, defeated Fort William by a total score of 16–10, the defeated Edmonton by a total score of 17–8 to reach the final series. The Monarchs defeated the Melville Millionaires by a 4–2 score, and won the 1915 Allan Cup by a two-game total score of 7–6.{{cite news|title=Allan Cup Redeemed By Champion Monarchs|last=Finlay|first=W. J.|date=March 13, 1915|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-13-1915-2566197/}}

=World War I and patriotic hockey=

Marples remained as secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League until the end of the 1919–20 season.{{cite news|title=Geo. Hay Not Received With Great Rejoicing|date=November 11, 1919|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-11-1919-2537275/}} He felt that the league's greatest achievement as of 1915, was the establishment of the CAHA and Taylor being elected the first president.{{cite news|title=Local Hockey League Favours Suspension of Allan Cup Contests|date=November 15, 1915|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-15-1915-2536631/}} The league saw a decrease in the number of senior hockey players during World War I. Marples urged the league to operate during the 1915–16 season to support patriotic fundraising for the war effort, but felt that the CAHA should have temporarily suspended the national championship as of the 1916 Allan Cup. The MAHA approved the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League for the season with reduced expenses and profits donated to patriotic fundraising efforts.{{cite news|title=Patriotic Hockey Is Approved By Manitoba Body|date=November 22, 1915|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=13|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-22-1915-2566703/}}; {{cite news|title=Further Plans For Patriotic Hockey|date=November 26, 1915|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-26-1915-2536644/}}

The Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League renamed itself the Winnipeg Amateur Patriotic Hockey League for the 1916–17 season, and provided a place for teams of soldiers to play including the Winnipeg 61st Battalion.{{cite news|title=Patriotic Hockey Nets A Thousand|date=March 16, 1917|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-16-1917-2537184/}} As the MAHA secretary, Marples sought clarity on the eligibility of soldiers in the league for the Allan Cup. CAHA secretary W. A. Hewitt deemed that competitions only involving soldiers would not affect an athlete's amateur or professional status, but that only strictly amateur teams could compete for the Allan Cup.{{cite news|title=Only Strictly Amateur Teams Can Play For Allan Hockey Cup|last=Ching|first=Tim|date=December 20, 1916|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=17|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-20-1916-2537169/}}

The Winnipeg Amateur Patriotic Hockey League became the Winnipeg Military Hockey League during the 1917–18 season. Its teams were named for battles fought during World War I, which included the Monarchs temporarily named Ypres and managed by Marples.{{cite news|title=Military Hockey League To Open Season Dec. 27|date=December 11, 1917|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-11-1917-2537198/}} The Monarchs reverted to their old name as of the 1918–19 season, and resumed competing for the Allan Cup with Marples continuing as president of the team.{{cite news|title=Monarch Hockey Club Is Ready For Another Season|date=November 23, 1918|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=26|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-23-1918-2537257/}}

=1920s and 1930s=

File:Winnipegfalcons.jpg

Marples served as secretary-treasurer of the MAHA until 1934,{{cite news|title=Manitoba Protests C.A.H.A. Proposal|date=January 29, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-29-1945-2532741/}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/people/fred-marples/|title=Honoured Members: Marples, Fred|year=1989|website=Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=May 8, 2021}} and represented the association as a delegate to meetings of the CAHA and the Manitoba branch of the AAU of C.{{cite news|title=Dr. McDiarmid and Fred Marples Appointed to Attend Annual Meeting|date=March 8, 1920|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=12|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-08-1920-2537289/}}{{cite news|title=Hockey Association Says That Winnipeg Players Can Line Up With Brandon Club This Winter|date=November 28, 1921|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-28-1921-2537440/}}

On behalf of the MAHA, Marples accompanied the Winnipeg Falcons on their trip to Toronto that resulted in winning the 1920 Allan Cup. He convinced Winnipeg City Council to assist with travel expenses to Europe, after the Falcons were chosen to represent Canada in ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium.{{cite news|title=City Helps Finance Falcons' Antwerp Trip|date=March 30, 1920|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=12|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-30-1920-2537294/}} The Falcons then became the first gold medalists in ice hockey at the Olympic Games.{{cite news|title=City Presents Falcon Players With Watches At Elaborate Banquet|date=May 25, 1920|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-25-1920-1885370/}}

When five players from the Brandon Wheat City Hockey Club senior team suddenly departed after the 1920–21 season ended, Marples stated that it put the players under suspicion of professionalism, but the MAHA could not do anything unless there was proof of players being paid to play or a residency rule violation.{{cite news|title=May Take Some Action Against Brandon Players|date=March 31, 1921|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-31-1921-2537347/}}; {{cite news|title=Action Brandon Hockey Players Causes A Doubt|date=April 2, 1921|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-02-1921-2537355/}} In June 1921, Marples and other MAHA officials met with CAHA president W. R. Granger to investigate into charges of professionalism in amateur hockey.{{cite news|title=W. R. Granger Looks Into Hockey In West|date=June 22, 1921|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-22-1921-2537361/}} The CAHA subsequently established a national registrar and a committee to investigate registrations and reduce the number of players transferring between teams.{{cite news|title=New Body Created At Hockey Meeting|date=October 29, 1921|newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal, Quebec|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74402769/granger-1921/}}

The MAHA suspended the Winnipeg Falcons and the Winnipeg Selkirks for the 1923–24 season due to rumors of playing in an international league with team in the United States, which Marples later felt was a mistake by the MAHA.{{cite news|title=Falcons and Selkirks Not Ready to Play in M.A.H.A. Under the Present Plans|last=Finlay|first=W. J.|date=November 1, 1923|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=23|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-01-1923-2537855/}} The two Winnipeg teams instead played in the Central Canada Hockey League with senior teams in the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association, which the MAHA considered to be an unaffiliated outlaw league.{{cite news|title=Canadian Executive Called To Winnipeg|last=Boreham|first=Bruce|date=December 1, 1923|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-01-1923-2537864/}} The MAHA established the Manitoba Senior Hockey League for the 1924–25 season, and Marples sought to include the teams from the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association.{{cite news|title=Sport Gossip|date=October 24, 1925|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-24-1925-2538283/}} Due to ongoing disagreements on which teams were admitted to the Manitoba Senior Hockey League and the 1926–27 season schedules, Marples and MAHA president Abbie Coo formed a committee with team representatives to oversee the league.{{cite news|title=Committee Named to Control Senior Hockey in Manitoba|date=January 17, 1927|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-17-1927-2539092/}}

Marples advocated for timely submission of registrations to track player transfers,{{cite news|title=Sport Salad|date=November 24, 1925|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-24-1925-2538297/}} and began enforcing May 15 as a deadline for transfer requests when the CAHA approved the set date as of the 1927–28 season.{{cite news|title=Hockey Players Must Register Before May 15|date=March 21, 1928|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-21-1928-2567460/}} When the MAHA decreased to only two senior teams by the 1928–29 season due to competition from professional leagues, Marples sought to promote the midget and juvenile age groups in minor ice hockey to provide a source of future senior players.{{cite news|title=E. A. Gilroy Is Again President Manitoba Hockey Association|date=November 19, 1928|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=18 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-19-1928-2567485/}} He wanted to see an agreement reached with professional leagues that kept players in junior ice hockey leagues until age 21 before signing a contract,{{cite news|title=E. A. Gilroy, Portage la Prairie, Re-elected President M.A.H.A.|date=November 11, 1929|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=7|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-11-1929-2539442/}} and to grow the game in rural regions of Manitoba when MAHA registrations declined during the Great Depression.{{cite news|title=Report of M.A.H.A. Secretary|date=October 12, 1934|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-12-1934-2540105/}}

When the Manitoba Women's Amateur Hockey Association was established in 1933, Marples sat on its advisory committee to co-ordinate women's hockey in Manitoba.{{cite news|title=Women's Hockey Body Organizes|date=November 11, 1933|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=32|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-11-1933-2539958/}} After he resigned as secretary-treasurer in 1934, the MAHA did not fill the position until the general meeting in 1936.{{cite news|title=Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association Will Discuss Season's Plan At Meeting|date=October 17, 1936|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-oct-17-1936-2540931/}}

National hockey executive

Marples served as the secretary-treasurer of the CAHA from 1922 to 1924, appointed by the president Toby Sexsmith. The secretary-treasurer was an ex-officio non-voting member of the executive who was granted an honorarium to cover expenses. The CAHA generated most of its income from gate receipts during the Allan Cup playoffs, and Marples oversaw CAHA expenditures as approved by an agreement with the cup's trustees.{{cite news|title=Arrangements Completed For International Hockey Series Between Canada and States|date=March 21, 1922|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-21-1922-2566714/}}{{cite news|title=W. R. Sexsmith, Portage, Elected Canadian Amateur Hockey Assn. President For Second Term|date=March 23, 1923|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=11|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-23-1923-2537792/}}

File:IJshockeyteam tijdens Olympische Winterspelen, SFA022000505.jpg

When ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics was scheduled to be played during late January and early February, Marples doubted that Canada would be represented since the proposed dates overlapped with the Allan Cup playoffs.{{cite news|title=Will Not Enter Canadian Team|date=January 11, 1923|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-11-1923-2537757/}} The CAHA chose the Toronto Granites who won the 1923 Allan Cup to represent Canada instead of participating in the 1924 Allan Cup competition.{{cite news|title=Canadian Olympic Committee Would Have Canada Represented In Many Branches Of Sport|date=March 24, 1923|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-24-1923-2566836/}} Marples and the CAHA supported the Canada men's national ice hockey team by paying C$2,000 in travel expenses and the Granites won Canada's second gold medal in Olympic hockey.{{cite news|title=Quilty Succeeds Toby Sexsmith As Hockey Leader|date=March 29, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=19|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-29-1924-2538168/}}{{cite news|title=Olympic Committee Praised By Canadian Amateur Union|date=September 27, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=18|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-27-1924-2566877/}}; {{cite news|title=Work of Olympic Committee Praised By Canadian Amateur Union (Continued From Page 18)|date=September 27, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=39|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-27-1924-2566894/}}

File:George Richardson Memorial Trophy.jpg

In 1924, Marples was succeeded as secretary-treasurer by Dave Gill.{{cite news|title=Quilty Succeeds Toby Sexsmith as Hockey Leader|agency=The Canadian Press|date=March 29, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=19|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-29-1924-3639200/}} Marples was subsequently named to the CAHA registration committee in 1925,{{cite news|title=S. P. "Silver" Quilty Re-elected Leader|date=March 25, 1925|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=12|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-25-1925-2566906/}}; {{cite news|title=Touring Hockey Players Are All Denied Branch Transfers By Registration Committee|date=November 17, 1934|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=25|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-17-1934-2540131/}} then served as the CAHA secretary again from 1926 to 1945.{{cite web|url=https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/corporate/contact/board-of-directors/past-officers|title=Past Officers|website=Hockey Canada|access-date=July 18, 2021}} In 1929, the secretary and registrar-treasurer were made permanent positions on the CAHA executive committee.{{cite news|title=C.A.H.A. Commends Official For Action In Anderson Case|date=March 27, 1929|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=22|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-27-1929-3017271/}}; {{cite news|title=W. A. Fry is Again Named President of Hockey Body|date=March 29, 1929|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-29-1929-3017281/}} When the George Richardson Memorial Trophy was established in 1932, Marples was named of three trustees of the cup which was annually awarded to the junior hockey champion of Eastern Canada.{{cite news|title=Canadian Amateur Hockey Association In Annual Session|date=April 5, 1932|newspaper=Medicine Hat News|location=Medicine Hat, Alberta|page=2|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-05-1932-2567562/}}

In 1930, the CAHA was faced with the new situation of players returning from professional tryouts without signing a contract.{{cite news|title=Ruling Made By A.A.U. Is Not New One|date=December 20, 1930|newspaper=Medicine Hat News|location=Medicine Hat, Alberta|page=7 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-20-1930-1813956/}} The CAHA agreed that any player who had not received remuneration could be reinstated as an amateur, with Marples handling amateur reinstatement requests as the secretary.{{cite news|title=Tom Cowan Will Be Back With Club This Week|date=January 19, 1931|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-19-1931-2539573/}} The CAHA later changed its position due to losing players to professional teams, and suspended any amateurs who tried out with professional teams. Marples summarized the decision by stating that amateur teams within the CAHA should not be a "feeding ground" for professional leagues.{{cite news|title=To Ban Amateurs Who Practice With Pros|date=April 2, 1931|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-02-1931-2539593/}} Then CAHA president Jack Hamilton lauded the work of Marples and W. A. Hewitt and said, "These men are untiring in their work, are capable and, above all, real sportsmen. When the CAHA loses either or both — and we trust that it will not be for many years — their places will be hard to fill".{{cite news|title=Canada's Amateur Ice Officials Meet, 'Peg|date=March 31, 1931|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=11|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-31-1931-2539588/}}

Marples reported that the CAHA lost approximately $7,000 by covering expenses for the national team to the 1936 Olympics.{{cite news|title=Open Break Between Canadian Amateur Union and Governing Hockey Body Becomes Imminent|date=April 14, 1936|newspaper=Brandon Daily Sun|location=Brandon, Manitoba|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-14-1936-2568125/}} In September 1936, he announced that the CAHA's financial reserves had been further depleted during the Great Depression and that only $1,400 remained to cover expenses during the 1936–37 season playoffs. He and the CAHA decreed that the location of Allan Cup and Memorial Cup games would be chosen based on the greatest profit from gate receipts and reduced travel expenses.{{cite news|title=Hockey Teams to Play For Funds In Future, Fred Marples Announces|date=September 16, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-16-1936-2540902/}}; {{cite news|title=Financial Viewpoint to Be Factor In Awarding C.A.H.A. Playoffs?|date=September 16, 1936|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=11|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-16-1936-2540915/}} The Winnipeg Tribune journalist Ralph Allen felt that the smaller cities in Canada would suffer as a result of the financial shortage, and criticized the CAHA for creating the problem by being self indulgent, spending too much on team travel, and by covering expenses for delegates to attend meetings.{{cite news|title=One Man's Opinion|last=Allen|first=Ralph|author-link=Ralph Allen (journalist)|date=September 16, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-16-1936-2540909/}}

In April 1937, the position of CAHA secretary was made a non-permanent part of the executive. Marples was appointed by the subsequent presidents each year to be the secretary until 1945.{{cite news|title=Cecil Duncan Is Re-elected Head At C.A.H.A. Meet|date=April 21, 1937|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-21-1937-2541325/}}; {{cite news|title=C.A.H.A. Harmony Restored; Quebec Pledges Affiliation|date=April 22, 1937|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=19|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-22-1937-2541382/}}

In April 1939, the CAHA observed its silver jubilee at the Royal Alexandra Hotel in Winnipeg. Marples was one of the speakers giving a tribute to the CAHA where 11 of 13 past presidents were the guests of honour.{{cite news|title=C.A.H.A. Observes Silver Jubilee|date=April 11, 1939|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-11-1939-2568357/}} The financial situation had improved by 1939, and Marples oversaw the CAHA assuming full responsibility to finance a national ice hockey team as of the 1940 Winter Olympics.{{cite news|title=Olympic Games Get $3,000 Grant From C.A.H.A.|date=April 13, 1939|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=19|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-13-1939-2568366/}}

Canadian Olympic Committee

Marples served as the secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Olympic Committee from 1922 to 1936,{{cite news|title=Manitoba Gets Canadian Amateur Boxing And Wrestling Championships|date=December 11, 1922|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=13|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-11-1922-2537453/}}{{cite news|title=$10,000 Federal Government Grant Will Not Cover Expenses|date=January 14, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-14-1936-2540351/}} and represented the CAHA on the committee.{{cite news|title=Judge Jackson Is On Canadian Olympic Board|date=September 12, 1925|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=9|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-12-1925-2538273/}}; {{cite news|title=Play-off Dates In West Will Be Earlier Next Year, State Officials|date=March 28, 1929|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-28-1929-2567504/}} He also served on the AAU of C committees for women's athletics, legislation, and the Canadian Track and field championships.{{cite news|title=Judge Jackson and C. B. Cheesman on A.A.U. of C. Com.|date=February 25, 1929|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-25-1929-2567497/}}; {{cite news|title=A.A.U. Committees Are Named By President|date=February 18, 1933|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=21|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-18-1933-2567576/}}; {{cite news|title=Intermingling In Hockey Is Problem For Branches|date=November 22, 1937|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=15|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-22-1937-2541409/}}

=1924 Summer Olympics=

File:Les 45 portes-drapeau à la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO 1924 (Géo André au centre).jpg|alt=Black and white image of national teams marching into the stadium behind their national flag]]

In January 1924, Marples announced that sending the Canadian Olympic team to the 1924 Summer Olympics would cost $40,000.{{cite news|title=$26,000 Subscribed To Olympic Fund|date=January 8, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=11|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-08-1924-2538122/}} He stated that unless the Canadian Olympic Committee could raise $20,000 to $25,000 within a couple months, the national team would be small and not representative of Canadian athletics. He felt that it was the duty of all Canadian citizens to ensure the strongest possible national team was sent the Olympics, and urged contributions from individuals, organizations, and provincial governments.{{cite news|title=Committee Faced With Hard Task of Locating $25,000|last=Boreham|first=Bruce|date=April 26, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-26-1924-2538186/}}

Canada sent 65 competitors to France to compete in eight Olympic sports.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/CAN/summer/1924/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417060317/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/CAN/summer/1924/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|title=Canada at the 1924 Paris Summer Games|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Sports Reference}} Marples reported that it cost $460 to send each athlete to France, but the Canadian Olympic Committee still had financial reserves despite being approximately $1100 over budget. The AAU of C praised Marples and Canadian Olympic Committee executives for their efforts and assembling the Canadian Olympic team.{{cite news|title=Canadian Delegates at Games Praised For Splendid Work|date=September 27, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=18|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-sep-27-1924-2538205/}}

=1925 to 1932=

In December 1925, Marples was part of a delegation of amateur sports organizations who met with Duncan Lloyd McLeod, the Municipal Commissioner of Manitoba, and appealed for the amusement tax on gate receipts of amateur sporting events be repealed.{{cite news|title=Amateur Sport Events May Be Free From Tax|date=December 22, 1925|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-dec-22-1925-2538305/}}

File:1928 Canada Olympic Hockey Team.jpg team representing Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics|alt=Black and white photo of fourteen hockey players in white sweaters with a maple leaf crest, and four men wearing dark suits and overcoats]]

Marples was treasurer of the Canadian national team which won the gold medal in ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics. He sat on the selection committee for the Canadian track and field team at the 1928 Summer Olympics,{{cite news|title=Many Appointments Made at Meeting of Olympic Committee|date=May 4, 1928|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=20|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-04-1928-2539131/}} and travelled with the Olympic team aboard {{SS|Albertic}} to the Netherlands.{{cite news|title=Canadian Athletes Off For Olympic Games at Amsterdam|date=July 11, 1928|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=18|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jul-11-1928-2539152/}} He also served as an on-field official in athletics events at the 1928 Summer Olympics and later at the 1930 British Empire Games.{{cite web|url=http://canadasports150.ca/en/british-empire-games-commonwealth-games/1930-british-empire-games-hamilton/33|title=1930 British Empire Games – Hamilton|date=2017|website=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=May 11, 2021}}

File:Olympic Stadium Amsterdam 1928.jpg in Amsterdam|alt=Black and white aerial view of a one-tier stadium surrounding a track and field oval]]

Marples advocated for the establishment of a club in Winnipeg to support local athletes and raise funds to send them to the Canadian championships and Olympic trials. He emulated the success of the Hamilton Olympic Club which hosted the 1930 British Empire Games and was chairman of the committee to establish a constitution for the Winnipeg club.{{cite news|title=Lay Plans for Formation of Winnipeg Olympic Association|date=July 19, 1930|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=29|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jul-19-1930-2539522/}}

Marples was the chairman of a committee of local sports organizations which hosted a banquet for the Winnipeg Hockey Club who won the 1931 Allan Cup, and the Elmwood Millionaires who won the 1931 Memorial Cup.{{cite news|title=Expect 1,500 to Attend Big Banquet for Champion Teams|date=April 10, 1931|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-10-1931-2539623/}}; {{cite news|title=Civic and Sporting Fraternity Dinner Next Tuesday Evening|date=April 14, 1931|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=20|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-14-1931-2539626/}} He served as the manager of the Winnipeg Hockey Club when they represented Canada in ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics, then arranged a victory banquet in Winnipeg after the team won the gold medal.{{cite news|title=Bumper Meeting of Sportsmen Assures Rousing Welcome to Winnipeg's Olympic Champs|date=February 20, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=19|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-20-1932-2539823/}}

The Manitoba Citizens' Olympic Committee was established in April 1932, with Marples elected as its secretary.{{cite news|title=Discuss Plans To Raise Money|date=April 29, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-29-1932-2539838/}} He arranged a series of four sporting exhibition events on behalf of the committee to prepare athletes and raise money for the 1932 Summer Olympics.{{cite news|title=Fine Programme At Amphitheatre|date=June 16, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-16-1932-2539852/}} He was part of a group of eight delegates from the Canadian Olympic Committee who lobbied Edgar Nelson Rhodes, the Canadian Minister of Finance, for funds to cover travel expenses for Canadian athletes to the Olympics.{{cite news|title=Olympic Committee Going After Funds|date=April 7, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=9|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-07-1932-2567564/}}

=1936 Winter Olympics=

The Port Arthur Bearcats team was chosen to represent Canada in ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics and was strengthened by additional players from across Canada. The Canadian Olympic Committee and the CAHA removed four members of the Halifax Wolverines from the team after the players were reported to have asked for money to take care of their families while playing in Europe.{{cite news|title=C.A.H.A. States Four Wolverines Asked Pay|date=January 7, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-07-1936-2540261/}} Marples denied that there had been any agreement to take care of the players' families while they were at the Olympics, and that the Halifax players had left the team voluntarily because they could not get what they wanted in terms of money.{{cite news|title=Marples States Wolverines Left Team Voluntarily|date=January 17, 1936|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=9|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-17-1936-2540388/}}; {{cite news|title=Official States Wolverines Left Team Voluntarily |date=January 17, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-17-1936-2540428/}} The Maritime Amateur Hockey Association was upset with the dismissal of the players and accused the CAHA of misappropriating gate receipts from the 1935 Allan Cup held in Halifax. Marples replied that $11,000 was taken in gate receipts, but that the CAHA spent $6,000 towards transportation and lodging of the visiting teams to Halifax for the finals.{{cite news|title=$6,000 Spent on Expenses, Says Secretary Marples|date=January 13, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-13-1936-2540306/}}

File:Canadian Ice Hockey Team, 1936 Winter Olympics.jpg

Marples was the head of mission for the Canadian delegation to the 1936 Winter Olympics in Germany and oversaw all travel arrangements.{{cite news|title=In the Realm of Sport|last=Armstrong|first=E. A.|date=January 3, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=12|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-03-1936-2540256/}} He accompanied the national hockey team to Europe aboard {{RMS|Duchess of Atholl}},{{cite news|title=Olympic Hockey Team On Its Way|date=January 20, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=13|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-20-1936-2540480/}} and felt that the 1936 team would be stronger than the 1932 gold medalists.{{cite news|title=Four New Players To Join Team|date=January 8, 1936|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=10|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-08-1936-2540274/}} Journalist Lou Marsh reported that the CAHA did not have any representation on the international board of hockey referees, that no Canadian or American referee went with the team to Europe, and that Marples chose to accept only Europeans refereeing during the Olympics.{{cite news|title=Snapshots on Sport|last=Allen|first=W. G.|date=January 23, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=18|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-23-1936-2540467/}}

File:Edward Albert Gilroy photo circa 1906.jpg

On the night before the Olympic hockey tournament began, the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) ruled that Jimmy Foster and Alex Archer were ineligible to play for the Great Britain national team since the players had violated the CAHA's transfer rules by departing for Great Britain without permission.{{cite news|title=British Olympic Hockey Players Are Suspended|date=February 6, 1936|newspaper=Lethbridge Herald|location=Lethbridge, Alberta|page=6 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-06-1936-2540509/}} Great Britain's manager Bunny Ahearne contested that international rules at the time allowed a player to leave a country without obtaining permission and that Canada was afraid of losing to Great Britain.{{cite news|title=Suspension Lifted on Two Winnipeg Players Averting Olympic Row|date=February 8, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=28|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-08-1936-2540528/}} Marples and CAHA president E. A. Gilroy were perturbed by accusations that Canada was being unsportsmanlike due to the suspensions, and insisted that the eligibility question had been brought up against their will to give Canada a bad name.{{cite news|title=Mulqueen Charges Olympic Body With Manipulation|last=Halton|first=M. H.|date=February 18, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-feb-18-1936-2540531/}} Marples and Gilroy maintained that the suspensions had resulted from a CAHA protest to the LIHG in September 1935 rather than any last-minute action. The Canadian Press reported that Canadian officials agreed to lift the suspensions on Foster and Archer after "considerable pressure had been brought to bear on Canadian officials by British Olympic higher-ups".

Great Britain defeated Canada by a 2–1 score during the second round of the tournament, with the loss carried over to the final round which determined the standings for the Olympic medals. After the loss, Marples and Gilroy protested to LIHG president Paul Loicq who denied that the rules were changed. Loicq reiterated that participating nations were briefed on the format twice, and that Canada had only attended one of the two meetings.{{cite news|title=Ice Hockey Federation Head Denies Rules Were Changed|date=April 25, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=32|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-25-1936-2568149/}} Canada placed second overall and received the silver medal, while Great Britain ended Canada's streak of winning every gold medal in Olympic hockey as of 1932. The failure to win gold and understand the system used led to the CAHA being heavily scrutinized by the players and the media in Canada.{{Cite book|last=Podnieks|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Podnieks|title=Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams: The Complete History, 1920–1998|year=1997|publisher=Doubleday Canada|location=Toronto|pages=41–52|isbn=0-385-25688-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/canadasolympicho1920podn}}{{cite news|title=Olympic Hockey Players Slam C.A.H.A. Officials|date=March 21, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=29|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-21-1936-2540860/}} When the national team returned from Europe, players were resentful and bitter towards the CAHA for a lack of leadership. Kenneth Farmer stated that with respect to the playoffs system, Marples and Gilroy were "blissfully unaware of what it was all about". Ralph St. Germain stated that if Canada was seen as unsportsmanlike, "It was largely due to the incessant blustering and bickering of our officials".{{cite news|title=Condemnation Heaped Upon Canadian Olympic Officials|date=March 23, 1936|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-23-1936-2540868/}}

=1936 Summer Olympics=

In preparation for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany, Marples urged for branches of the AAU of C to raise funds to make the Canadian Olympic team as large as it could be.{{cite news|title=Montreal Offers $5,000 For Track Championships|date=November 23, 1935|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=26|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-23-1935-2540224/}} He stated that the Government of Canada would contribute $10,000 towards the national team, and that the Canadian Olympic Committee sought to maximize profits from the 1936 Canadian Track and Field Championships to provide additional funding for the Olympic team.

Personal life

Marples married his wife Ida {{circa|1907|1910}}, and they had one son, James, born in 1911.{{Citation|title=Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta|date=June 5, 1911|place=Winnipeg, Manitoba|publisher=Government of Canada|publication-place=Library and Archives Canada|page=2}} Marples's mother was killed at the St. Vital Fair, on August 15, 1924, and the subsequent MAHA executive meeting that month was postponed.{{cite news|title=Hockey Meeting Off|date=August 16, 1924|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-aug-16-1924-2538196/}}

As a merchant, he operated the butcher shop, Marples' Quality Meats, originally on North Main Street then later on Osborne Street in Winnipeg.{{cite news|title=City a leader in sports development|date=August 7, 1988|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=47|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-aug-07-1988-2532537/}}; {{cite news|title=Congratulations, Boys, And Welcome Home!|date=March 2, 1932|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=23|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-mar-02-1932-1698318/}} In politics, he was appointed by the Winnipeg Conservative Association to organize the newly created Winnipeg North federal electoral district in 1914.{{cite news|title=City Organizers For Three Federal Seats|date=November 20, 1914|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=4|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-nov-20-1914-2534517/}} He moved to Toronto in 1934, was involved in a brokerage business prior to World War II, then became a business partner in machine tool manufacturing.{{cite news|title=Dies In East: Fred Marples|date=January 17, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=28|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-17-1945-1626041/}}

Marples died in Toronto on January 17, 1945, after having a heart attack. His funeral was held in Winnipeg on January 22, 1945, followed by interment in Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg.{{cite news|title=Fred H. Marples' Funeral To Be Held Monday|date=January 18, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=3|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-18-1945-1640885/}}

Honours and legacy

The CAHA and the MAHA both observed a moment of silence for Marples at their general meetings following his death.{{cite news|title=Would Eliminate Red Centre Line|date=April 16, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=14|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-16-1945-2532736/}} CAHA president Frank Sargent said that Marples' death "was a great blow to the CAHA and a great loss to the Canadian hockey world".{{cite news|title=Frank Sargent Pays Tribute To Marples|date=January 22, 1945|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=16|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jan-22-1945-2532721/}} He felt that Marples was "one of the best officers the CAHA ever had", and had "always found him a guiding and valuable influence".

In 1989, Marples was posthumously inducted as an individual into the builder category of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted into both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, as a member of the Winnipeg Monarchs team that won the Allan Cup in 1915.{{cite web|url=http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/teams/1915-winnipeg-monarchs/|title=Honoured Members: 1915 Winnipeg Monarchs|year=|website=Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=May 8, 2021}}