View source for Jack Button

{{Infobox person
|name          = Jack Button
|image         = 
|image_size    = 
|caption       = 
|birth_name    = 
|birth_date    = 1940
|birth_place   = [[Rushville, New York]], U.S.
|death_date    = July 31, 1996 (aged 56)
|death_place   = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
|citizenship   = 
|other_names   = 
|known_for     = [[Jack Button Award]]
|occupation    = *Director of the NHL Central Scouting Service 1975–1979<br>*Secretary & Public Relations Director of the [[American Hockey League]]
|years_active  =
|title         = '''General manager'''<br>*[[Pittsburgh Penguins]] 1974–75<br>*[[Amarillo Wranglers (1968–1971)|Amarillo Wranglers]] 1968–69<br>'''Assistant General Manager, Director of Scouting and Player Personnel'''<br>Pittsburgh Penguins 1969–1974<br> '''Director of Player Recruitment'''<br>*[[Washington Capitals]] 1979–83 <br>'''Director of Player Personnel & Recruitment'''<br>*Washington Capitals 1983–92<br>'''Director of Player Personnel'''<br>*Washington Capitals 1992–96
|children      = [[Craig Button]], [[Tod Button]] 
}}
'''John Carl 'Jack' Button'''<ref> "National Hockey League Guide and Record Book 1974-75, pg. 232 </ref> (1940 – July 31, 1996) was a professional [[ice hockey|hockey]] executive with the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] and [[Washington Capitals]] of the [[National Hockey League]]. The [[Jack Button Award]], given to the top prospect for the [[Washington Capitals]], was created in his honor. He died of leukemia in 1996.<ref>"Jack Button", ''The Capital'', Sunday, August 04, 1996, Annapolis, Maryland, United States Of America</ref>

==NHL clubs==
Button served as an assistant general manager while with the Penguins from 1969 until 1974, when he was named as the franchise's third [[general manager]]. At the end of the 1974-75 season, the Penguins entered bankruptcy. The new owners included [[Wren Blair]] as a minority partner, who took over the managerial reins. In [[Washington DC|Washington]], Button was highly regarded as a scout and he was credited with discovering [[Peter Bondra]], [[Jim Carey (ice hockey)|Jim Carey]], [[Sergei Gonchar]], [[Michal Pivonka]] and [[Brendan Witt]]. He was a part of the Capital franchise from 1979 until his death in 1996. During the [[1996–97 NHL season|1996–97 season]], the Capitals wore a memorial patch for Button which showcased his initials and a bulldog.

==Minor league clubs==
Button was public relations director of the [[Rochester Americans]] from 1964 until 1966, then moved to the [[American Hockey League]] office as the league's PR director. He also served as league secretary. In 1968, the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] appointed him general manager of their [[Central Hockey League (1963–1984)|Central Hockey League]] affiliate, the [[Amarillo Wranglers (1968-1971)|Amarillo Wranglers]]. The club played only one season, after which Button was promoted to the Penguins' front office.

==League work==
Button founded the [[NHL Central Scouting Bureau]] and served as its first director from 1975 until 1979.

==Family==
Button is the father of [[Craig Button|Craig]], a former executive with the [[Dallas Stars]] and [[Calgary Flames]], as well as a former pro scout with the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]. His other son [[Tod Button|Tod]] is the Flames' current director of scouting.

==References==

<references />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110915095531/http://www.azhockey.com/Bu.htm A to Z Hockey" Jack Button]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
 | title = [[List of Pittsburgh Penguins general managers|General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins]]
 | years = 1974–75
 | before = [[Jack Riley (ice hockey b. 1919)|Jack Riley]]
 | after = [[Wren Blair]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Button, Jack}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:American ice hockey coaches]]
[[Category:People from Rushville, New York]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Penguins executives]]
[[Category:Washington Capitals executives]]
[[Category:Washington Capitals scouts]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Washington, D.C.]]