Joseph Julius Kryczka QC (/ˈkrɪskɑː/; June 4, 1935 – January 11, 1991) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, coach and referee, and had a legal career as a lawyer and judge, where he was commonly known as "Justice Joe".

He practiced law in Calgary for more than 20 years, beginning in 1959 as a lawyer, becoming a judge, and was eventually elevated to a justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.

[7] Kryczka became an articled clerk in Calgary under future Court of Appeal of Alberta justice David Clifton Prowse, and was called to the bar in 1959.

[1][6] He was elected to the executive committee of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) in 1963,[6] and served as the Calgary Booster Club president from 1964 to 1965.

[20] Kryczka's presidency of the AAHA coincided with the formation of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), which had teams in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

[22][23] The decision threatened to end an agreement from October 1968, where referees in Alberta formed an independent organization to officiates games for both governing bodies.

[24] At the 1969 CAHA annual general meeting, Kryczka said that the WCHL succeeded in drawing many fans, and gave an opportunity for many young men to play in Western Canada.

[35] He took objection to Clarence Campbell stating that the NHL may need to revert to direct ownership of teams, because of concessions made to the WCHL, and having different age limits across Canada's junior hockey system.

[37] He mentioned the potential for changing regulations at the upcoming general meeting, requiring teams to agree to the competition in order to receive development funds from the NHL agreement.

[39] Shortly after becoming president, Kryczka announced a resolution to the Memorial Cup competition, where the Ontario and Quebec leagues agreed to compete with the Western Canada teams which gave up having extra overage players.

[42] Wright felt that the decision was in disregard to recreational hockey in Canada, and that the CAHA should send a team, as the Olympics was a different and unrelated tournament, compared to the World Championships.

He felt that the IIHF should allow professionals in the World Championships similar to FIFA, and reiterated that the CAHA had a good relationship with the NHL, which would release such players for an event.

[49] Kryczka later gave an interview to journalist Jim Coleman, and said that the Soviets had previously decided they could defeat any NHL team, and drew out negotiations to get more concessions on the rules of play.

[52][53] After the successful negotiations with the Soviets, he intended to table a similar proposal for the World Ice Hockey Championships at the next summer congress of the IIHF.

[54][61] The president's position had alternated every three years between Europe and North America, as part of the agreement for the CAHA and the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) to join the IIHF in 1947.

[63] Kryczka was disappointed that players from the World Hockey Association (WHA) were excluded from the series since he felt the team should be open all Canadians regardless of which professional league they played for, but he ultimately accepted the decision.

Kryczka was against having the West German officials Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader referee the game, and demanded to have Ove Dahlberg of Sweden, and Rudolf Baťa [cs] of Czechoslovakia.

[67][68] A compromise was reached that included Kompalla and Baťa as referees for the eighth game, and in the pregame ceremony Kryczka and Alan Eagleson presented the Soviet hosts with a totem pole as a gift from Canada.

[50] Eagleson was attending the World Championships and was not part of the negotiations, but he was the first person to phone Canada from Prague, and take credit for the event by reporting the agreement.

[72] Kryczka said that Canadian amateur hockey gained from the series because the CAHA earned $100,000 as its share of the profits, and it would be probable to see another similar professional event due to public demand.

[77] He also said that at the junior age level, there would be no concerns over who is or is not a professional player, and that the CAHA agreed to send the reigning Memorial Cup champion to represent Canada at the events.

[78] Kryczka's remaining four months as president were occupied by dealing with the WHA competing for junior-aged players, and threatening the CAHA's existing draft and development agreement with the NHL.

Kryczka had previously sent a letter to WHA president Gary Davidson, requesting the league honour the age at which players become professionals, as agreed with the NHL.

[80][81] Kryczka and Juckes set up a meeting on February 23, 1973, between the CAHA, each of its three leagues, and the WHA to the discuss attempted signings of junior players without paying development fees.

[83][84] In his final speech as president of the CAHA at the 1973 general meeting, he expressed his disappointment in the negotiations being broken off by WHA which claimed development fees being too high.

[89] At the 1975 general meeting, the rules committee dealt with the increase of violence in hockey, recommended more severe penalties for cross-checking and high-sticking above the shoulders, raised the punishment for abuse of officials, and suggested game misconducts to deter fighting.

[94] Kryczka stated that Calgary needed to build a replacement for the Stampede Corral, in order to remain competitive in major league hockey.

[98] The Soviet Olympic Committee told Calgary bid president Frank King, that it would vote for Canada, if Kryczka ran the hockey events.

[5] His eldest brother Ted also played hockey for the Golden Bears, once participated in a Chicago Blackhawks training camp, and was a town counselor for Coleman from 1961 to 1978.

[102] His family kept souvenirs from the Summit Series, including the original two-page document signed in Prague, which had been stored in a safe at his law office.