He sought to raise the age limit imposed by the NHL and negotiate better financial terms for the junior teams which developed future professional players.

Butlin previously hosted a sports radio show, and was a founding member and later president of the Calgary Booster Club.

The team had an average of 3,000 fans per home game which increased when it joined the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) playoffs.

He signed a new ice agreement with the Corral, brought in partners to help operate the team, and switched to player salaries instead of dividing end-of-year profits.

[20] Butlin later chose not to accept the league president position, but he felt that Canadian would show interested in the use of international rules of play and three on-ice officials for games.

[21] Butlin sought to hire a full-time general manager for the Spurs when Marv Vangotsinoven resigned in March 1968, after four seasons with the team.

[22] In April 1968, the WCSHL was in danger of folding, and Butlin considered joining the Western International Hockey League whose senior teams were based in British Columbia and Washington.

A separate group of owners submitted a bid to the Alberta Senior Hockey League in July 1968, for a team to be called the Calgary Stampeders that would use free agent players from the Spurs.

[32] Butlin wanted the WCHL to be more involved in the community, and operate clinics for minor ice hockey players, coaches and managers.

[33] Butlin looked to expand the CHA eastward, and targeted the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League (WOJHL).

[37] He criticized the CAHA for accepting the NHL's lower the age limit that was "a move to put the kids into the money machine faster".

Butlin claimed the decision was discrimination against the WCHL, referred to his league as "good, clean-cut Canadian kids" and contested that "Canada's national team is professional in every respect".

[44] He chose not to test the CHA's contract in court due to differences in civil law in Quebec compared to the rest of Canada.

[45] The CHA contract was tested again when the Manitoba Junior Hockey League gave permission for the Dauphin Kings to use Butch Goring, who had been signed by the Winnipeg Jets.

[47] Butlin expected the WCHL to expand to British Columbia for the next season, and mentioned that Vancouver was actively scouting for players and he also wanted teams in Victoria and New Westminster.

[48] The Flin Flon Bombers from the WCHL and the St. Thomas Barons from the WOJHL were the respective league champions, and met in the CHA east-west national final for the Father Athol Murray Trophy.

[50] During the fourth game of the series played on May 5 at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon, the Barons refused to continue after an on-ice brawl during the second period.

[51] The Barons abandoned the series in the interest of player safety, and departed for St. Thomas despite a scheduled game on May 7 in Flin Flon.

Butlin threatened that CHA would seize the team's assets if the Barons did not play game five, stating that the series cost $10,000 to $12,000 to operate.

The WCHL gained direct representation on the CAHA junior council, and paid a flat registration fee per team rather than a percentage of gate receipts.

The WCHL would be expected to abide by any future CAHA-NHL agreements, and the CAHA agreed to distribute outstanding draft money.

[76] In August 1970, Butlin announced an affiliation agreement with the tier-2 BCJHL, where the WCHL would place its top prospect players for training and provide financial support and with scouting expertise.

[78] The CAHA did not use automatic release provisions in the 1970–71 season, and Butlin was forced to find alternate arrangements to settle disputes between the WCHL and other teams.

During games at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium, Butlin noted that spectators were very quiet and when Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev stood up, all one could hear was the sound of skates on the ice.

[91] Butlin announced Medicine Hat as the location for the Alberta Winter Games in 1978, and expected the operating budget to increase to $200,000 for 50,000 athletes.

[2] He stated that British Columbia was the first Canadian province to attempt to host annual summer and winter games starting in 1978.

The provincial government provided $180,000 towards the inaugural summer games, with plans to fund a legacy project up to $70,000 in the host location.

[93] A strike by employees at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, British Columbia led to Butlin finding other accommodations for athletes at the 1981 BC Winter Games.

[2][3] Bill Bennett, the Premier of British Columbia recruited Butlin to organize the events with limited financial resources.

Butlin was able to run the events without using a computer, brought local grocery retailer Island Farms on board as a title sponsor.