James Norris - Born December 10, 1879 in Montreal, Quebec - Died December 4, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois was a Canadian/American ice Hockey defensive point, businessman, owner of Detroit Red Wings and had ownership interests in the Chicago Black Hawks and the New York Rangers.

- Amateur Hockey Association of Canada Intermediate Champion 1897 with Montreal AAA.

- Stanley Cup Champion 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952 with the Detroit Red Wings.

Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1934, 1936, 1937, 1943, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952.

Norris played Hockey at the point position (defence) for McGill University and the Montreal Hockey Club / Montreal AAA before moving with his family to Chicago, Illinois when he was 18 years old.

In the early 1900s, Norris also played Hockey in Chicago with the Kenwood Country Club and Chicago Wanderers teams.

Norris expanded his family businesses, and by 1940 his net worth was said to be over $200 million.

When the NHL announced in 1926 that it would place a team in Chicago, Norris made a bid for the team, but lost to Frederic McLaughlin. Norris was one of the financial backers of the Chicago Stadium, which opened in March 1929. At that time, Norris and Stadium president Paddy Harmon had discussions with Frank Patrick about bringing another Hockey team to Chicago, but under NHL rules, that would only be possible with McLaughlin's approval, which he would not give.

Later in 1930, Norris was one of the backers of the Chicago Shamrocks of the minor league American Hockey Association, which changed its name to the American Hockey League. The AHL was declared an "outlaw league" by NHL president Frank Calder, and in an attempt to separate Norris from the league, the NHL let Norris know that he would be welcomed as an NHL owner. Norris withdrew his support from the Shamrocks (the team disbanded after the 1931–32 season). In May 1932, Norris applied to the NHL for a team in St. Louis, but this was rejected by the league because of concerns over travel expenses for the other teams.

In 1931, the Detroit Falcons and their arena, the Detroit Olympia, had been placed into receivership and were being managed by a creditors' committee. By the summer of 1932, it was being reported that the team might be sold to Norris. In the fall of 1932, the NHL formally approved Norris' bid to acquire the team from the receiver. He changed the team's name to the Detroit Red Wings. Norris also designed the team's current logo: a wing protruding from a wheel. The logo was adapted from the old Montreal Hockey Club logo, a team he played for as a teenager.

Norris quickly cleared away the debt left over from past years and gave the Red Wings the financial backing they needed to become one of the most powerful teams in the NHL. Under Norris' ownership, the Red Wings won 5 Stanley Cups (1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952). He rarely saw his Red Wings play due to a heart condition.

When Frederic McLaughlin died in 1944, Norris helped longtime Black Hawks president Bill Tobin put together a syndicate that bought the team from the McLaughlin estate. It was generally understood, however, that Norris called the shots. He had bought Chicago Stadium in 1936, thus making him the Black Hawks' landlord. Earlier in the decade, he had bought enough stock in Madison Square Garden to become its largest stockholder, and while he did not buy majority control (he was forbidden from doing so by the NHL constitution), he had enough support from the board that he effectively controlled the New York Rangers as well. Norris's loans to the Boston Bruins during the 1930s gave him clout over that franchise as a creditor as well. Norris thus had outright control or significant influence over all 4 of the league's American teams.

James Norris is honoured by NHL by awarding the James Norris Memorial Trophy, annually since 1954 to the best defenseman during the regular season.

The NHL's former Norris Division, which existed from 1974 to 1993, was also named after him.

There was also a James Norris Memorial Trophy in the International Hockey League which was awarded to the top goaltender.

James Norris was elected as a builder to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

NOTE
Father of James Dougan Norris, Bruce Norris and Marguerite Norris.