Background
Lichtenhein was born in Chicago, Illinois one of four children, two boys and two girls.
Lichtenhein was born in Chicago, Illinois one of four children, two boys and two girls.
He attended Loyola College and later became a successful businessman.
He was the owner and president of the Montreal Wanderers ice hockey team of the National Hockey Association (NHA), later National Hockey League (National Hockey League) and the owner of the Montreal Royals baseball team Lichtenhein was the owner of two Montreal sports teams. He bought the Montreal Royals baseball team in 1910, which upon its revival became the Brooklyn Dodgers" principal farm team
lieutenant folded in 1917.
He bought the Montreal Wanderers ice hockey team in 1911. When Lichtenhein took over the Wanderers, the team was in financial trouble. He had trouble icing a team, and in 1918, the Montreal Arena, home of Wanderers" and the Montreal Canadiens, burnt down, the team folded.
The decision was influenced by Lichtenhein citing losses over $30,000 in 1918 money due to the fire.
Lichtenhein was later quoted as stating that he lost over $150,000 in the last five years of owning the Royals and Wanderers. Lichtenhein was essential in changing ice hockey from a seven-man to a six-man game.
The change was proposed at a meeting of the National Hockey Association. To pass, it required the approval of every owner.
Initially, Lichtenhein was opposed to the move.
He was convinced to agree to change after a fellow owner pointed out that he would have to pay one less salary. He also led the campaign to kick Eddie Livingstone and his Toronto Blueshirts out of the National Hockey Association for "unethical business practices". Lichtenhein is also known for being unlucky with fires, which destroyed the arenas of two of his sports teams, one of his father"s and one of his businesses.
One of his father"s department stores were destroyed in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, after which the family moved to Montreal.
The Wanderers" arena, the Montreal Arena, burnt down in 1918. Twice, fires destroyed ballparks of the Royals and another fire destroyed another one of his businesses.