John Francis "Bunny" Ahearne managed the Great Britain national team in the 1930s and served as the secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) from 1934 to 1971. From 1971 to 1982 he was the president of the BIHA. He was also the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1957 to 1960, 1963 to 1966 and 1969 to 1975, as well as the IIHF vice president from 1951 to 1957, 1960 to 1963 and 1966 to 1969. Ahearne was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category in 1977 and posthumously to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. He passed away April 11, 1985.