 Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, he played for the Ottawa Senators, Haileybury Comets, Pittsburgh Pros, Waterloo Colts and Galt.At the age of 19, Baird first left Ottawa to pursue his hockey career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) in 1903–04.In 1904–05, he joined the Pittsburgh Professionals of the International Hockey League (IHL) for which he played on and off for the next three seasons.