Bob Gainey

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Lore & Background

Gainey was drafted eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1973 and also drafted by the WHA but chose the NHL. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy four consecutive seasons starting in 1977–78, the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1979, and five Stanley Cups as a player. After retiring, he became head coach of the Minnesota North Stars in 1990–91, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final. He was named general manager in 1992 and stayed when the team moved to Dallas in 1993. He stepped down as coach in the middle of the 1995–96 season but remained general manager. Under his leadership, Dallas won the Presidents' Trophy twice and the Stanley Cup in 1999. He left the Stars in 2003 to become general manager of the Canadiens, serving until 2010. He later became a consultant for the St. Louis Blues and a volunteer senior advisor for the Peterborough Petes.

In Their Own Story

The ice at Reunion Arena crackled under the weight of overtime tension in the 1999 Finals. Bob Gainey, the general manager who had assembled the powerhouse roster, watched from above as his acquisitions—Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Ed Belfour, Sergei Zubov—executed the system he had built. He didn't need to score; he had already done that as a player, winning five Stanley Cups with Montreal. In that split second, the roar of the Texas crowd drowned out everything else as the Stars secured the championship. Gainey's sixth Stanley Cup, his first as a general manager, was the culmination of a journey that began when he guided the Minnesota North Stars to the Final in 1991 on a string of upsets before losing in six games.

Reader's Guide

Gainey is known as a defensive forward who won the Selke Trophy four times. He captained the Canadiens from 1981–82 until his retirement in 1989. He won his sixth Stanley Cup as general manager of the Dallas Stars in 1999. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.

Did You Know?

• Gainey is the only player to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy in four consecutive seasons.
• He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1979 after scoring 16 points in 16 playoff games.
• The Montreal Canadiens retired his number 23 jersey in 2008.
• Gainey drafted his son Steve Gainey 77th overall in the 1997 NHL entry draft.