Scotty Bowman

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Lore & Background

As head coach, Bowman has won a record nine Stanley Cup championships; five with the Canadiens (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979), one with the Penguins (1992) and three with the Red Wings (1997, 1998, and 2002), making him the only head coach to lead three different teams to Stanley Cup victories. Bowman has also won the Stanley Cup five times as a member of an organization's front office. He was director of player development for the 1991 Penguins, consultant with the 2008 Detroit Red Wings, and senior advisor of hockey operations for the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Chicago Blackhawks. Bowman's teams also made it to the Stanley Cup Finals a record 13 times and the semifinals a record 16 times. Bowman won the Jack Adams Award in 1977 and 1996. In the 1976–77 season, he won a record 60 games, breaking his own record of 58 wins the year before. He broke his own record again in the 1995–1996 season, with 62 wins; overall, he held the record for 46 years, until 2023. His eight losses in 1976–77 are a modern record for the fewest defeats incurred.

In Their Own Story

In February 2002, Scotty Bowman made the decision to retire at the end of the season. That spring, he led the Red Wings to their third Stanley Cup in six years by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes four games to one. During the presentation of the Cup on the ice, a memorable moment unfolded as Bowman put on an old pair of skates to take a lap with the trophy alongside his players. He then publicly announced his retirement from coaching. At that time, he stood second on the Red Wings' all-time wins list, behind only Jack Adams. His departure marked the conclusion of a tenure defined by three championships and a return to dominance for a franchise that had waited 42 years for its first title under his leadership.

Reader's Guide

Bowman played junior league hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens until a fractured skull, resulting from an unintentional slash by Jean-Guy Talbot during the 1952 playoffs, ended his long term playing aspirations. Bowman started coaching, in 1956, as an assistant to head coach Sam Pollock with the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens in the Quebec Junior Hockey League. The following season, as head coach, Bowman's team won the 1958 Memorial Cup. Soon thereafter, he moved into a coaching job with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHA), the Montreal Canadiens' junior farm team. He moved into the NHL in 1967 when he joined the expansion St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach under general manager and head coach Lynn Patrick. However, Patrick resigned as coach after a slow start, and Bowman took over at age 34. The Blues made it to the Stanley Cup finals in their first three years of existence as Western Conference (Expansion) champs. Bowman assumed general manager duties after Patrick gave up that job in the summer of 1968. Bowman remained in St. Louis until the end of the 1970–71 season but left due to a dispute with team ownership. Bowman was hired as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on June 10, 1971. His team lost in the first round of the playoffs in 1972 but won the Stanley Cup in 1973. From 1976 to 1979, Bowman won four consecutive Stanley Cups. After a falling-out with ownership, Bowman stepped down after the 1978–79 season. For the 1979–80 season, Bowman moved to the Buffalo Sabres as coach and general manager. He served as the team's general manager until 1987, doubling as coach on three occasions. He missed the playoffs for the only time in his coaching career, in the 1985–86 season. Bowman resigned during the 1986–87 season. He then become the color commentator for the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. He became the director of player personnel of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990. Bowman took over as the team's head coach where the Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions in a season dedicated to Bob Johnson. After his two seasons as head coach in Pittsburgh, he was offered a long-term deal by the club but indicated he was not interested in their initial offer, so they rescinded it. In 1993–94, Bowman became coach of the Detroit Red Wings. In the 1995–96 regular season, he won a record 62 games. In the 1997 playoffs, Bowman led the team to i

Did You Know?

• Bowman holds the record for most wins in NHL history, with 1,244 regular-season wins and 223 playoff wins.
• He is the only head coach to lead three different teams to Stanley Cup victories: Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings.
• Bowman's 62-win season in 1995–96 set a record that stood for 46 years, until 2023.
• He won the Jack Adams Award in 1977 and 1996.
• Bowman's teams made the Stanley Cup Finals a record 13 times and the semifinals a record 16 times.