Toe Blake
Eleven-time Stanley Cup champion as player and coach.
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Joseph Hector 'Toe' Blake (August 21, 1912 – May 17, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens, and later coached the Canadiens from 1955 to 1968. Blake is notable for winning the Stanley Cup eleven times in total—three as a player and eight as a coach—and for being the first coach to win 500 games with one team.
Lore & Background
Blake was one of 13 children born to Wilmer and Arzélie Blake in what is now the ghost town of Victoria Mines, and was raised in Coniston, Ontario. His nickname 'Toe' came from his younger sister's difficulty pronouncing his name, rendering it as 'Hec-toe'. He was also known as 'The Old Lamplighter' for his skill at putting the puck in the net.
Blake played junior and senior hockey in the Sudbury area and was part of the 1932 Memorial Cup champions, the Sudbury Cub Wolves. He signed with the Montreal Maroons on February 22, 1935, and made his NHL debut two days later. Though he played only eight games with the Maroons and was held scoreless, his name was added to the Stanley Cup when the Maroons won in 1935.
Blake then played for the Canadiens until a double fracture of his ankle ended his NHL career on January 11, 1948, after a collision with Bill Juzda of the New York Rangers. While with the Canadiens, he formed the 'Punch Line' with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard, and scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in overtime of game four of the 1944 Final. In 1946, he became the first Canadien to win the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship, a feat later matched only by Mats Näslund and Cole Caufield.
Reader's Guide
After retiring as a player, Blake turned to coaching and spent eight years with the Canadiens' minor-league affiliates before being named head coach of the Canadiens on June 8, 1955, replacing Dick Irvin. He was fluently bilingual in English and French, and management felt his history as Maurice Richard's linemate would help control the star's explosive temper. Blake coached the Canadiens for thirteen seasons, winning the Stanley Cup eight times—the most titles for any coach in team history and the most with one team, second only to Scotty Bowman's nine total Cups.
His 500 regular-season wins remain the most in Canadiens history. He won championships in each of his first five seasons as head coach, an NHL record that still stands. Blake initially refused goaltender Jacques Plante's request to wear a mask, but relented after a shot broke Plante's nose on November 1, 1959. The 1960 playoffs saw Montreal win all eight games to become the fourth team to win the Cup without a playoff loss, a feat unmatched since.
Blake retired after the Canadiens clinched the Cup in game four of the 1968 Finals, ending 33 consecutive years at ice level with the organization. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966 in the player category, and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1982. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1929–30 | Cochrane Dunlops | NOJHA | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1930–31 | Sudbury Cub Wolves | NOJHA | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1930–31 | Sudbury Industries | NOHA | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1930–31 | Sudbury Cub Wolves | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 1930–31 | Sudbury Wolves | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1931–32 | Sudbury Cub Wolves | NOJHA | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1931–32 | Falconbridge Falcons | NOHA | 10 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1932–33 | Hamilton Tigers | OHA Sr | 22 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1933–34 | Hamilton Tigers | OHA Sr | 23 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| 1933–34 | Hamilton Tigers | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 1934–35 | Hamilton Tigers | OHA Sr | 18 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1934–35 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935–36 | Providence Reds | Can-Am | 33 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 65 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 1935–36 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1936–37 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 43 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937–38 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 43 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1938–39 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 24 | 23 | 47 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1939–40 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1940–41 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1942–43 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 1943–44 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 41 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 2 |
| 1944–45 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 49 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 1945–46 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 29 | 21 | 50 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| 1946–47 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 60 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
| 1947–48 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 32 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1948–49 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1949–50 | Valleyfield Braves | QSHL | 43 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1950–51 | Valleyfield Braves | QSHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 577 | 235 | 292 | 527 | 282 | 57 | 25 | 37 | 62 | 23 | ||
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| MTL | 1955–56 | 70 | 45 | 15 | 10 | 100 | 1st in NHL | 8 | 2 | Won Stanley Cup (DET) | |
| 1956–57 | 70 | 35 | 23 | 12 | 82 | 2nd in NHL | 8 | 2 | Won Stanley Cup (BOS) | ||
| 1957–58 | 70 | 43 | 17 | 10 | 96 | 1st in NHL | 8 | 2 | Won Stanley Cup (BOS) | ||
| 1958–59 | 70 | 39 | 18 | 13 | 91 | 1st in NHL | 8 | 3 | Won Stanley Cup (TOR) | ||
| 1959–60 | 70 | 40 | 18 | 12 | 92 | 1st in NHL | 8 | 0 | Won Stanley Cup (TOR) | ||
| 1960–61 | 70 | 41 | 19 | 10 | 92 | 1st in NHL | 2 | 4 | Lost in semifinals (CHI) | ||
| 1961–62 | 70 | 42 | 14 | 14 | 98 | 1st in NHL | 2 | 4 | Lost in semifinals (CHI) | ||
| 1962–63 | 70 | 28 | 19 | 23 | 79 | 3rd in NHL | 3 | 4 | Lost in semifinals (TOR) | ||
| 1963–64 | 70 | 36 | 21 | 13 | 85 | 1st in NHL | 1 | 4 | Lost in semifinals (TOR) | ||
| 1964–65 | 70 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 83 | 2nd in NHL | 8 | 5 | Won Stanley Cup (CHI) | ||
| 1965–66 | 70 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 90 | 1st in NHL | 8 | 2 | Won Stanley Cup (DET) | ||
| 1966–67 | 70 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 77 | 2nd in NHL | 6 | 4 | Lost in Stanley Cup Final (TOR) | ||
| 1967–68 | 74 | 42 | 22 | 10 | 94 | 1st in East | 12 | 1 | Won Stanley Cup (STL) | ||
| Total | 914 | 500 | 255 | 159 | 1,159 | 82 | 37 | 13 playoff appearances / 8 Stanley Cup Wins | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Toe Blake (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Stanley Cups did Toe Blake win?
Blake collected three championships as a player and eight as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, for a career total of eleven rings. That combined tally remains one of the most dominant individual Cup records in NHL history.
What is Toe Blake's coaching record?
Over thirteen seasons as head coach (1955–1968), Blake led the Canadiens to eight Stanley Cup titles and became the first NHL coach to reach 500 victories with a single franchise.
When did Toe Blake play in the NHL?
He played thirteen seasons from 1935 to 1948, splitting his career between the Montreal Maroons and the Montreal Canadiens. His 1939 campaign earned him the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Toe Blake (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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