Bob Gainey

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Gainey was drafted by both the NHL and World Hockey Association as a first round draft pick in 1973, choosing to play with the Canadiens. He was the inaugural winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy and won it in four consecutive seasons, the only player to do so. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1979. A four-time All-Star, he was named team captain prior to the 1982–83 season and served until his retirement in 1989. He played one season as player-coach of the French team Epinal Squirrels. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup five times. In 2008, the Canadiens retired his number 23 jersey, the 14th player to receive the honor. After retiring, he became head coach of the Minnesota North Stars, reaching the Final in 1991. 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 stayed as GM. With Dallas, the team won the Presidents' Trophy twice and the Stanley Cup in 1999, giving Gainey his sixth championship. He became general manager of the Canadiens in 2003 and served until he resigned in 2010. He currently serves as a team consultant for the St. Louis Blues and a volunteer senior advisor for the Peterborough Petes. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.

In Their Own Story

The 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs marked a defining moment for Gainey, transforming him from a shutdown specialist into a championship leader. Facing a grueling schedule, he logged 16 points across 16 games, a performance so dominant that it secured him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His style was not built on highlight-reel offense but on suffocating defense and clutch contributions when the game mattered most. This same grit carried him through his captaincy years. After Serge Savard retired in 1982, Gainey took the helm just as the team struggled, losing in the first round three times from 1981 to 1983. The following season saw a disappointing regular season with only 75 points, yet he guided a surprising playoff run that reached the semifinals before falling to the New York Islanders. His leadership culminated in a return to the Final in 1986, lifting his last Cup as a player against Calgary, only to face them again in 1989. That final year ended with a loss in six games, prompting Gainey's retirement after 1160 regular season games and 5 Stanley Cup victories.

Reader's Guide

Bob Gainey played 1160 regular season games, scoring 239 goals and 263 assists. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981. He was selected to the NHL All-Star Game in 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1979. His Stanley Cup championships as a player came in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1986. He won a sixth Stanley Cup as general manager of the Dallas Stars in 1999. His number 23 was retired by the Canadiens on February 23, 2008.

Did You Know?

• Gainey is the only player to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy in four consecutive seasons.
• He was drafted eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens and seventh overall by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA in 1973.
• Gainey served as player-coach for the Epinal Squirrels in France after his NHL playing career.
• He drafted his son Steve Gainey in the 1997 NHL entry draft while general manager of the Dallas Stars.