Bob Gainey

Defensive forward who won five Stanley Cups as a player and one as a GM, with four consecutive Selke Trophies.

Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and executive. He played 16 seasons as a left winger in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens.

Quick Facts

Position: Left wing
Played for: Montreal Canadiens
Shoots: Left
Born: 13 December 1953
Birthplace: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Draft: 8th overall
WHA draft: 7th overall
WHA draft team: Minnesota Fighting Saints

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.

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. 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?

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.