Bowman, Scotty

Scotty Bowman, in full William Scott Bowman, (born Sept. 18, 1933, Montreal, Quebec, Can.), Canadian ice hockey coach and administrator who won a record nine Stanley Cups (1973, 1976–79, 1992, 1997–98, 2002) as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Bowman dreamed of skating in the NHL, but a severe head injury sustained in junior hockey ended his playing career. He began coaching, working the bench for numerous youth, junior, and minor league teams until 1967, when he took over the reins of the St. Louis Blues, an NHL expansion team. He led the club to three Stanley Cup finals before signing with the Montreal Canadiens in 1971. Bowman quickly established Montreal as the NHL’s dominant team of the 1970s, guiding it to five championships (1973 and 1976–79). In 1977 he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year. After a stint with the Buffalo Sabres as general manager and, from 1979 to 1987, coach, Bowman joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Hockey Night in Canada as a television commentator. In 1990 he returned to the NHL as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ front office. As director of player development, he helped the club win the 1991 championship. When the team’s coach, Bob Johnson, became ill during the 1991–92 season, Bowman assumed the responsibilities behind the bench, and the Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 1992.

In 1993 Bowman joined the Detroit Red Wings. By that time he had become known as much for his mind games as for his line changes, often switching players’ positions and threatening trades to motivate his athletes. Controlling and uncompromising, he often drew the ire of players and fans. His methods, however, produced results. Under his leadership the Red Wings reached the 1995 Stanley Cup finals and set an NHL record for most wins (62) in a season (1995–96). During the 1995–96 campaign, Bowman broke Al Arbour’s record of games coached (1,606) and received his second Jack Adams Award. In 1997 Bowman posted his 1,000th regular-season victory, an NHL record, as he guided the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship, the team’s first in 42 years. With the title, Bowman became the only coach to win the cup with three different teams. The Wings repeated as champions in 1998. In 2002 Bowman broke Hector (“Toe”) Blake’s record of eight Stanley Cups as Detroit won another title.

Shortly thereafter, Bowman retired as a coach. His career totals included a record 1,244 regular season wins. He served as a consultant with the Red Wings before joining the Chicago Blackhawks as a senior adviser in 2008. Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.