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Scotty Bowman

Buffalo Sabres Coaches › Scotty Bowman
Born:September 18, 1933
Hometown:Montréal, QC
Known For:9x Stanley Cup
National Team:Canada

William Scott Bowman, OC (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian retired National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,248 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and ranks 2nd all-time (behind Jean Béliveau’s seventeen) for most Stanley Cup victories by a player, coach, or executive with fourteen. He coached the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings. He is currently the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the Chicago Blackhawks (his son, Stan, is the team’s general manager). Bowman is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NHL history.

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). He has also won five Stanley Cups 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 is the only NHL coach to lead three teams to Stanley Cup victories. 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. His 8 losses in 1976–77 are a modern record. His teams also made it to the Stanley Cup Finals a record 13 times and the semi-finals a record 16 times.

Scotty Bowman
Former Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman at a game at the Montreal Forum during the late 1990s (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

Deeper Dive

Coaching History

Front Office History

  • St. Louis Blues (General Manager) 1968-1971
  • Buffalo Sabres (General Manager) 1979-1987
  • Pittsburgh Penguins (Director of Player Development) 1990-1993
  • Detroit Red Wings (General Manager) 1994-1997
  • Detroit Red Wings (Team Consultant) 2002-2008
  • Chicago Blackhawks (Senior Advisor) 2008-present

Achievements

  • 9x Stanley Cup Champion (Canadiens – 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, Penguins – 1992, Red Wings – 1997, 1998, 2002)
  • 2x Jack Adams Award (1977, 1996)
  • Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1991
  • Inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1999
  • Inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2000
  • Canada Cup Champion (1976)
  • Canada Cup Runner Up (1981)
  • Wayne Gretzky International Award (2002)
  • Inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2003
  • Made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012
  • Order of Hockey in Canada Award (2017)
  • Currently the winningest coach in NHL history with 1,248 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs
  • Has the most Stanley Cups by a player, coach, or executive with 15
  • Coached in an NHL-record 13 All-Star games

Sources

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