Bowman, Scotty

Bowman, Scotty (William Scott Bowman), 1933–, Canadian hockey coach. A serious head injury in junior hockey led him to turn to coaching, and in 1967 he moved to the National Hockey League with the expansion St. Louis Blues, becoming general manager as well in 1968. In 1971 he joined the Montreal Canadiens, coaching them to five Stanley Cups (1973, 1976–79); he was named coach of the year in 1977. He was coach and general manager with the Buffalo Sabres (1979–87), then was a sports commentator (1987–1990) in Canada. He returned (1990) to the NHL as director of player development for the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping them win the 1991 Stanley Cup, then coached them to a Cup win in 1992. In 1993 he joined the Detroit Red Wings, and led them to Cup wins in 1997, 1998, and 2002. A demanding coach and a brilliant strategist, he finished his career with 1,244 regular season wins, a .654 winning percentage, and 223 playoff wins. His nine championships are a coaching record, and he is the only coach to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

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