Montreal Canadiens: Top 5 All Time Coaches Rankings – #3 Dick Irvin

The Montreal Canadiens have entered the quietest time on the calendar. While there is little to look forward to in the month of August, we decided to take a look back at some of the greatest coaches in franchise history. We continue the countdown of the five best coaches in Canadiens history with the number three ranked head coach, Dick Irvin.

From the 1940-41 season to the end of the 1954-55 campaign, Dick Irvin was at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens, coaching many of the greatest players in the team’s history. An NHL player before he started his coaching career, Irvin made a seamless transition from player to coach. His first of three Stanley Cup wins with the Canadiens came during the 1944-45 playoffs.

The Canadiens cashed in on Irvin, after they had one of the worst seasons of the teams’ existence, mustering up just 10 wins. The Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with Irvin, and Canadiens general manager Tommy Gorman swooped in and picked him up. A proven winner on the ice, and as a head coach, it was a no-brainer for the Habs to bring Irvin in.

Irvin coached the Habs back to the playoffs during his first season and primed the team for their first cup win under his tutelage, just three seasons later in 1944. He found his greatest coaching success with the Canadiens, and names like Maurice Richard, Elmer Lach and Doug Harvey led the charge in helping to cement his legacy. His coaching stint in Montreal came to an end after the Canadiens lost to the Red Wings in the 1954 Stanley Cup finals, he would head across the border to ‘The Windy City’ for a brief, one-season stint to coach the Chicago Blackhawks, his declining health prompted an early retirement ahead of the 1956-57 season, his would-be second season behind the Hawks.

Irvin’s health poor health ultimately led to his departure from the league, but his impact will forever be etched in the Canadiens’ record books, and the minds of those that witnessed his brilliance firsthand. He succumbed to bone cancer at the age of 64, just a few months after he announced his NHL retirement. He wasn’t able to right the ship in Chicago, but his career wasn’t tarnished because of that fact.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1957-58, Irvin retired with 692 regular season wins and four Stanley Cups. He ranks third in wins amongst coaches with four Stanley Cup rings, behind only Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman. A consummate winner, Irvin’s impressive resume earned him the third rank amongst Montreal Canadiens coaches all-time.

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