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 end the countdown of the five best coaches in Canadiens history with the number one ranked head coach, Scotty Bowman.
Scotty Bowman started his coaching career in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, where he took the new expansion team to three straight Stanley Cup Finals. Although they were swept all three times, he clearly impressed the Canadiens, whom he lost to twice, as he was hired in 1971 to lead the Habs at just 38 years old.
In his first season in Montreal, the Canadiens didn’t exactly set the world on fire, finishing third in their division and falling in the first round of the payoffs. But Bowman was just getting started in Montreal. The following season, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, Bowman’s first of many, and were on the cusp of something even more special.
Although the Canadiens had back-to-back years without a cup, a drought that feels like an eternity in Montreal at this time, the team was still good. And they have the right man leading the charge behind the bench. In 1975-76, something clicks, and things take off. The Canadiens win 58 games, go 12-1 in the Playoffs, and steamroll their way to Bowman’s second Stanley Cup and the Canadiens NHL leading 19th. Still, this group wasn’t done.
The Canadiens in 1976-77, not to be outdone by the year before, set a then NHL record for wins with 60 and lost just eight times that year. Remember, this came at a time when there was no overtime or shootouts. The Canadiens had 12 ties that year that could’ve become wins had they been allowed to play another five minutes. The Habs once again dominated the playoffs, going 12-2 and winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
When you break the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens' NHL record for most points in a season & have as many playoff series wins as the 2022-2023 Montreal Canadiens 😅 pic.twitter.com/IueVmj61aJ
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 6, 2023
The Canadiens would go on to win the next two Stanley Cups as well, just for good measure, and cemented themselves as one of the greatest (in my opinion, they reign supreme) dynasties professional sports have ever seen. So, just to recap, Scotty Bowman has been the Canadiens head coach for eight years and has won five Stanley Cups. He’s coached 634 games and won 419 of them, with another 105 ties that could’ve become wins in the modern NHL. His winning percentage of .744% is far and away the best in franchise history, and it’s safe to assume will never be touched.
So knowing all of this, it makes the decision to pass over him for the Canadiens general manager job in 1978 all the more puzzling. Instead, Montreal opted for Irving Grundman, a move that initially looked okay, as he was the GM when the team won the cup in 1979. But that was still Sam Pollock, the previous GM’s team, and once Bowman departed following the 1978-79 season, the Canadiens faltered. It’s hard not to imagine how different things are if the Canadiens stick with Bowman.
All month long, we’ve been ranking the greatest players to ever play for the Canadiens, and a common theme among many of them is who coached them.Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, and Serge Savard were all coached by Bowman. And the list continues far beyond those guys. You could argue that those guys did more for Bowman than vice versa, but I think Bowman’s success elsewhere would prove otherwise.
Bowman also won cups in Pittsburgh and Detroit, winning three with the Red Wings. He was there when Nicklas Lidstrom and the Russian Five joined the Wings, and he helped end a 40-year cup drought. Two of the greatest dynasties in NHL history have Bowman behind the bench, and he is considered by most to be the best coach the league has ever seen.
Toe Blake is the franchise leader in wins behind the bench for the Canadiens, as well as Stanley Cup victories with eight, but he was the coach for 13 seasons to Bowman’s eight. It’s easy to imagine what Bowman could’ve accomplished had he stayed behind the bench for that long. Heck, had the Habs given him the GM job, he might not have added to his totals as a coach, but cemented a new legacy instead. For these reasons, Bowman lands number one on our list.