Scotty Bowman facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the retired NHL coach. For former NHL defenseman Ralph "Scotty" Bowman, see Ralph Bowman. For the Michigan politician, see Scott Boman. For the Australian academic, see Scott Bowman (academic). For the Welsh musician, see The Beef Seeds.

Quick facts for kids Scotty Bowman OC
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1991 (Builder)
Bowman in June 2006
Born	(1933-09-18) September 18, 1933 (age 91) Verdun, Quebec, Canada
Coached for	St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings
Coaching career	1956–2002

Scotty Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a famous Canadian former professional ice hockey coach. He is known for winning more games than any other coach in National Hockey League (NHL) history. He has an amazing 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 wins in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Scotty Bowman has won the Stanley Cup, hockey's biggest prize, a record nine times as a head coach. He won five times with the Montreal Canadiens (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979). He also won once with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1992) and three times with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, and 2002). He also helped teams win the Stanley Cup five more times while working in their front office. This makes his total Stanley Cup wins 14, which is one of the highest ever for anyone in hockey. Many people think he is the greatest coach in NHL history.

Scotty Bowman's Early Career
Coaching Record Summary
Life After Coaching
Personal Life
See also

Scotty Bowman's Early Career

Scotty Bowman played junior hockey when he was younger. However, a serious head injury during a game in 1952 stopped him from playing professionally.

After his playing career ended, Bowman started coaching in 1956. He began as an assistant coach for the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens in a junior league. The next year, as head coach, his team won the 1958 Memorial Cup. He then coached the Peterborough Petes, which was a junior team connected to the Montreal Canadiens.

Coaching the St. Louis Blues (1967–1971)

In 1967, Bowman joined the St. Louis Blues in the NHL as an assistant coach. The Blues were a new team that year. When their head coach resigned, Bowman took over at just 34 years old. He led the Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first three years. He also became the team's general manager. Bowman stayed with the Blues until 1971.

Leading the Montreal Canadiens (1971–1979)

In 1971, Scotty Bowman became the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He was hired because he could speak both English and French fluently. His team won the Stanley Cup in 1973.

From 1976 to 1979, Bowman led the Canadiens to win four Stanley Cups in a row! This was a very talented team with star players like Guy Lafleur and Ken Dryden. Bowman's teams won at least 45 games in each of his eight seasons there. He left the Canadiens after the 1979 season.

Time with the Buffalo Sabres (1979–1986)

For the 1979–80 season, Bowman moved to the Buffalo Sabres. He was both the coach and the general manager. During his time with the Sabres, he missed the playoffs only once. He left the Sabres during the 1986–87 season. At that time, he had the most wins as a coach in Sabres history.

Winning with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–1993)

In 1990, Bowman became the director of player personnel for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was honored by being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

In 1991, the Penguins' coach, Bob Johnson, became very ill. Scotty Bowman took over as head coach. The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup again in 1992, dedicating the season to Johnson.

The next season, the Penguins had their best regular season ever, winning 17 games in a row. However, they lost in the playoffs to the New York Islanders. After two seasons, Bowman left the Penguins.

Success with the Detroit Red Wings (1993–2002)

In 1993, Bowman became the coach of the Detroit Red Wings. In 1995, the Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 29 years. They lost that year, but in the 1995–96 season, Bowman's team won a record 62 games.

In 1997, Bowman led the Red Wings to win their first Stanley Cup in 42 years! They won again the next season in 1998.

Bowman decided in February 2002 that he would retire at the end of that season. He retired as a winner, as his Red Wings won the Stanley Cup again in 2002. During the celebration, Bowman put on skates and took a lap with the Cup. He then announced his retirement from coaching.

Coaching Team Canada

Scotty Bowman also coached the Canada men's national ice hockey team twice. His team won gold in the 1976 Canada Cup and silver in the 1981 Canada Cup.

Coaching Record Summary

Team	Year	Regular season							Postseason
Team	Year	G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	W	L	Win %	Result
STL	1967–68	58	23	21	14	—	70	3rd in West	8	10	.444	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (MTL)
STL	1968–69	76	37	25	14	—	88	1st in West	8	4	.667	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (MTL)
STL	1969–70	76	37	27	12	—	86	1st in West	8	8	.500	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (BOS)
STL	1970–71	28	13	10	5	—	(31)	(resigned)	—	—	—	—
STL total		238	110	83	45	—	265		24	22	.522	4 playoff appearances
MTL	1971–72	78	46	16	16	—	108	3rd in East	2	4	.333	Lost in quarterfinals (NYR)
MTL	1972–73	78	52	10	16	—	120	1st in East	12	5	.706	Won Stanley Cup (CHI)
MTL	1973–74	78	45	24	9	—	99	2nd in East	2	4	.333	Lost in quarterfinals (NYR)
MTL	1974–75	80	47	14	19	—	113	1st in Norris	6	5	.545	Lost in semifinals (BUF)
MTL	1975–76	80	58	11	11	—	127	1st in Norris	12	1	.923	Won Stanley Cup (PHI)
MTL	1976–77	80	60	8	12	—	132	1st in Norris	12	2	.857	Won Stanley Cup (BOS)
MTL	1977–78	80	59	10	11	—	129	1st in Norris	12	3	.800	Won Stanley Cup (BOS)
MTL	1978–79	80	52	17	11	—	115	1st in Norris	12	4	.750	Won Stanley Cup (NYR)
MTL total		634	419	110	105	—	943		70	28	.714	8 playoff appearances 5 Stanley Cup titles
BUF	1979–80	80	47	17	16	—	110	1st in Adams	9	5	.643	Lost in semifinals (NYI)
BUF	1981–82	35	18	10	7	—	43	3rd in Adams	1	3	.250	Lost in Division semifinals (BOS)
BUF	1982–83	80	38	29	13	—	89	3rd in Adams	6	4	.600	Lost in Division finals (BOS)
BUF	1983–84	80	48	25	7	—	103	2nd in Adams	0	3	.000	Lost in Division semifinals (QUE)
BUF	1984–85	80	38	28	14	—	90	3rd in Adams	2	3	.400	Lost in Division semifinals (QUE)
BUF	1985–86	37	18	18	1	—	37	5th in Adams	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
BUF	1986–87	12	3	7	2	—	8	(fired)	—	—	—	—
BUF total		404	210	134	60	—	480		18	18	.500	5 playoff appearances
PIT	1991–92	80	39	32	9	—	87	3rd in Patrick	16	5	.762	Won Stanley Cup (CHI)
PIT	1992–93	84	56	21	7	—	119	1st in Patrick	7	5	.583	Lost in Division finals (NYI)
PIT total		164	95	53	16	—	206		23	10	.697	2 playoff appearances 1 Stanley Cup title
DET	1993–94	84	46	30	8	—	100	1st in Central	3	4	.429	Lost in Conference quarterfinals (SJS)
DET	1994–95	48	33	11	4	—	70	1st in Central	12	6	.667	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (NJD)
DET	1995–96	82	62	13	7	—	131	1st in Central	10	9	.526	Lost in Conference finals (COL)
DET	1996–97	82	38	26	18	—	94	2nd in Central	16	4	.800	Won Stanley Cup (PHI)
DET	1997–98	82	44	23	15	—	103	2nd in Central	16	6	.727	Won Stanley Cup (WSH)
DET	1998–99	82	43	32	7	—	93	1st in Central	6	4	.600	Lost in Conference semifinals (COL)
DET	1999–2000	82	48	22	10	2	108	2nd in Central	5	4	.556	Lost in Conference semifinals (COL)
DET	2000–01	82	49	20	9	4	111	1st in Central	2	4	.333	Lost in Conference quarterfinals (LAK)
DET	2001–02	82	51	17	10	4	116	1st in Central	16	7	.696	Won Stanley Cup (CAR)
DET total		701	410	193	88	10	920		86	48	.642	9 playoff appearances 3 Stanley Cup titles
Total		2,141	1,244	573	314	10	2,814		223	130	.632	28 playoff appearances 9 Stanley Cup titles

Life After Coaching

In 2003, Scotty Bowman was honored with an induction into Canada's Walk of Fame.

After retiring from coaching in 2002, Bowman continued to work in hockey. He was a special consultant for the Red Wings. In 2008, he became a senior advisor for hockey operations for the Chicago Blackhawks. His son, Stan Bowman, was the general manager there.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. These wins added to Scotty Bowman's impressive total of 14 Stanley Cups. He stepped down from his role with the Blackhawks in July 2022.

In 2012, he was recognized as an Officer of the Order of Canada. This award honored his great contributions to hockey as a coach and mentor. In 2017, he received the Order of Hockey in Canada award.

Personal Life

As of January 2018, Bowman was living in Sarasota, Florida. He often attended home games of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His son, Stan Bowman, was the general manager for the Chicago Blackhawks until October 2021.