Scotty Bowman

In 1971, Bowman was selected to coach the Canadiens by his old boss Sam Pollack, who had become Montreal's general manager. In the next eight years, Montreal racked up a remarkable 419-110-105 record for a .742 winning percentage and, more importantly, five Stanley Cups. Bowman was intense, demanding, unpredictable, and brilliant. He was respected by his players, but not liked. Montreal goalie Ken Dryden, in his excellent 1983 book The Game, wrote this: "Scotty Bowman is not someone who is easy to like…. Abrupt, straightforward, without flair or charm, he seems cold and abrasive, sometimes obnoxious, controversial but never colorful. He is not Vince Lombardi, tough and gruff with a heart of gold. His players don't sit and tell hateful-affectionate stories about him…. He is complex, confusing, misunderstood, unclear in every way but one. He is a brilliant coach, the best of his time." Canadiens star Steve Shutt put it this way: "You hated him 364 days years, and on the 365th day you got your Stanley Cup ring."