Scotty Bowman: A Coach's Life & Top 10 Toughest Red Wings
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", revisiting the Kadri trade, cool things about Dryden, and more.
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a couple “Today in Hockey History” posts, a look back at Scotty Bowman’s career behind the bench, the top ten toughest Detroit Red Wings, cool things about Ken Dryden, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: March 15
March 15 has been a good date in National Hockey League history for defensemen and an even better one for goaltenders. Numerous members of the Hockey Hall of Fame made memories on this date along the way. It’s time for our daily trip back through the years to relive the best moments from this date.
Scotty Bowman: A Coach’s Life
On a chilly late October evening outside the doors of the Eric Maclean Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Loyola High School in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG), a line of people is starting to form. Some of them are wearing now ill-fitting Montreal Canadiens hockey jerseys emblazoned with the names and numbers of hockey legends such as Lafleur, Richard and Béliveau. Others are carrying pieces of memorabilia crested with the famous logo of the Habs – magazines, banners, flags, even parts of seats from the Montreal Forum. A wide range of age groups are represented in this growing group of die-hard hockey fans.
Top 10 Toughest Red Wings
Motown, The Motor City, Hockeytown. Detroit is a proud, blue-collar, mid-western city that at one time was home to 1.86 million people. It has since fallen from grace but is absolutely on the upswing. Even in the city’s darkest of times, the Red Wings have been a bright spot for many Detroiters, people who have pride and character, defining themselves by their work ethic and resilience.
Today in Hockey History: March 14
This date in NHL history is full of some of the biggest names ever to play the game. A duo of U.S.-born greats set new records among their countrymen. Plus, perhaps the two most storied hockey cities in the world, Montreal and Toronto, had jam-packed days. Let’s take our daily trip back in time to revisit the best moments from March 14.
7 Cool Things About Canadiens Goalie Legend Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden is correctly regarded as one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. He was born on Aug. 8, 1947, in Hamilton, Ontario, and his remarkable career spanned only eight NHL seasons. He began playing with the Montreal Canadiens in 1970-71 and ended with the same team after the 1978-79 season.
Revisiting the Nazem Kadri Trade
When the Toronto Maple Leafs completed their 2018-19 season, they had failed once again to get past the dreaded Boston Bruins during the first playoff series. When the season concluded, general manager Kyle Dubas had some heavy lifting to do. His defense was weak and, as the general manager, he faced salary-cap problems brought on in part by expensive contracts being paid to no-longer-worth-the-money players like Patrick Marleau and Nikita Zaitsev who had been signed by his predecessor Lou Lamoriello.