HABS HISTORY | Montreal Canadiens Coaches: From Claude Ruel To Jacques Lemaire

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA — Welcome to Habs History! Throughout this series, we are going to be taking a look at the coaches of the Montreal Canadiens from their inception in 1909 up to the present. This will include short bios and their accomplishments with the team. Be sure to check out parts one and two of the series at the links listed below.

Part One: From Jack Laviolette in 1909 to Cecil Hart
Part Two: From Sylvio Mantha To The Legendary Toe Blake

Claude Ruel 1968-1971, 1979-1981

Claude Ruel was born on September 12, 1938 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Ruel loved hockey from a young age, and even began to show defensive talents when he played the game himself. However, after he was struck in the eye by a puck in 1958, his vision was compromised and he wasn’t able to play effectively anymore.

Ruel succeeded Toe Blake as the Canadiens coach right before the start of the 1968-69 season. During his first season behind the bench, the Canadiens maintained an impressive record of 46-19-11, garnering 103 points for the team. That same year, he led the Habs to their 16th Stanley Cup victory in franchise history.

After seeing the team struggle, Ruel resigned his position partway through the 1970-71 season. However, he returned to his coaching duties in 1979 where he remained until 1981. Ruel passed away on February 9, 2015.

Al MacNeil 1970-1971

Al MacNeil was born September 27, 1935 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He played 11 seasons as a defenceman in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins before his retirement. He took over behind the Habs bench after Claude Ruel resigned on December 3, 1970.

MacNeil led the team to a Stanley Cup victory a short time later thanks to his decision to play rookie goaltender Ken Dryden during the playoffs. Unfortunately, MacNeil developed a bad relationship with many of the team’s French players, mainly Henri Richard, which would later cost him his job. MacNeil would later go on to coach the new Calgary Flames after their move from Atlanta.

Scotty Bowman 1971-1979

William Scott Bowman was born September 18, 1933 in Montreal, Quebec. Bowman first coached the Canadiens farm team before being hired away by the St. Louis Blues in the 1960’s. However, Habs GM Sam Pollock hired Bowman back as head coach after Al MacNeil lost his job.

Even during his early days with the Canadiens, Bowman’s coaching prowess was legendary, as he was able to outwit other coaches at every turn. During his first two years alone, he maintained an impressive 98-26-32 record and led the Habs to a Stanley Cup in 1973. Bowman led the Habs to four more Stanley Cup victories from 1976-1979.

Despite not being very well liked by his players, Bowman’s coaching style meant that he knew how to get the best out of every player on the team. Bowman arguably led the team to one of, if not their best season in team history: the 1976-77 season. During that season, the Habs maintained an incredible record of 60-8-12 and earned 132 points on top of a Stanley Cup victory.

Bowman ultimately left the Canadiens organization in 1979 in favour of serving as the coach and GM for the Buffalo Sabres. He would later go on to coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings, and would even go on to coach Team Canada twice through the Canada Cup. He retired as a coach in 2002.

Bowman remains one of the winningest coaches in NHL history, with 1,248 wins during the regular season and 223 playoff victories. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 in the builders category.  He is currently serving as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the Chicago Blackhawks. Bowman was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2003, and was given the Order of Canada in 2017.

Bernard Geoffrion 1979-1980

Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion was born on February 16, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec. He began his NHL career in 1951 at the age of 20, where he was already well known for his heavy slapshot, hence the nickname of ‘Boom Boom’. By the end of the 1951-52 season, Geoffrion was sixth in the NHL in terms of scoring, with 30 goals and 24 assists, earning him the Calder Trophy for that year. His 1960-61 season remains one of the most impressive in team history, with 50 goals scored and 45 assists for a total of 95 points.

Throughout his playing career, Geoffrion was well known for being an incredibly personable human being, as he thrived in the spotlight that was given to him. He was popular with both his teammates and Canadiens fans because he was always in a good mood in spite of all the pressure that came with being a scoring star. He retired from the Canadiens at 33 years of age, but returned to play for the New York Rangers after two years.

Before Geoffrion coached the Canadiens, he served as a coach in New York and Atlanta. However, he was forced to retire just 30 games into the season due to chronic stomach problems. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, and passed away on March 11, 2006 on the same day that the Canadiens planned to retire his jersey.

Bob Berry 1981-1984

Bob Berry was born November 29, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec. During his hockey playing career, Berry suited up for the Montreal Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings. He played just over 500 regular season games in the NHL before his retirement.

Berry had served as the head coach of the LA Kings before his tenure in Montreal, where he recorded a total of 116 wins with the team before he moved on to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues. He served as assistant coach to the San Jose Sharks before he retired from his career as a coach in 1999-2000.

Jacques Lemaire 1984-1985

Jacques Gerard Lemaire was born on September 7, 1945 in Lasalle, Quebec. He spent 12 years playing with the Canadiens between 1967-1979, during which time he earned a total of 835 points. Lemaire was known for his speed and his determination along with his ability to be an effective player both with and without the puck, and much like Bernard Geoffrion, he was known to have a very powerful slapshot that made him dangerous to play against.

Together with Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt, Lemaire was a part of the biggest offensive threat that the Habs had seen since the days of ‘The Punch Line’. Throughout his career with the Canadiens, Lemaire won eight Stanley Cups and scored the cup winning goals on two occasions, with his final NHL goal before retirement being the one that won the team the 1979 cup.

Lemaire returned to coach the Canadiens in 1984 with just 17 games left in the season. His tenure as head coach was nothing special; during his first season, the team maintained a 7-10-0 record and during his second season, the team maintained 41-27-12 record. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.

Lemaire went on to become assistant to the GM for the Canadiens, where he saw two more Stanley Cup victories in 1986 and 1993. He went on to coach the New Jersey Devils from 1993-1998 before returning to Montreal as assistant to the GM for two more years before moving on to coach the Minnesota Wild. He returned to New Jersey for two years following nine seasons in Minnesota. Lemaire then went on to hold a special assignment coaching position with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and currently holds that same position with the New York Islanders.

By Cate Racher, Hockey History Researcher.
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