On June 8, 1955, the Montreal Canadiens made a franchise-defining hire when they put Hector "Toe" Blake behind the bench.
On June 8, 1955, the Montreal Canadiens appointed Hector “Toe” Blake as their new coach. The 5-foot-10 winger had marked the Habs' history as a player, winning two Stanley Cups and competing in 577 NHL games, only eight of which weren’t with the Canadiens, but with the Montreal Maroons. It’s in his time with the Habs that he gathered his 527 points, making him the 21st highest scorer in franchise history.
Blake would go on to coach the Canadiens for 13 seasons with great success. He was behind the bench for 914 NHL games, all with the Habs, compiling a 500-255-159 record, leading the Canadiens to eight Stanley Cups, a third of their total championships. Montreal drank out of Lord Stanley’s mug for Blake’s first five seasons at the helm. His 500 wins make him the winningest coach in franchise history and the 30th-winningest coach in league history. Of course, seasons have a lot more games these days than back in the day.
With him behind the bench, the Canadiens never finished lower than third overall in the league, but it’s worth saying that the league only had six teams for all but one of his years in charge. Blake’s last season was in 1967-68 when the league welcomed six new teams. The Canadiens ended that season first overall with 94 points in 74 games and won Blake’s last Stanley Cup, going 12-1 in the playoffs, allowing their coach to retire at the top of his game.
During his tenure, the legendary bench boss coached the likes of Jacques Plante, Jean Beliveau, Bernard Geoffrion, Maurice and Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, and Jacques Lemaire, to name a few. While Blake was behind the bench, the Canadiens had only two general managers: Frank J. Selke, who was in post from July 1946 to May 1964, and Sam Pollock, who took over and remained in post for 14 years, winning nine Stanley Cups.
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