#3 in the Top 5 All-Time Coaches Rankings for the Montreal Canadiens Dick Irvin
Before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on February 29, 2020, this image of the Montreal Canadiens logo was captured close to the Bell Centre entrance in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/Jean-Yves Ahern
The quietest period in the schedule has begun for the Montreal Canadiens. Even if August doesn’t hold much promise, we still thought it would be fun to remember some of the best coaches in franchise history. Dick Irvin, the third-ranked head coach, joins us in our countdown of the five greatest coaches in Canadiens history.
Dick Irvin led the Montreal Canadiens from the 1940–41 season to the conclusion of the 1954–55 season, mentoring a number of the team’s greatest players. Irvin was an NHL player before he began his coaching career, and he transitioned from player to coach with ease. In 1944–45, he won his first of three Stanley Cups with the Canadiens in the playoffs.
After registering only 10 victories in one of the poorest seasons in team history, the Canadiens capitalized on Irvin. Irvin was released by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tommy Gorman, general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, quickly acquired him. It was a no-brainer for the Habs to bring Irvin in as head coach and a proven winner on the ice.
In just three seasons, in 1944, Irvin led the Habs to their first cup victory. In his first season, he guided the team back to the playoffs. His best coaching achievement came with the Canadiens, where Doug Harvey, Elmer Lach, and Maurice Richard spearheaded the effort to establish his legacy. After the Canadiens’ 1954 Stanley Cup finals loss to the Red Wings, he was fired as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He then moved across the border to ‘The Windy City’ for a one-season stint as the Chicago Blackhawks’ coach. However, his declining health forced him to retire early before the 1956–57 season, which would have been his second season in that role.
Irvin’s deteriorating health finally caused him to leave the league, but his memory will live on in the Canadiens’ history books and in the hearts of those who experienced his genius firsthand. At the age of 64, he passed away from bone cancer, not long after declaring his retirement from the NHL. Although he was unable to turn things around in Chicago, this did not negatively impact his career.
Irvin retired with 692 regular season victories and four Stanley Cups, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1957–58. With four Stanley Cup rings, he is the third-most successful coach in terms of victories, behind only Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman. Irvin is a true winner, and his stellar career record has placed him third among all-time Montreal Canadiens coaches.
