Bob Gainey

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size =
position = Left Wing
played_for = Montreal Canadiens
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 190
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1953|12|13
birth_place = Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
draft = 8th overall
draft_year = 1973
draft_team = Montreal Canadiens
career_start = 1973
career_end = 1989
halloffame = 1992

Robert Michael "Bob" Gainey (born December 13, 1953, in Peterborough, Ontario) is the current executive vice president, general manager, and a former ice hockey player of the Montreal Canadiens.

Early years

From 1970 to 1973 Bob had his junior start with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.

Professional years

A defensive specialist, Gainey played with the Montreal Canadiens from 1972–73 to 1988–89, winning four consecutive Frank J. Selke Trophies, awarded to the league's best defensive forward and five Stanley Cups (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986). In 1973, Gainey was drafted into both the WHA and the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens had selected him in the first round, 8th overall in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft and the Minnesota Fighting Saints had also drafted him in the first round, 7th overall in the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft. Gainey never played in the WHA as he spent his entire career playing for the Canadiens in the NHL. He was team captain of the Canadiens from 1981 until his retirement in 1989.

In total, he played in 1160 regular season games, scored 239 goals, and registered 263 assists. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. For the majority of his career he was regarded by many in the Soviet Union hockey system as the greatest hockey player ever. Bob Gainey was described as the world's best all-around player by legendary Soviet national team coach Anatoli Tarasov.

In 1998, he was ranked number 86 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Gainey's name went on the Stanley Cup a 6th time in 1999 as General Manager with Dallas. He currently serves as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

Career statistics

Regular season Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM 1971-72 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 4 2 1 3 331972-73 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 52 22 21 43 991973-74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 3 7 10 34 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 6 2 5 7 41974-75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 17 20 37 491975-76 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 15 13 28 571976-77 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 14 19 33 411977-78 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 15 16 31 571978-79 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 20 18 38 441979-80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 14 19 33 321980-81 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 23 24 47 361981-82 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 21 24 45 241982-83 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 12 18 30 431983-84 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 17 22 39 411984-85 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 19 13 32 40 1985-86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 20 23 43 201986-87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 47 8 8 16 191987-88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 11 11 22 141988-89 Montreal Canadiens NHL 49 10 7 17 34

NHL totals 1139 239 262 501 585

Post hockey playing years

After his retirement, Gainey moved to France where he was player/coach for the Epinal Écureuil. Gainey returned to North America a year later and became head coach of the Minnesota North Stars in 1990–91, guiding his team to the sixth game of the Stanley Cup finals in his first season. In January 1992, Gainey also was named general manager. In 1993, after the franchise relocated to Dallas, he stepped down as head coach to focus solely on his general manager duties. Gainey turned the franchise into a powerhouse by acquiring players such as Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Ed Belfour and Sergei Zubov. The team won the Presidents' Trophy in 1998 and 1999. Dallas won the Stanley Cup in 1999.

On June 21, 1995, Bob's wife Cathy lost her five year battle with brain cancer.

In 1997, as Stars general manager, Bob drafted his son Steve Gainey 77th overall in the annual NHL Entry Draft. Steve Gainey is currently an Unrestricted Free Agent in the NHL.

Along with Bobby Clarke and Pierre Gauthier, Bob was given the responsibility of selecting Canada's men's ice hockey squad for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Gainey became general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in May 2003 turning the Canadiens into a playoff contender. On January 13, 2006, Gainey fired Canadiens' head coach Claude Julien and stepped in as head coach on an interim basis. At the same time, Gainey hired Guy Carbonneau to work as an associate coach, handing the coaching reins over to him for the 2006–2007 season. On July 24, 2006, Montreal Canadiens president Pierre Boivin extended Bob's contract to 2009–2010.

On February 23, 2008, the Canadiens retired Gainey's #23 jersey.

Laura Gainey

On December 8, 2006, Bob Gainey's 25 year-old daughter Laura was swept overboard while sailing in the North Atlantic. Gainey temporarily passed his GM duties on to assistant manager Pierre Gauthier while awaiting word on efforts to find Laura. She was sailing on the barque "Picton Castle", a sail-training ship based out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, destined for Grenada. On December 11, 2006, at 6pm EST the United States Coast Guard held a press conference in Portsmouth, Virginia, to confirm that the search for Laura Gainey had been halted. Gainey rejoined the Canadiens on January 2, 2007.

On January 3, 2007, officials in the Cook Islands named Captain Andrew Scheer to head an investigation into Ms. Gainey's death. Captain Scheer interviewed the 30-strong crew as well as examine the ship’s logs, emergency equipment and crew qualifications. The tall ship is registered in the Cook Islands.

Laura Gainey's death and the subsequent investigations have received considerable press attention in Canada, including a documentary produced by the CBC News program "the fifth estate", which was highly critical of safety standards on the Picton Castle. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/overboard/] CBC News, the fifth estate, Overboard]

References

ee also

* List of NHL players
* List of NHL seasons

External links

*Legendsmember|Player|P199203
*hockeydb|1819