Four consecutive Stanley Cups and the player Anatoli Tarasov called the best hockey player in the world.
Bob Gainey was born in Peterborough, Ontario in 1953. Montreal Canadiens selected him eighth overall in the 1973 NHL Draft. His 16-season career produced 239 goals and 262 assists — statistics that dramatically understate his value. He won five Stanley Cup championships (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986). He won four consecutive Selke Trophies as the NHL's best defensive forward (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981) — the first four years the award was given. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1979. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. Soviet coach Anatoli Tarasov called him the best hockey player in the world — an astonishing tribute given Tarasov's standards and his national loyalties. Gainey was valued almost entirely for his defensive excellence and leadership — his ability to neutralise opposing teams' best players made him the tactical foundation on which Montreal's dynasty was built. He later became general manager of both the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens.
Stanley Cup 5x (1976,1977,1978,1979,1986)
Career Honours
- Stanley Cup 5x (1976,1977,1978,1979,1986)
- Selke Trophy 4x
- Conn Smythe Trophy (1979)
- Hall of Fame (1992)
- NHL 100 Greatest Players