Gainey, "Bob" (Robert M.)
Hockey
b. Dec. 13, 1953, Peterborough, ONT
An outstanding defensive forward, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Gainey was a key player on the Montreal Canadien teams that won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships, from 1976 through 1979, and he was still there when they won another title in 1986.
Gainey joined the Canadiens in the 1973-74 season after playing just six games in the minor leagues. A left-handed shooting left wing, he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward from 1978 through 1981. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs in 1979, when he scored 16 points in 16 playoff games.
In 1989, Gainey left Montreal to become player-coach of the Epinal Squirrels in France. He was named coach of the NHL's Minnesota North Stars in 1990 and guided them to the 1991 Stanley Cup finals, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He remained with the team when it moved to Dallas and became known as the Stars for the 1993-94 season.
Gainey stepped down as coach during the 1995-96 season to become general manager of the Stars, who won the Stanley Cup in 1999.