Irvin, "Dick" (James Dickenson)
Hockey
b. July 19, 1892, Limestone Ridge, ONT
d. May 16, 1957, Montreal
As a rookie with the Chicago Black Hawks, Irvin finished second in NHL scoring in 1926-27 with 18 goals and 18 assists. A fractured skull in 1929 ended his playing career in 1929, but Irvin went on to become one of the league's most successful coaches.
He coached the Chicago Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup finals in 1931 but was fired because of a clash with owner Frederic McLaughlin at the beginning of the 1931-32 season. Then he took over the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had lost their first six games, and guided them to their first Stanley Cup championship.
The Leafs beat the New York Rangers 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, in the best-of-five final series. It became known as "the tennis series," because those were the same scores by which France's Jean Borotra beat Ellsworth Vines of England in Davis Cup competition that year.
Irvin went to the Montreal Canadiens in 1940 and remained there through the 1954-55 season, winning three more Stanley Cups, in 1944, 1946, and 1953.
A perfectionist who worked his players hard to get them into shape, Irvin was an excellent judge of talent. He discovered Maurice "Rocket" Richard and brought him to Montreal in 1943. He put the French-speaking Richard on a line with Elmer Lach, who spoke only English, and the bilingual Toe Blake. The "Punch Line," as it was called, scored 82 goals as the Canadiens lost only 5 games and the regular-season NHL championship by 15 points.
Irvin coached the Chicago Black Hawks for just one season, 1955-56, before retiring. In regular season play, his teams won 690 games while losing 521 and tying 226, for a percentage of .556. They won an even 100 games while losing 88 and tying 2 in Stanley Cup play.