Bob Pulford

Bob Pulford
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1991
Date of birth	March 31, 1936
place of birth	Newton Robinson , Ontario , Canada
size	180 cm
Weight	85 kg
position	striker
Shot hand	Left
Career stations
1953-1956	Toronto Marlboros
1956-1970	Toronto Maple Leafs
1970-1972	Los Angeles Kings

Robert Jesse "Bob" Pulford (born March 31, 1936 in Newton Robinson , Ontario ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player and coach who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League from 1956 to 1972 .

Career

Pulford played with Billy Harris , Bob Baun , Bob Nevin and Carl Brewer for the Toronto Marlboros in the Ontario Hockey Association during his junior years . The strong team won the Memorial Cup in 1955 and 1956 .

As a 20-year-old, he managed to play in the 1956/57 season straight away in the squad of the Toronto Maple Leafs . The Leafs were among the less successful teams in those years, but a number of young players took them to the top of the NHL. In the 1961/62 season, after more than ten years , the team was finally able to bring the Stanley Cup back to Toronto. The title was defended in the following two years. At the age of 30 he was one of the experienced players in the squad in the 1966/67 season , when he won the fourth Stanley Cup. Pulford was one of the best fore checkers in the league. Detroit's Gordie Howe described him as one of the most unpleasant opponents because, as an attacker, he understood very well what the opposing offensive was up to and was able to prevent it. In 1967 he was one of the founding members of the NHLPA players' union .

After 14 years in Toronto, he moved to the 1970/71 season with the Los Angeles Kings , who in return sent Garry Monahan to Toronto, among others . He was in the Kings squad for two years before ending his active career.

In seven years he had completed his university degree during his active time in evening classes. Nevertheless, he remained loyal to the sport. The Los Angeles Kings signed him immediately after he announced his resignation as a coach. In his third season behind the gang, he was awarded the Jack Adams Award for best coach in the NHL as the second coach . In the 1977/78 season he took over the coaching position and at the same time the position of general manager for the Chicago Black Hawks . After two years behind the gang, he hired a new trainer and concentrated fully on the position of general manager. In his 13 years in that position, he returned behind the gang twice. In the meantime, Vice President he also handed over the position of General Manager to the previous trainer Mike Keenan in 1990 . After three years, he took over the manager position again. He handed over this position two more times by 2005, but kept coming back. In the 1999/2000 season he also returned behind the gang and took over the team from Lorne Molleken , who was downgraded to assistant. Since 2005, shortly before his 70th birthday, he has restricted himself to his role as Vice President. Dale Tallon , who had been Pulford's assistant since 2003, took over his post as General Manager of the Blackhawks .

As early as 1991, the NHL honored him with the induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame .

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	16	1,079	281	362	643	792
Playoffs	10	89	25th	26th	51	126

Sporting successes

• Memorial Cup : 1955 and 1956
• Stanley Cup : 1962 , 1963 , 1964 and 1967
• Calder Cup : 1982 (as General Manager)

Personal awards

• Jack Adams Award : 1975
• Participation in the NHL All-Star Game : 1958 , 1960 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 and 1968

Web links

• Bob Pulford in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)
• Bob Pulford at hockeydb.com (English)