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

Contents

Early years

Professional years

Career Statistics

Post hockey playing years

See also

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 (1976-1979, 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 Viktor Tikhonov.
In 1998, he was ranked number 86 on ''The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Career Statistics

                                  Regular Season              

Season  Team                    Lge   GP   G   A    Pts  PIM   

1971-72 Peterborough Petes      OMJHL 4    2   1    3    33

1972-73 Peterborough Petes      OMJHL 52   22  21   43   99

1973-74 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   66   3   7    10   34

        Nova Scotia Voyageurs   AHL   6    2   5    7    4

1974-75 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   80   17  20   37   49

1975-76 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   78   15  13   28   57

1976-77 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   80   14  19   33   41

1977-78 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   66   15  16   31   57

1978-79 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   79   20  18   38   44

1979-80 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   64   14  19   33   32

1980-81 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   78   23  24   47   36

1981-82 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   79   21  24   45   24

1982-83 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   80   12  18   30   43

1983-84 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   77   17  22   39   41

1984-85 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   79   19  13   32   40  

1985-86 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   80   20  23   43   20

1986-87 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   47   8   8    16   19

1987-88 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   78   11  11   22   14

1988-89 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 December 8, 2006, Gainey's 25 year-old daughter Laura went missing when she 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 Laura. She was sailing on the barque ''Picton Castle'', a sail-training ship based out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, destined for Grenada. Laura Gainey, a professional crew member with the rank of leading seaman, was swept off the boat during a storm around 9:30 p.m. and is presumed drowned. 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 has 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 will interview 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.
Prior to the 2007-08 NHL season, the Canadiens announced that Gainey's #23 jersey would be retired on February 23, 2008.

See also

★ List of NHL players

★ List of NHL seasons