Bob Pulford

Robert Jesse "Bob" Pulford (born March 31, 1936 in Newton Robinson, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional centre who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. He has been a coach and executive for the Chicago Blackhawks for the past thirty years.

Playing Career

Pulford played junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros for three seasons from 1953 to 1956, winning two Memorial Cups under coach Turk Broda. He moved up to the Maple Leafs for the 1956–57 season and remained with the team for 14 seasons. Pulford was an important member of the Leaf teams that won four Stanley Cups in 1962-63-64-67. The Leafs traded him to the Los Angeles Kings on September 3, 1970, where he played two seasons and retired as a player in 1972.

Pulford became head coach of the Kings for the 1972–73 season and led the team for five years before becoming coach and general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1977. He served as coach on three separate occasions from 1977 to 1987. He was promoted to senior vice president in 1990, but took on the general manager's duties again from 1992 to 1997, from 1999 to 2000, and from 2003 to 2005. During his third stint as general manager, Pulford nominally doubled as head coach. However, Lorne Molleken remained the team's main operator on the bench, with Pulford as more or less a senior consultant.

In 7 seasons: 426 games as Hawks coach, Bob Pulford won 182, lost 176, and tied 68. His win percentage was .507 and he is ranked second behind Billy Reay in most regular season games won as Hawk coach.

He won the Jack Adams Award for best coach in the NHL in 1975.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

On October 11, 2007, Pulford was named an officer with the Wirtz Corporation and is no longer part of the day to day management of the Blackhawks.

Career Statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1954–55	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		47	24	22	46	0		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		48	30	25	55	0		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	11	11	22	32		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	14	17	31	48		—	—	—	—	—
1958–59	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	23	14	37	53		12	4	4	8	8
1959–60	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		79	24	28	52	81		10	4	1	5	10
1960–61	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		40	11	18	29	41		5	0	0	0	8
1961–62	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	18	21	39	98		12	7	1	8	24
1962–63	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	19	25	44	49		10	2	5	7	14
1963–64	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	18	30	48	73		14	5	3	8	20
1964–65	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	19	29	39	46		6	1	1	2	16
1965–66	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		70	28	28	56	51		4	1	1	2	12
1966–67	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		67	17	28	45	28		12	1	10	11	12
1967–68	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		74	20	30	50	40		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		71	11	23	34	20		4	0	0	0	2
1969–70	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		74	18	19	37	31		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		59	17	26	43	53		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		73	13	24	37	48		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1079	281	362	643	792		89	25	26	51	126

Gallery

Don Simmons, Larry Regan, Bob Pulford and Larry Hillman, November 16, 1958.

Bob Pulford shoots on Harry Lumley during the 1958-59 season.

#20 Leo Boivin and #4 Pat Stapleton defend against #20 Bob Pulford and George Armstrong in 1961-62 season action.

External Links

• Bob Pulford's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Sporting positions
Preceded by Ted Lindsay (1958)	NHLPA President 1967-1972	Succeeded by Ken Dryden
Preceded by Larry Cahan	Los Angeles Kings captains 1971-73	Succeeded by Terry Harper
Preceded by Fred Glover	Head Coaches of the Los Angeles Kings 1972- 1977	Succeeded by Ron Stewart
Preceded by Bill White	Head Coaches of the Chicago Black Hawks 1977-1979	Succeeded by Eddie Johnston
Preceded by Keith Magnuson	Head Coaches of the Chicago Black Hawks 1981-1982	Succeeded by Orval Tessier
Preceded by Orval Tessier	Head Coaches of the Chicago Blackhawks 1984-1987	Succeeded by Bob Murdoch
Preceded by Lorne Molleken	Head Coaches of the Chicago Blackhawks 1999-2000	Succeeded by Alpo Suhonen