Bob Pulford obit

Pulford, 4-time Stanley Cup champion with Maple Leafs, dies at 89

Hockey Hall of Famer also coached Kings, won 1975 Jack Adams Award 

He was not on the list.

Bob Pulford, a key contributor to the Toronto Maple Leafs' four Stanley Cup-winning teams in the 1960s and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, died on Monday. He was 89.

Born in Newton Robinson, Ontario, on March 31, 1936, Pulford excelled as a junior with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association before being promoted to the Maple Leafs for the 1956-57 season. He quickly proved to be one of the best two-way players in the NHL, exhibiting a knack for shutting down some of the League's top scorers while contributing offensively.

"Pulford is one of my private headaches because he has to be classed as one of hockey's greatest forecheckers," Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe once said. "There's a deep knowledge of the game in his forechecking, hook, poke check, strength of arms, quickness, the whole bundle of wax."

Pulford scored at least 17 goals in each season from 1961-62 to 1967-68 and helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. Perhaps his most important goal came when he scored 8:26 into the second overtime to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of the 1967 Final, a series Toronto won in six games.

After 14 seasons with Toronto, Pulford played two for the Los Angeles Kings after being traded for Garry Monahan and Brian Murphy on Sept. 3, 1970. He had 643 points (281 goals, 362 assists) in 1,079 NHL games, including 563 points (251 goals, 312 assists) in 947 games with the Maple Leafs.

Pulford retired in 1972 and was immediately named coach of the Kings. The Kings were 178-150 with 68 ties during his five seasons, and he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in 1975, when Los Angeles finished with 105 points, then a franchise record that was matched in 2024-25. He then moved to the Chicago Blackhawks as coach and general manager in 1977 and had multiple stints in each job during the next three decades.

Pulford was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1991 and is the father-in-law to Dean Lombardi, who was GM of the Kings during their Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.

“Bob Pulford left an indelible mark on the game," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "In a remarkable career that spanned over five decades, he was one of only three people to play in the NHL, serve as President of the NHL players' union, as well as coach and work as a general manager in the League.

“Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player who won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs during a 16-season career, Bob forged a similarly impactful post-playing career as a coach, GM and executive with the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks.

“Bob became a friend, counselor and confidant to me -- particularly in my early years as commissioner -- and I had enormous respect for him and all he gave the game. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Roslyn, as well as his children and grandchildren.”

As a player, Bob proudly wore the sweaters of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings. With Toronto, he won four Stanley Cups and earned a reputation as one of the toughest, most dependable centres of his era. He later brought that same leadership and competitive spirit to the Los Angeles Kings, continuing to influence the game through his experience and professionalism. Bob won the Lester Patrick trophy in 2011, continuing to demonstrate his talents.

Beyond his accomplishments on the ice, Bob was a trailblazer for players’ rights. In 1967, he became the first President of the NHL Players’ Union, playing a key role in early collective bargaining and helping lay the foundation for the modern NHLPA.

After his playing career, Bob continued to shape the sport from behind the bench and in the front office. He served as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, and remained a vital part of the Chicago Blackhawks organization for over 30 years in senior leadership roles, mentoring many players to continue on in Coaching and VP positions with many Teams. His lifelong contributions to the game were formally recognized with his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, cementing his place among hockey’s all-time greats.

Bob, along with his teammates of the 1967 Leafs Stanley Cup Team, was awarded the 2024 NHL Alumni Keith Magnuson Man of the Year Award.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to his beloved wife, Roslyn Pulford, and his children,  Wanda Lombardi (Dean), Rob Pulford (Elaine), Lindsay Barrett (Daniel)and Jennifer MacRitchie, as well as his grandchildren. Please know that your entire family is in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. May you find comfort in Bob’s extraordinary legacy and in the countless lives he touched both on and off the ice as an integral part of the NHL Alumni Family.

Rest in peace, Bob. Your impact on hockey and on all who had the privilege of knowing you will never be forgotten.

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 wearing jersey number 20. Pulford was an important member of the Leaf teams that won four Stanley Cups in 1962–1964 and 1967.

With the series tied 1–1, Pulford scored the overtime game-winner in game 3 of the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. The Montreal goalie was Rogie Vachon. Pulford later coached Vachon in Los Angeles as the Kings rose to prominence in the mid-1970s.

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.

In 1967 Pulford was elected the first president of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

Immediately after retiring as a player, 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. As coach of the Kings, he helped Los Angeles go from being one of the worst defensive and penalty-killing teams in the NHL to one of the best. He guided the Kings to their first playoff appearance in five years in 1974 and won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in the NHL in 1975. That season, the Kings amassed 105 points, still a club record through 2013. He also led the Kings to their first playoff series wins since 1969 when they defeated the Atlanta Flames in the first round of both the 1976 and 1977 NHL playoffs. Pulford left the Kings after the 1976–77 season after constant feuding with then owner Jack Kent Cooke. Pulford wanted to become General Manager as well as coach, or at least have a bigger role in player personnel decisions. Cooke however, often meddled in player personnel matters, and in the mid-1970s, reverted to his old habits of trading promising young players and draft picks for veterans, past their prime former stars.

Pulford served as coach for the Blackhawks 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, demoting Lorne Molleken to an assistant. However, Molleken remained the team's main operator on the bench, with Pulford as more or less a senior consultant.

In seven seasons and 426 games as Hawks coach over three stints, Pulford won 182, lost 176, and tied 68. At the time he left the bench for good, only Billy Reay had won more regular season games for the Hawks. Pulford is now third, behind Reay and Joel Quenneville for most regular season games won as Hawk coach.

He won the Jack Adams Award for the best coach in the NHL in 1975. Pulford was also honoured to be named head coach of Team USA during the 1976 Canada Cup tournament.

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

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