Claude
Ruel
1968 -
| Date of birth | September 12th, 1938 |
| Place of birth | Sherbrook, QC, CAN |
| Seasons - MTL | 5 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
T
Ties - Games that have ended in a tie
|
OTL
Overtime losses - Games lost in overtime
|
PTS
Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 305 | 172 | 82 | 51 | 0 | 395 |
| 1968-1969 | 76 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 103 |
| 1969-1970 | 76 | 38 | 22 | 16 | - | 92 |
| 1970-1971 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| 1979-1980 | 50 | 32 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 71 |
| 1980-1981 | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 103 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
RESULT
Result
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 27 | 18 | 9 | |
| 1968-1969 | 14 | 12 | 2 | Stanley Cup Champions |
| 1979-1980 | 10 | 6 | 4 | Quarterfinals |
| 1980-1981 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Preliminary Round |
Claude Ruel served as the Canadiens’ coach from 1968 to 1971, and again from 1979 to 1981.
On the eve of the 1968-69 season, Ruel succeeded Toe Blake behind the team’s bench. During his first season, Ruel maintained the best record in the NHL with 46 wins and 103 points in 76 games.
Led by Yvan Cournoyer, Jean Beliveau, Serge Savard and Ted Harris, the Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup for the 16th time in franchise history.
After narrowly missing the playoffs in 1969-70 and seeing the team struggle the following year, Ruel resigned his position and was replaced by Al MacNeil midway through the 1970-71 season.
Ruel once again found himself behind the bench during the 1979-80 season as a replacement for Bernie Geoffrion. He led the Canadiens to first-place finishes in the Norris Division in consecutive seasons, though he was unable to get the team beyond the second round of the playoffs in either year.
At the end of the 1980-81 season, Ruel was replaced by Bob Berry.
Under Ruel’s guidance, the Canadiens won one Stanley Cup, made the playoffs three times, and won three division titles.
