Given he began life as a hockey executive at age 14 and learned from the legendary Conn Smythe, Frank Selke was clearly destined for a brilliant career. After managing the Iroquois Bantams in Kitchener, ON, as a teenager and cutting his teeth as Smythe’s right-hand man in Toronto during a two-decade stint within the Maple Leafs organization, Selke joined the Canadiens prior to the 1946-47 season.

At the helm of the club for the 18 years that followed, he would establish the foundation of what would become the greatest dynasty in NHL history. When the Canadiens marked a six-year run without a championship, Selke went to extremes to ensure a turnaround. As word spread about a young kid from Trois-Rivieres who was setting the province ablaze, Selke grew determined to see Jean Beliveau in a Canadiens sweater by any means necessary.

With the ever-loyal Beliveau committed to Quebec Aces, Selke bought the entire Quebec Hockey League in 1953 just to guarantee the big centerman would play for the Canadiens the following season. With Beliveau signed, sealed and delivered, Selke then made one of the smartest moves of his career – he hired Toe Blake as his head coach in 1955. Having seen what the longtime captain could do for the Canadiens on the ice, Selke was convinced Blake could deliver as a leader from behind the bench.

His instinct was brilliant, and the result was a league-record five straight Stanley Cups from 1956 through 1960 with Beliveau, Maurice Richard, and Jacques Plante leading the way. Selke paved the way to six Stanley Cups over the course of his near two-decade reign as Canadiens GM, cementing his place among the sharpest hockey minds in league history.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders category in 1960. His legacy lives on through the Frank Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top defensive forward since 1978.