In hockey circles, Tom Gorman’s name is synonymous with success. Blessed with tremendous instincts, Gorman was above all else, a visionary. While he never played the game himself, he nevertheless etched his name on the Stanley Cup seven times as either a head coach or general manager.

When he joined the Canadiens in 1940, Gorman possessed a hockey resume which already spoke for itself. He had four Stanley Cups to his credit, including a pair earned behind the bench with the Ottawa Senators in 1920 and 1923, one with Chicago in 1934, and another with the Montreal Maroons in 1935. The latter pair of championships made him the only coach in league history to win consecutive Cups with different teams.

Gorman assumed the reins of the Canadiens determined to restore glory to a team that had just missed the playoffs. He wasted no time molding his new club by first having the foresight to hire Dick Irvin as his head coach. His next big move was one which would forever alter the face of the Canadiens. By signing Maurice Richard just prior to the 1942-43 season, Gorman secured the missing piece he was looking for. It didn’t take long for Gorman’s inking of the Rocket to pay dividends, as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup the following year to snap a 13-year championship drought.

Gorman’s final year as GM was a memorable one, as the Canadiens gave him the perfect sendoff by raising the Cup in the spring of 1946. Over his six seasons with the organization, Gorman led the team to two championships and six postseason appearances.

Gorman was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1963.