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James Dickenson (Dick) Irvin

NHL, the National Hockey League is a premier professional North American Sports League played in indoor stadiums. It’s divided into two conferences, each comprising of three divisions of ice hockey teams.

James Irvin was born on 19 July 1892 in Limestone Ridge, Ontario and died on May 1957. He played 9 professional seasons from 1916 to 1929. James Irvin was one of the most important hockey figures of the 20th century. He initially made a name for himself as one of the game's top centers in the 1920s. Irvin was lauded for his exceptional stick handling ability, a hard, accurate shot and a cool temperament that kept him out of the penalty box. His on ice activities earned him selection to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

James Irvin became one of the finest coaches of his generation. Irvin had turned professional with the Portland Rosebuds of the PCHA, Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1916-17 and made an immediate impact. His 35 goals placed the rookie fourth among the league's snipers. In 1921-22, he helped the club win the WCHL, Western Canada Hockey League title that year, but their Stanley Cup aspirations collapsed when they lost to the Vancouver Millionaires. Irvin starred with 31 goals in 30 matches to tie Bill Cook of Saskatoon for the league lead.

He was named the Hawks' first captain in 1926-27 and scored an impressive 36 points in 43 contests. Early in the 1931-32 season, he was lured to Toronto by influential owner Conn Smythe. A few months later, Irvin guided the franchise to its first Stanley Cup as the Maple Leafs. The Habs attained mediocre results during the first two years under Irvin. The next year they posted a amazing 38-5-7 record and won their first Stanley Cup since 1930-31. In the 1944-45 season, they posted 38-8-4 but lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the semifinals.

Irvin led the Habs to Stanley Cup glory again in 1946 and 1953. Irvin returned to the Black Hawks for the 1955-56 season before retiring with 693 regular season wins. This remarkable total stood at the top of the NHL coaching record list until it was surpassed by Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman in the 1980s. Unfortunately Irvin died in 1957, a year before he took his rightful place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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