Cecil Hart
Born
Cecil Mordecai Hart

November 28, 1883
Bedford, Quebec, Canada
DiedJuly 16, 1940(1940-07-16) (aged 56)
NationalityCanadian
Known forIce hockey manager and coach

Cecil Mordecai Hart (November 28, 1883 – July 16, 1940) was a head coach and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League.

Biography

Cecil Hart was Jewish, a direct descendant of Aaron Hart who was Canada's first Jewish settler,[1] and was born in Bedford, Quebec.

Montreal Stars in 1912, Hart seated second from the left

During the early 1910s Hart was a player and manager with the Montreal Stars of the Montreal City Hockey League, where he was a teammate of future NHL referee Cooper Smeaton.

Hart helped lead the Montreal Canadiens to three Stanley Cups, in 1924, 1930, and 1931. He was fired after a dispute with Canadiens' owner Léo Dandurand after leading the Canadiens to first place in the 1931–32 season, but after Dandurand and Joseph Cattarinich sold the Canadiens to Ernest Savard and Maurice Forget of the Canadian Arena Company, the Canadiens hit bottom in 1935–36.

To rebuild the team, they rehired Hart in 1936–37, but Hart would only come back if Howie Morenz did. A deal was arranged and with Morenz back, and despite the death of Morenz during the season, Hart managed to lead the Canadiens to first place. After that, the team eroded as age caught up with some key players. When the Canadiens were reclining near the cellar in 1938–39, Cecil resigned as coach and manager.[2] Only eighteen other people have won multiple Stanley Cups besides Hart as a head coach, although he is not currently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame despite being eligible. [3]

Hart later became vice president and treasurer of the Quebec, Ontario and Vermont Baseball League also before his untimely death.

Hart died after a lengthy illness in July 1940. Hart's father, David Hart, donated the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1923. Hart was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

NHL coaching record

TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsDivision rankResult
Montreal Maroons1924–25 1989218(Fired)
Montreal Canadiens1926–27 4428142582nd in CanadianLost in semi-finals
Montreal Canadiens1927–28 4426117591st in CanadianLost in semi-finals
Montreal Canadiens1928–29 4422715591st in CanadianLost in semi-finals
Montreal Canadiens1929–30 4421149512nd in CanadianWon Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens1930–31 4426108601st in CanadianWon Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens1931–32 4825167571st in CanadianLost in semi-finals
Montreal Canadiens1936–37 4824186541st in CanadianLost in semi-finals
Montreal Canadiens1937–38 48181713493rd in CanadianLost in quarter-finals
Montreal Canadiens1938–39 306186(18)6th in NHL(Fired)
NHL Total41320413473

References

  1. ↑ "Jews In Sports". jewsinsports.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  2. ↑ "Cecil Hart - Bio, pictures, stats and more - Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". canadiens.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  3. ↑ "NHL Coach Register".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.