Bob Pulford, a Hockey Hall of Fame player who won four Stanley Cup titles with the Toronto Maple Leafs before a lengthy career in the NHL as a coach and general manager — including three decades with the Chicago Blackhawks — has died. He was 89.
The NHL Alumni Association said the organization learned of Pulford’s death from his family. No other details were provided.
“Whether coach, general manager, senior executive, or even multiple at the same time, Bob wasn’t afraid to serve in whatever role was most needed at the time and take on the different challenges associated with each that seem unthinkable by today’s standards,” Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz said in a statement Monday.
“… We are grateful for his leadership and devotion to the sport, which will forever be part of our club’s history. This is a tremendous loss for the Blackhawks and the hockey world at large.”
A tough, dependable forward, Pulford helped the Maple Leafs win four titles during his 14-year stretch with them from 1956-70. The Newton Robinson, Ontario, native was part of the 1967 team that remains the organization’s last to win a championship.
He was picked for five All-Star games and led the league in short-handed goals three times. After recording 694 points in 1,168 regular-season and playoff games, Pulford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Off the ice, Pulford was the first president of the players union, taking part in early collective bargaining and laying the foundation for the modern NHLPA.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Pulford “left an indelible mark on the game,” especially given the various roles he filled. “Bob became a friend, counselor and confidant to me — particularly in my early years as commissioner — and I had enormous respect for him and all he gave the game.”
Pulford spent his final two playing seasons with the Los Angeles Kings in the early ’70s before coaching them for the following five years. He then ran the Blackhawks’ front office as general manager or senior vice president of hockey operations for three decades from 1977-2007, going behind the bench to coach four times during that span.
“Bob Pulford was a towering figure in our organization and in the National Hockey League, whose impact spans generations of the game,” Wirtz’s statement said. “… Responsible for drafting numerous pillars of the franchise, he leaves a lasting imprint that is still present today in every facet of our organization.”
