Eddie Gerard Edward George Gerard ( February 22 , 1890 – August 7 , 1937 ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach . Born in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators and was member of several Stanley Cup - winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923 . He continued in hockey afterward as a coach until 1935 , winning a further Stanley Cup in 1926 . He was regarded as one of the most prominent athletes in Ottawa , active in several sports and was a halfback for the Ottawa Rough Riders football club from 1909 to 1913 . When the Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 1945 , Gerard was one of the original nine inductees . Personal life . Gerard was born in Ottawa on February 22 , 1890 . His father was of Scottish descent . He married Lillian Mackenzie and had two daughters . He worked as a printer and was employed by the Canadian Government Printing Bureau . He moved to the geodetic survey in 1912 , and at the time of his death was chief engineering clerk for the survey . Playing career . In November 1913 , while still an amateur player , Gerard was approached by several teams in regards to turning professional . He initially had an offer from the Montreal Canadiens of $ 1 , 000 for , but refused . Early in the month the Ottawa Senators offered him a contract of $ 1 , 500 for two seasons , which would have made him one of the highest paid players in hockey . He also received an offer from the Sydney Hockey Club from the Maritime Hockey League promised $ 1 , 600 for the season , with an extra $ 1 , 000 to come from advertisements . Gerard joined the professional ranks in 1913 – 14 with the Ottawa Senators , after playing in senior amateur play since 1907 with various Ottawa teams . He had also played rugby football , and gave that up to play with the Senators . One of the highest regarded athletes in Ottawa , he only signed with the Senators when they assured him he would be able to keep his government job . When he did sign , he was given a bonus of C $ 400 . In 1915 , he was named to the NHA All - Stars which went on a tour in British Columbia to play PCHA teams . Gerard was player - coach of the Senators from 1916 until 1918 . He later served as captain of the Senators from 1919 to 1923 . He retired after the 1922 – 23 season due to a growth , although benign , in his throat , which diminished his breathing . Gerard won four Stanley Cup s during his playing career . Three came as a member of the Ottawa Senators and one with the Toronto St . Pats . In game five of the 1921 Stanley Cup Finals , Gerard had six penalties , one of which was a match penalty near the end of the game . Gerard was attending the 1922 Stanley Cup Final , held that year in Toronto when Harry Cameron , a defenceman of the St . Pats , was injured . Vancouver Millionaires Manager Lester Patrick gave permission to Toronto to use Gerard to replace their injured player . Toronto won the game and the series . It was his only game with the St . Pats . Post - playing career . After retiring as a player he was the Manager - Coach of the Montreal Maroons from 1924 – 25 season to 1928 – 29 season , winning his fifth Stanley Cup in 1925 – 26 . He resigned from the Maroons , where he never had a formal contract , on July 8 , 1929 . Though he never stated why he left the team there were rumours that he was to join the Senators , whose former owner and manager , Tommy Gorman , resigned on the same day from the New York Americans . Offered the chance to replace Gorman as coach of the Americans , Gerard turned it down and spent the year away from hockey . The Americans finished last in the Canadian Division in 1929 – 30 , so they decided to replace player - coach Lionel Conacher . This time Gerard accepted the job . One of Gerard ' s first acts as the new manager of the Americans was to trade away Conacher , as he didn ' t want the man he replaced overlooking him . He would coach the New York Americans for two seasons in 1930 – 31 and 1931 – 32 . In the fall of 1932 he returned as Manager - Coach of the Maroons . In the three years that Gerard had been away from the Maroons newspapers kept publishing rumours that he would return to the team . But it was not until the Maroons lost in the 1932 playoffs that Sprague Cleghorn was let go as coach and Gerard was hired away from New York , finally confirming the rumours . He coached the team for two more seasons , 1932 – 33 and 1933 – 34 , before being let go and replaced by Gorman . Prior to the start of the 1934 – 35 season , the Senators moved from Ottawa to St . Louis , Missouri and changed their name to the St . Louis Eagles . Gerard was hired as the first coach of the Eagles and replaced his former teammate on the Senators , Georges Boucher . The team lost eleven of their first thirteen games to start the season and as a result Gerard resigned as coach of the team on December 11 , 1934 , with Boucher named his replacement . He died in Ottawa on August 7 , 1937 due to the same throat condition which had ended his involvement in hockey . He is interred in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa . Gerard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 .