Jack Adams John James " Jack " Adams ( June 14 , 1895 – May 1 , 1968 ) was a Canadian professional player , coach and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association . He was a Hockey Hall of Fame player during a 10 year professional career with Toronto , Vancouver and Ottawa . He is best known for his 36 - year association with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL as coach or general manager . He later became president of the Central Hockey League . Playing career . Born in Fort William , Ontario , Adams began his career with the Fort William Maple Leafs in 1914 of the NMHL , and played for the Calumet Miners a year later . In 1916 , he joined the intermediate Peterborough 247th Battalion of the Ontario Hockey Association and the next season moved up to the senior Sarnia team . Mr . Adams turned pro in 1917 upon joining the Toronto Arenas of the NHL , earning the reputation as a physical , bruising player . Although he participated in the NHL playoffs , he did not play in any games in the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vancouver Millionaires when the Torontos won the trophy . In December 1919 , he was lured west to join the Millionaires , where he flourished as a player , leading the league in scoring in 1921 – 22 , when he centred a line with Alf Skinner and Fred Harris . He played in two Stanley Cup series for Vancouver , and was the star of the 1922 series , scoring 6 goals in 5 games . Coming off that season , he returned east to join the Toronto St . Pats and played four seasons in Toronto on a line with Babe Dye . Adams was the team ' s leading scorer in 1925 – 26 . The next season , he joined the Ottawa Senators , finishing his playing career as it began , with a second Stanley Cup championship . His NHL stats included 83 goals , 32 assists in 173 games played . Adams was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959 as a player . Coaching and managing career . Soon after his retirement , he became coach and general manager of the second - year Detroit Cougars at the suggestion of NHL president Frank Calder . At first , the team struggled under his leadership , making the playoffs only two times in his first five years at the helm . A name change to the Detroit Falcons in 1930 didn ' t improve the team ' s performance . Detroit ' s fortunes changed in 1932 , when Chicago grain merchant James E . Norris bought the Falcons and renamed them the Detroit Red Wings . Norris gave the Red Wings the financing they needed to become an NHL power . Adams led the team to three Stanley Cups before stepping down in 1947 to concentrate on his duties as general manager . His coaching career tallied 413 wins , 390 losses and 161 ties , including a 52 – 52 – 1 coaching record in the playoffs . Most of those wins came without a contract ; when Norris bought the team he ' d torn up Adams ' contract and given him a year on his job on probation and a handshake . As it turned out , one year became 15 years . He is still the winningest coach in Red Wings history . By 1947 , Adams had built a farm system which bred , among others , Alex Delvecchio , Terry Sawchuk , Ted Lindsay , Red Kelly , Sid Abel , and most notably Gordie Howe . It was this core group of players which led the Red Wings to seven straight regular season first - place finishes from 1948 to 1955 , along with four more Cups — making Adams the only man to have his name on the Stanley Cup as a player , coach and general manager . Adams was known for being wary of letting his teams get complacent , and was not shy about orchestrating blockbuster trades to keep them on their toes — a philosophy which won him the nickname " Trader Jack . " His implulse was slightly restrained after Norris died in 1952 and was succeeded by his daughter , Marguerite . She and Adams never got along very well . While she could have summarily fired Adams since he was still without a contract , she didn ' t do so . However , Marguerite was forced to turn over control of the team to her younger brother , Bruce Norris , in 1955 after losing an intrafamily struggle . Bruce voiced full confidence in Adams , and the trading resumed anew . During their seven - season run in first place , many thought the Red Wings would rule the league for years to come . In 1957 , Adams traded Ted Lindsay to Chicago because of union - organizing efforts and other players affiliated with the effort being sent to the minors . As part of the union - busting efforts , Adams spread fake rumours attributing Lindsay as criticizing his former team - mates . Adams also showed a fake contract to Detroit reporters , claiming Lindsay was being paid $ 25 , 000 per year , when he was being paid $ 13 , 000 . The efforts resulted in most of the core of this team leaving town and eventually led to Adams being fired in 1963 . His 36 - year tenure as general manager is the longest in NHL history . He served 31 of those years on a handshake ; after 1932 he never signed a contract with the Wings . Adams had also been involved in an incident in 1942 , when he had an outburst due to his belief of biased penalty calling , which led to a fit of rage and ultimately a referee getting punched in game three of the Stanley Cup Finals in 1942 , becoming the first coach to be suspended in the Finals . In 1963 , Adams became founding president of the Central Hockey League , a post he held until his death at his desk in 1968 .