Dick Irvin James Dickinson " Dick " Irvin ( Sr . ) ( July 19 , 1892 – May 15 , 1957 ) was a Canadian player and coach in the National Hockey League . Born in Hamilton , Ontario , Irvin was one of the greatest players of his day , balancing a torrid slapshot and tough style with gentlemanly play . He played junior and senior amateur hockey in Winnipeg , Manitoba , winning the Allan Cup in 1915 with the Winnipeg Monarchs . He began his professional career in 1916 with the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and was the fourth leading scoring rookie tallying 35 goals . Following a brief stint in the Canadian Army , he was reinstated as an amateur and played with the Winnipeg Ypres and the Regina Capitals . Irvin turned professional again in 1921 when the Regina Capitals turned pro in the Western Canada Hockey League . In 1926 , at age 34 , he entered the NHL , signed by the newly formed Chicago Black Hawks . Irvin was made the team ' s first captain , and had an impressive campaign , finishing second in the league in scoring . In their first season , the Black Hawks led all NHL teams in scoring , led by Irvin and Babe Dye . Irvin ' s second season turned to tragedy as he fractured his skull , which led to retirement after the 1928 – 29 season . The Hawks had finished with the worst record in the NHL in both of his last two seasons as a player . Irvin was hired as head coach of the Black Hawks in 1930 , and in his first season behind the bench led the team to 24 wins , 17 losses and 3 ties . Upon seeing his success as a coach , Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe convinced Irvin to coach the Leafs . In his first season coaching the Leafs ( the first in the brand - new Maple Leaf Gardens ) , he achieved immediate success by winning the Stanley Cup . However , Irvin was unable to deliver another Cup for the Leafs during his time as coach , despite taking them to the finals six more times . Smythe soon felt that Irvin had taken the Leafs as far as he could and Irvin resigned in 1940 . Tommy Gorman went and picked him up and drove him to Montreal to become coach of the then - moribund Montreal Canadiens . It was there that Irvin found his greatest success , leading the Habs to three Cups in six finals . Helped by star players Elmer Lach , Doug Harvey , goalie Bill Durnan and a young Maurice Richard , the Canadiens were just beginning to blossom as an NHL dynasty . Irvin , however , came under fire for encouraging " goon " tactics , especially after Montreal fans rioted in protest of Richard ' s suspension for the 1955 playoffs . Although they made it to the finals ( losing to the Detroit Red Wings ) , internal pressure forced Irvin to step down . He returned to the Black Hawks as head coach for the 1955 – 56 season , taking the reins of a moribund team that had only made the playoffs once in the past 10 years and finished last in the past two seasons . Irvin was unable to turn the team ' s fortunes around , and the Black Hawks again ended the year in last place , despite the emergence of Ed Litzenberger as a scoring star . Irvin was to coach the Black Hawks again in 1956 – 57 , but he became so ill with bone cancer that he had to retire before the season began . He died a few months later at age 64 . A year later , Irvin was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame . His coaching career included four Stanley Cups with 692 regular season wins , results surpassed only by Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman .