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William Scott "Scotty" Bowman (b. September 18,
1933 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a former
National Hockey League head coach, considered
among the greatest coaches in NHL history.

Bowman became the league's most successful coach
over his 30 years of coaching with 1,244 wins in
the regular season and 223 in the playoffs. He won
a record 9 Stanley Cups with Montreal Canadiens
(1973,1976-1979), Pittsburgh Penguins (1992) and
Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998 and 2002). He won
the Jack Adams Award in 1977 and 1996. In the
1976-1977 season he won a record 60 games then, in
1996, won 62, breaking his own record for regular
season wins.

Bowman played minor league hockey until a head
injury ended his playing career. He moved into a
coaching job with the Canadiens junior team then
Bowman broke into the NHL in 1966 when he became
the head coach of the first-year expansion team
St. Louis Blues (hockey)|St. Louis Blues. He led
the Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals in the first
three consecutive years of the franchise. He
coached in St. Louis until the end of the
1970-1971 season (his first NHL season with a
losing record), and became the head coach of the
Montreal Canadiens after the firing of Canadiens
head coach Al MacNeil. It was with the Montreal
Canadiens that he had his most success, as his new
team lost in the first round of the playoffs in
1972 but won the Stanley Cup in 1973. The
Canadiens would make the playoffs over the next
two seasons but bow out in the first and third
rounds, respectively as the rival Philadelphia
Flyers won the Stanley Cup. From 1976 to 1979, he
led a talented Canadiens squad, with players like
Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and Ken Dryden, to four
consecutive Stanley Cups.  Bowman's team won at
least 45 games in each of his eight seasons as the
Canadiens head coach.

The dynasty in Montreal ended as Bowman stepped
down as head coach to become the new General
Manager and head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
After failing to turn the Sabres into the winner
he had in Montreal, he quit hockey temporarily in
1987 to become an analyze|analyst for the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation|CBC's Hockey Night in
Canada. He became the Director of Player Personnel
of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and was
inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame that year as
a builder (hockey)|builder. 

Bowman was thrust back into the head coaching
duties in the Fall of 1991, after the untimely
death of Bob Johnson (ice hockey)|Bob Johnson, who
had just won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins the
previous season. The following playoffs in 1993,
the Penguins were upset by the New York Islanders,
after acquiring the regular season's best record.
Bowman then became head coach of the Detroit Red
Wings.

The following season saw his Red Wings defeated by
the young San Jose Sharks. In 1995, the Red Wings
made it to the Stanley Cup Finals but were swept
by the New Jersey Devils in four straight. This
was the Red Wings' first appearance in the Finals
in 29 years. In the 1995-1996 regular season, he
won a record 62 games. However, they lost to the
Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs third round. 
In the 1997 playoffs, Bowman led the team to its
first Stanley Cup in 42 years by sweeping the
Philadelphia Flyers 4-0. In 1999. They were upset
by the Colorado Avalanche in the semi-finals.

Bowman decided in February 2002 that he would
retire at the end of the season and he went out as
a winner as his Red Wings won the Stanley Cup by
defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. It was
after the presentation of the Cup on the ice by
Commissioner Bettman that Bowman publicly
announced his retirement.

start box
succession box | before = Lynn Patrick | title =
Head Coaches of the St. Louis Blues | years =
1968–1970 | after = Al Arbour 
succession box | before = Al Arbour | title = Head
Coaches of the St. Louis Blues | years = 1971 |
after = Sid Abel 
succession box | before = Al MacNeil | title =
Head Coaches of the Montreal Canadiens | years =
1971–1979 | after = Bernie Geoffrion 
succession box | before = Billy Inglis | title =
Head Coaches of the Buffalo Sabres | years =
1979-1980 | after = Roger Neilson 
succession box | before = Roger Neilson | title =
Head Coaches of the Buffalo Sabres | years = 1981
| after = Jim Roberts 
succession box | before = Jim Roberts | title =
Head Coaches of the Buffalo Sabres | years =
1982-1985 | after = Jim Schoenfeld 
succession box | before = Jim Schoenfeld | title =
Head Coaches of the Buffalo Sabres | years = 1986
| after = Craig Ramsay 
succession box | before = Bob Johnson (ice
hockey)|Bob Johnson | title = List of Pittsburgh
Penguins Head Coaches|Head Coaches of the
Pittsburgh Penguins | years = 1991–1993 |
after = Eddie Johnston 
succession box | before = Brian Murray | title =
Head Coaches of the Detroit Red Wings | years =
1993–2002 | after = Dave Lewis 
end box