Photo Credit: Montreal Gazette
Being a part of something as big as winning seven Stanley Cups is extremely impressive, and that is exactly what Claude Ruel, a big part of the Montreal Canadiens franchise was known and praised for. He passed last Monday at age 76, leaving a legacy behind.
Before Ruel became the coach for the 1968-69 season, replacing Toe Blake, he was the Canadiens’ director of scouting, but the elevation in his career would bring nothing but positivity for the team. He guided the team to have the best record in the League with 103 points, and on top of that, they continued to take out the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, and the St. Louis Blues during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final.
The following season, the defending Stanley Cup champions of that time missed the playoffs, causing Ruel to resign 23 games into the 1970-71 season, but he would return sooner than later. In 1975, he returned to the Canadiens as director of player development, went back to coaching the team for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons, and finally went back to his previous job until 1995. He was part of Canadiens teams that won the Stanley Cup four straight times between 1976 and 1979, and impressively again in 1986 and 1993.
Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Sept. 12, 1938, the remarkable Ruel is credited with developing many of the star players that helped fuel the Canadiens dynasty of the late 1970s, especially the franchise’s all-time leader in points, Guy Lafleur. He is described by current Canadiens players as a great teacher and is known as a person who wanted nothing more than to watch the players he coached make it. Past Canadiens team members, namely Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Guy Lapointe, saw him as mentor with notable gratitude.
His death is another significant loss for the Canadiens this season. On Nov. 26 former Canadiens forward Gilles Tremblay, a Hockey Hall of Fame member as a broadcaster, passed, as well as the legendary Jean Beliveau on Dec. 2. Both Tremblay, and Beliveau played for Ruel on the 1969 Cup Championship team.
Though he has passed, he has left behind an incredible story and an even more incredible legacy.
