OTD: Blackhawks Make Franchise Altering Hire

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James
June 4, 2022 (11:50)

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Despite making the playoffs in five of six seasons and winning a Stanley Cup in 1961, the Chicago Blackhawks franchise decided to cut ties with coach Rudy Pilous after the '63 campaign.

His replacement was a relative unknown in the coaching landscape, Billy Reay, who had been fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs after just 90 games total in 1958. Reay had spent two seasons leading the Hawks AHL affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, resulting in a Calder Cup victory in '63.

He played 10 seasons in the NHL, two with the Detroit Red Wings and eight with Montreal. With the Canadiens, he centered a line with another Hall of Famer, Maurice (Rocket) Richard and helped the Canadiens win the Cup in 1946 and 1953.

No one expected that hiring Reay 59 years ago today, would change the course of the Hawks franchise, but that's exactly what it did. For the next 14 years Reay would have the opportunity to coach some of the Chicago Blackhawks all-time greats such as Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, just to name a few.

Over those 14 years he racked up 1012 games as coach with 516 wins, 335 losses and 161 Ties. During the playoffs as a coach he recorded 117 games coached with 57 wins and 60 losses. He coached the Hawks to six 1st place finishes and three Stanley Cup Finals in 1965, 1971 and 1973 but unfortunately was never able to hoist the Stanley Cup with any of those teams, losing to his former club Montreal all three times. '73 was especially tough. Chicago led the series 2-0 and Game 7 2-0 before the Canadiens stormed back.

When his coaching career was finally said and done in 1976, Reay retired as the coach with the most games and wins in Chicago Blackhawks franchise history, which still holds true to this day. He used to be the leader in playoff games and wins until Joel Quenneville came along.

Long before you started hearing the term "a players' coach," Reay was one. He got his point across in his own way, and one way he always did it was with honesty. He was brutally honest, and his team appreciated that.

"He won more games than any coach in Blackhawks history, and I wish before he passed away in 2004 that he'd have gotten into the Hall of Fame. He belongs there. No question in my mind," said Mikita. "It wasn't his fault that we never seemed to get the right bounce in the playoffs. He let players play and demanded only that you give your best. Ask the guys who played for him. Reay was a terrific coach and a good man. A real good man.He was class, all class."

You can't ask for a better description of a man, let alone a coach. Reay will be remembered as the greatest coach in franchise history even if he couldn't lift a Cup in his tenure.