George "Punch" Imlach was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres.
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30 Facts About Punch Imlach
2.
Punch Imlach is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
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3.
Punch Imlach enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II, where he coached for the first time, with an army team in Cornwall, Ontario.
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4.
Punch Imlach was invited to training camp by the Detroit Red Wings after being discharged, but felt he had put on too much weight and declined.
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5.
However, the Leafs did not have a general manager, and Punch Imlach instead reported to a seven-member committee headed by Stafford Smythe which oversaw the team's business operations.
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6.
Punch Imlach was known as a harsh taskmaster who frequently abused his players verbally and physically.
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7.
Punch Imlach had a preference for older players, many of whom were his strongest supporters as they felt Imlach was giving them their last chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
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8.
Punch Imlach took over a team that had finished last the previous season and was mired in last place again at the time he took over for Reay.
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9.
Three years later, Punch Imlach led the Leafs to their first Stanley Cup in 11 years.
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10.
Punch Imlach coached three more Cup-winning teams, in 1963,1964 and 1967.
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11.
Punch Imlach was snapped up by the Boston Bruins and went on to have a Hall-of-Fame career there.
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12.
In December 1968, Punch Imlach was asked by Stafford Smythe to give the coaching job to John McLellan, but Punch Imlach refused and told Smythe to fire him or leave him alone.
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13.
Punch Imlach still had a year remaining on his contract, which paid him about $35,000 a year.
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14.
Punch Imlach was offered a job with the NHL Canucks, but instead accepted an offer from the NHL's other expansion team, the Buffalo Sabres, as their first coach and general manager in 1970.
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15.
Punch Imlach promptly selected Perreault, who would go on to play 17 years with the Sabres and still holds every major offensive record in Sabres history.
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16.
Punch Imlach suffered a heart attack on January 7,1972, and stepped down as Sabres coach in May after being told by doctors that fatigue would put his health at risk.
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17.
In July 1979, Punch Imlach returned to the Leafs as the right-hand man of owner Harold Ballard, his longtime friend.
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18.
On his first day with the team, Punch Imlach told the media that the Leafs only had five or six good players and the rest of the team needed to be improved.
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19.
Punch Imlach implemented a dress code which required that all players wear a jacket and tie when in the Leafs' offices.
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20.
Punch Imlach quickly butted heads with Leafs captain Darryl Sittler, using confrontational tactics to try to undermine his influence on the team.
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21.
Punch Imlach disliked Sittler's prominent role in the NHL Players Association; during Punch Imlach's first stint with the Leafs, he was well known as an ardent foe of the union and its executive director, Alan Eagleson.
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22.
An anonymous player told the Toronto Star that Ballard and Punch Imlach made the trade specifically to undermine Sittler's influence on the team.
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23.
Punch Imlach offered Sittler to the Sabres in return for Perreault, but was turned down.
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24.
Punch Imlach rejected an offer from the Philadelphia Flyers who were said to be willing to trade Rick MacLeish and Andre Dupont for Sittler.
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25.
Punch Imlach was able to get the Leafs to squeak into the playoffs, albeit with a record five games under.
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26.
Punch Imlach named assistant Joe Crozier as his successor after the season.
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27.
Punch Imlach never returned to work and his contract was allowed to expire.
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29.
Over his career, Punch Imlach amassed a coaching record of 423 wins, 373 losses and 163 ties to go along with four Stanley Cups.
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30.
Punch Imlach was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1984.
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