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In episode 333 of the Glass and Out Podcast we had the honour of being joined by the greatest hockey coach of all time, Scotty Bowman.

As a head coach, Bowman led the Montreal Canadians, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings to a combined 9 Stanley Cups. He also captured another five cups in front office roles. He is the NHL’s all-time wins leader, with a total of 1,467 between the regular season and playoffs and was twice awarded the Jack Adams trophy as the NHL’s Coach of the Year.

But above all else, Scotty Bowman is the ultimate student of the game. He was able to adapt to new rules, new generations of players, the introduction of Europeans to the NHL, and eventually, the influx of Russians that arrived with the collapse of the Soviet Union. He saw drastically different versions of the game from the rough and tumble 70’s to the high flying 80’s and the dead puck era in the 90’s.

At 92, his memory, as you are about to hear, is simply remarkable and there is no doubt that ability helped him gain a competitive advantage from behind the bench based on his ability to recall the slightest detail and nuance within a game.

Listen as he shares a lesson in hockey history, practice tips from the legend Dick Irvin, and the how he views the current state of today's game.

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 Benchmark/TCS Live
• 2:10 Jackie Robinson/Saturday night hockey in Montreal
• 9:15 Coaching influences in Verdun
• 13:15 Coaching career beginnings
• 16:20 Passion for coaching
• 21:20 Practice tips from Dick Irvin/Being ready as a young coach
• 29:50 Winning with expansion St. Louis
• 35:05 Getting the most out of your players
• 41:10 Pregame communication/relying on veterans
• 45:55 Bench management
• 47:55 Soviet influence
• 53:05 Rule changes to the game
• 57:15 Coaching today's game
• 1:03:40 Young teams taking the next step