MONTREAL -- The milestone 75 years ago was greeted without mention in the morning’s newspapers, the NHL’s quiet record-keeping of the day surely more the reason than an indifference to the summit reached the night before.
On Jan. 19, 1950, Dick Irvin became the first to coach 1,000 regular-season games in the NHL, reaching the plateau in a 4-2 loss by his Montreal Canadiens on home ice at the Forum.
Then 57, Irvin was just two-thirds of the way through his 1,448-game NHL coaching career, a journey that would see him win a Stanley Cup championship with the 1932 Toronto Maple Leafs, and three with the Canadiens (1944, 1946, 1953).
Today, Irvin ranks 13th all-time among NHL coaches for regular-season games coached, a category led by Scotty Bowman (2,141).
Four active coaches rank ahead of Irvin on the all-time list: Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers (1,895); Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres (1,819); John Tortorella of the Philadelphia Flyers (1,594); and Peter Laviolette of the New York Rangers (1,557).