NHL LEGEND SCOTTY BOWMAN TO VISIT VAN ANDEL ARENA
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The Grand Rapids Griffins will welcome Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, a 10-time Stanley Cup champion and the all-time winningest coach in National Hockey League history, to Van Andel Arena for the teams final regular season home game on Saturday, April 16 against San Antonio.
Bowmans visit, moved from its original April 15 date due to a scheduling conflict, remains part of the Griffins Grand Finale Weekend, presented by West Michigan Chrysler Jeep Dealers. Further promotional details will be announced at a later date.
This marks the final installment in the Griffins Hockeytown Heroes series, which has included prior appearances this season by Igor Larionov, Dino Ciccarelli, Mickey Redmond and Barry Melrose. Bowman will meet and sign autographs for Griffins fans in the arena banquet room from 6:30-7:20 p.m., before taking part in the ceremonial puck drop prior to the 7:30 p.m. faceoff against the Rampage.
Bowman, now a consultant for the Detroit Red Wings, led that franchise to its last three Stanley Cups in 2002, 1998 and 1997. His record of 10 Stanley Cups includes nine championships as a head coach with Detroit, the Montreal Canadiens (five: 1973 and 1976-79) and Pittsburgh Penguins (one: 1992), breaking his idol Toe Blakes mark of eight titles. Bowmans other cup was earned while serving as Pittsburghs director of player development in 1991, the same year he was inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
In 30 seasons behind an NHL bench with St. Louis (1967-71), Montreal (1971-79), Buffalo (1979-80; 1981-87), Pittsburgh (1991-93) and Detroit (1993-2002), Bowman coached his teams to aggregate records of 1244-584-313 during the regular season and 223-130 in the playoffs. A two-time winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year (1977, 1996), he also owns several league records for most games coached (2,141 regular season, 353 playoff, 2,494 combined) and most victories (1,244 regular season, 223 playoff, 1,467 combined).
Bowmans visit, moved from its original April 15 date due to a scheduling conflict, remains part of the Griffins Grand Finale Weekend, presented by West Michigan Chrysler Jeep Dealers. Further promotional details will be announced at a later date.
This marks the final installment in the Griffins Hockeytown Heroes series, which has included prior appearances this season by Igor Larionov, Dino Ciccarelli, Mickey Redmond and Barry Melrose. Bowman will meet and sign autographs for Griffins fans in the arena banquet room from 6:30-7:20 p.m., before taking part in the ceremonial puck drop prior to the 7:30 p.m. faceoff against the Rampage.
Bowman, now a consultant for the Detroit Red Wings, led that franchise to its last three Stanley Cups in 2002, 1998 and 1997. His record of 10 Stanley Cups includes nine championships as a head coach with Detroit, the Montreal Canadiens (five: 1973 and 1976-79) and Pittsburgh Penguins (one: 1992), breaking his idol Toe Blakes mark of eight titles. Bowmans other cup was earned while serving as Pittsburghs director of player development in 1991, the same year he was inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
In 30 seasons behind an NHL bench with St. Louis (1967-71), Montreal (1971-79), Buffalo (1979-80; 1981-87), Pittsburgh (1991-93) and Detroit (1993-2002), Bowman coached his teams to aggregate records of 1244-584-313 during the regular season and 223-130 in the playoffs. A two-time winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year (1977, 1996), he also owns several league records for most games coached (2,141 regular season, 353 playoff, 2,494 combined) and most victories (1,244 regular season, 223 playoff, 1,467 combined).