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Marcel Pronovost

Born:June 15, 1930Draft:Undrafted
Hometown:Shawinigan Falls, QCPosition:D
Known For:5x Stanley CupShoots:Left
National Team:Canada

Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930 – April 26, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1950 and 1970. A top defenceman, Pronovost was named to four post-season NHL All-Star Teams and played in 11 All-Star Games. He was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams with the Red Wings, the first in 1950, and won a fifth title with the Maple Leafs in 1967. Pronovost was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1978.

Pronovost began coaching in 1969 and spent several seasons behind the bench of the junior Hull Olympiques and Windsor Spitfires. He was head coach of the Chicago Cougars in the World Hockey Association’s inaugural season in 1972–73, coached 104 games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres between 1977 and 1978 and was briefly an associate coach of the Red Wings. Pronovost worked for the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for five years until 1990, when he was hired as a scout for the New Jersey Devils, with whom he was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, with the last coming in 2003. The 53-year span between his first championship and his last is a Stanley Cup record.

Years as an NHL player: 1950-1970

Years as an NHL coach: 1977-1981

Years as an NHL scout: 1990-2015

Marcel Pronovost Detroit Red Wings Terry Sawchuk Gordie Howe
DETROIT, MI – 1962: Marcel Pronovost #3 of the Detroit Red Wings handles the puck as goalie Terry Sawchuk #1 and Gordie Howe #9 look on circa 1962 at the Detroit Olympia in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)

Marcel Pronovost Statistics

Deeper Dive

Coaching History

  • CHL Tulsa Oilers (Head Coach) 1969-1972
  • WHA Chicago Cougars (Head Coach) 1972-1973
  • QMJHL Hull Festivals (Head Coach) 1975-1976
  • QMJHL Hull Olympiques (Head Coach) 1976-1977, 1979-1980
  • NHL Buffalo Sabres (Head Coach) 1977-1978
  • NHL Detroit Red Wings (Assistant Coach) 1979-1981
  • OHL Windsor Spitfires (Head Coach) 1981-1983

Scouting History

  • New Jersey Devils (Amateur Scout) 1990-2015

Achievements

  • Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978
  • 5x Stanley Cup Champion (Red Wings – 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, Maple Leafs – 1967)
  • 2x NHL First All-Star Team (1960, 1961)
  • 2x NHL Second All-Star Team (1958, 1959)
  • AHL Second All-Star Team (1951)
  • USHL Sr. – First All-Star Team (1950)
  • USHL Sr. – Rookie of the Year (1950)

Sources