Living legend

After earning another title, Bowman mum on future

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Wednesday June 17, 1998 08:15 PM

Bowman, 64, still has one year remaining on his contract with Detroit, but has not decided if he will return after winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup (AP)

DETROIT (AP) -- Scotty Bowman has won as many Stanley Cup titles as anyone in NHL history. Will he go for the record?

Good question. There are no easy answers where Bowman is concerned.

Bowman tied his mentor Toe Blake on Tuesday when the Detroit Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals, becoming the first NHL team to repeat as Cup champions since 1992. Blake and Bowman each have eight Cup titles.

With almost the entire team coming back next season, it would stand to reason Bowman would also want to be back. Still, there are no guarantees.

Bowman has a year remaining on his contract. But he is 64 years old and has strong family ties that could be tugging him home. Plus, if there were ever a good time to leave the game, riding out on a high note, this might be the way to do it.

General manager Ken Holland thinks Bowman will stay. Bowman, when asked, said he was still undecided.

"I'm going to talk it over with Kenny Holland, the manager, who I made a deal with to sign for two years, and also the owner, Mr. [Mike] Illitch," Bowman said. "It's going to be a tough decision not to come back, I realize that. But I've got to leave sometime."

Still, now might not be the time. Not with the likes of Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan and Sergei Fedorov returning. The only key player who might not return is defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov, who is 40. But even Fetisov has hinted at another year or two.

And with Yzerman, the captain, Bowman knows he will never have any locker-room rebellions. Yzerman plans on being around at least five more years.

"After last season I thought about how much longer I wanted to play and that was my 15th season in the league and I want to play 20," said Yzerman, the MVP of the finals. "So I would like to play five more."

Whether that would be the clincher for Bowman is hard to say. But whatever his decision, his achievements are extraordinary. He has a 1,057-483-278 record in 26 seasons and a 194-111 mark in the playoffs. He has won five titles with the Montreal Canadiens, two with Detroit and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"It's quite a remarkable accomplishment, especially in this day and age," Detroit assistant coach Dave Lewis said. "He is such a student of the game and such a student of the history of the game.

"He has his finger into every aspect of the game. That's just his nature."

To be sure, Bowman's methods are not always fun for his players. He can be manipulative, distant and infuriating.

Yet all he does is win.

"At the beginning of the season, everybody was being negative about the team because we were missing some key guys," center Igor Larionov said. "But he found a way to balance the team, and that says a lot about his wisdom. Players know he knows the game."

This might have been Bowman's most difficult season.

He had to deal with the limo accident that cost defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and team massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov their careers. He had to deal with the trade of Mike Vernon without his approval. And he had to deal with the holdout of Sergei Fedorov, which lasted 59 games.

Bowman confronted those challenges the way he confronts most problems -- with an iron fist. He made everybody play defense first. Some grumbled, but did what Bowman wanted. It cut into the scoring of some headline players like Brendan Shanahan. But it made the Red Wings a better team.

The Red Wings were second in goals scored with one of the NHL's most balanced attacks. Seven players had 15 goals or more during the regular season. Shanahan, who scored 47 the season before, was tops with just 28 goals.

"He uses a different way, and guys understand that," forward Martin LaPointe said. "He's always keeping you on the edge. He forces you to challenge yourself."

So would Bowman come back for a three-peat? Don't bet against it.

"I want to make sure that I leave at the right time when I do leave," Bowman said.

Related information
Stories
Red Wings run keyed by role players, hard work Capitals hope to capitalize on breakthrough season Detroit ecstatic as Wings capture Cup Wings cruise past Caps, win another title for Vlady Stanley Cup Winners Stanley Cup 4-0 Sweeps Most Stanley Cup Championships Consecutive Sweeps of major sports championships
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Message Boards
Bowman best NHL coach? Is Scotty the man? Anybody else better? Skate over to the CNN/SI Hockey Message Board! Click here for more
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI on cable 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.