The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs today announced Thursday that former Detroit coaches Scotty Bowman and Barry Smith will be behind the bench against former Toronto coaches Red Kelly and Pat Quinn at the 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown on New Year's Eve at Comerica Park, part of the NHL's Winter Classic festivities.
The winningest bench boss in NHL history with 1,244 career victories, Bowman has been a part of 12 Stanley Cup-winning teams, including a league-record nine as a head coach. Bowman helped direct the Red Wings to three Cup titles (1997, 1998 and 2002) and retired from coaching while skating with the Cup following Detroit's 10th Stanley Cup in 2002. Smith was with the Red Wings from 1994-2005 and was part of three Stanley Cup championship teams with Detroit following two titles as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Red Kelly, the eight-time Stanley Cup winner and first James Norris Memorial Trophy recipient, coached Toronto to four consecutive playoff appearances from 1973 to 1977. He will join forces with the NHL's fourth winningest coach and two-time Jack Adams Award winner Pat Quinn, who also led Team Canada to back-to-back world titles with a gold medal in the 2002 Olympics followed by the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Player thus far announced for Detroit's roster include 50-goal scorers Mickey Redmond and John Ogrodnick; Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille, Dino Ciccarelli, Chris Chelios, Larry Murphy and Mark Howe; all four members of 'The Grind Line' – Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty and Joe Kocur; Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon; and Red Wings legends Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio.
Members of the Toronto Maple Leafs alumni currently scheduled to participate on New Year's Eve at Comerica Park include: Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler; 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive; fan favorites Darcy Tucker, Felix Potvin, Mike Palmateer and Kevin Maguire; Stanley Cup champions Dave Andreychuk and Doug Gilmour; rough-and-tumble winger Wendel Clark; 454-win goaltender Curtis Joseph; and Maple Leafs legends Johnny Bower, Ron Ellis and Jim McKenny.
