He spent 14 years with the club as general manager before giving up the job in summer of 1978.[2] He spent one last season with Montreal on their board of directors, before retiring in summer of 1979. Pollock's name was included on the Stanley Cup 12 times, including an NHL record nine as a general manager. Pollock and head coach Scotty Bowman together not only presided over a Canadiens dynasty, but also many of their players went on to have successful coaching and managing roles with their own teams.[3]
Pollock died on August 15, 2007, at the age of 81 in Toronto, Ontario.[4][5][6][7][8] Pollock is survived by his wife Mimi, son Sam Jr., and daughters Rachel and Mary. Pollock was buried at Ste Elisabeth Roman Catholic Cemetery in North Hatley, Quebec.[9][10]
Key tradesEdit
Pollock believed drafting good young prospects was the key to long-term success in the NHL. To this end he was always planning, sometimes years in advance, in order to be in position to pick up the "cream of the crop" in any annual entry level draft.[2]
Among his shrewdest moves was a series of trades in which the Canadiens obtained the first overall pick in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft, the year in which Guy Lafleur would be eligible. It appeared as if the first overall selection would be held by the California Golden Seals so he persuaded Seals owner Charlie Finley to trade the Seals' pick and François Lacombe in return for Montreal's first round pick and a 23-year-old rookie,[11]Ernie Hicke. Pollock hesitated between Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, but he chose Lafleur with his overall no.1 pick.[12]
On another occasion he traded two college prospects to Boston for a young goalie named Ken Dryden. He was also instrumental in acquiring Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, and Yvan Cournoyer, all of whom would become superstars for the Canadiens.
In another deal, one which was never consummated, New York Islanders GM Bill Torrey drafted defenceman Denis Potvin first overall in the 1973 entry draft; Pollock approached Torrey, hoping to trade for Potvin. Pollock's strategy was to offer a "quick-fix" package of mature players in exchange for the top draft pick. Although it was tempting, as the Islanders would immediately benefit from the trade, Torrey ultimately turned down the offer. Potvin went on to be a long-term asset to the Islanders, leading them to 4 consecutive Stanley Cups and anchoring their blueline for 15 years.[13]
AccoladesEdit
In 1976, he was the general manager for Team Canada which won the inaugural Canada Cup.
Stanley Cup Champion - 1959–60 as personnel director
Stanley Cup Champion - 78–79 as a member of board of directors. (all 12 with the Montreal Canadiens)
In 1978, he was indicted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder and later into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. In the 1990s, when the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated to downtown Toronto, the indoor public square at the end of the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place was named Sam Pollock Square.
He was also chairman and CEO of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays from 1995 to 2000. The Blue Jays honoured him by wearing a patch bearing his initials on the sleeve of their jerseys.
pollock, this, article, about, hockey, manager, american, labor, leader, labor, leader, samuel, patterson, smyth, pollock, december, 1925, august, 2007, canadian, sports, executive, general, manager, national, hockey, league, montreal, canadiens, years, during. This article is about the hockey manager For the American labor leader see Sam Pollock labor leader Samuel Patterson Smyth Pollock OC CQ December 15 1925 August 15 2007 was a Canadian sports executive who was general manager of the National Hockey League s Montreal Canadiens for 14 years during which they won 9 Stanley Cups 1 Pollock also served as chairman and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club Sam PollockOC CQBornSamuel Patterson Smyth Pollock 1925 12 15 December 15 1925Montreal QuebecDiedAugust 15 2007 2007 08 15 aged 81 Toronto OntarioOccupationformer NHL general managerAwardsHockey Hall of Fame 1978 Canadian Sports Hall of Fame 1982 Contents 1 Life 2 Key trades 3 Accolades 4 Baseball 5 References 6 External linksLife EditBorn in Montreal Quebec Sam was a keen evaluator of talent In 1950 with the Montreal Junior Canadiens and in 1958 with the Ottawa Hull Junior Canadiens he won the Memorial Cup The Montreal Canadiens saw potential in Pollock and quickly hired him to be the successor to Frank J Selke serving as Personnel Director from 1959 to 1964 In 1964 Selke retired and Sam took over his job as general manager of the Habs He spent 14 years with the club as general manager before giving up the job in summer of 1978 2 He spent one last season with Montreal on their board of directors before retiring in summer of 1979 Pollock s name was included on the Stanley Cup 12 times including an NHL record nine as a general manager Pollock and head coach Scotty Bowman together not only presided over a Canadiens dynasty but also many of their players went on to have successful coaching and managing roles with their own teams 3 Pollock died on August 15 2007 at the age of 81 in Toronto Ontario 4 5 6 7 8 Pollock is survived by his wife Mimi son Sam Jr and daughters Rachel and Mary Pollock was buried at Ste Elisabeth Roman Catholic Cemetery in North Hatley Quebec 9 10 Key trades EditPollock believed drafting good young prospects was the key to long term success in the NHL To this end he was always planning sometimes years in advance in order to be in position to pick up the cream of the crop in any annual entry level draft 2 Among his shrewdest moves was a series of trades in which the Canadiens obtained the first overall pick in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft the year in which Guy Lafleur would be eligible It appeared as if the first overall selection would be held by the California Golden Seals so he persuaded Seals owner Charlie Finley to trade the Seals pick and Francois Lacombe in return for Montreal s first round pick and a 23 year old rookie 11 Ernie Hicke Pollock hesitated between Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne but he chose Lafleur with his overall no 1 pick 12 On another occasion he traded two college prospects to Boston for a young goalie named Ken Dryden He was also instrumental in acquiring Larry Robinson Serge Savard Guy Lapointe and Yvan Cournoyer all of whom would become superstars for the Canadiens In another deal one which was never consummated New York Islanders GM Bill Torrey drafted defenceman Denis Potvin first overall in the 1973 entry draft Pollock approached Torrey hoping to trade for Potvin Pollock s strategy was to offer a quick fix package of mature players in exchange for the top draft pick Although it was tempting as the Islanders would immediately benefit from the trade Torrey ultimately turned down the offer Potvin went on to be a long term asset to the Islanders leading them to 4 consecutive Stanley Cups and anchoring their blueline for 15 years 13 Accolades EditIn 1976 he was the general manager for Team Canada which won the inaugural Canada Cup Stanley Cup Champion 1959 60 as personnel director Stanley Cup Champion 1964 65 65 66 67 68 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 76 77 77 78 as vice president general manager Stanley Cup Champion 78 79 as a member of board of directors all 12 with the Montreal Canadiens In 1978 he was indicted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder and later into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame In the 1990s when the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated to downtown Toronto the indoor public square at the end of the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place was named Sam Pollock Square In 1985 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2002 He was also chairman and CEO of Major League Baseball s Toronto Blue Jays from 1995 to 2000 The Blue Jays honoured him by wearing a patch bearing his initials on the sleeve of their jerseys Baseball EditPollock served as CEO and chair of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1995 to 2000 14 References Edit Sam Pollock Club de hockey Canadien Inc 2008 Retrieved December 9 2017 a b Olioff Paul 2018 06 22 Sam Pollock s First Great GM Move The Hockey Writers Retrieved 2023 09 19 Shaw Warren 2018 09 15 The most successful GM in NHL history has stood the test of time Medium Retrieved 2023 09 19 Naylor David 2007 08 15 Sam Pollock passes away The Globe and Mail Retrieved February 9 2016 Naylor David 2007 08 16 Pollock built a hockey dynasty The Globe and Mail Retrieved 2023 09 19 Archives L A Times 2007 08 16 Sam Pollock 81 hockey executive crafted dynasty Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2023 09 19 Sports CBC August 15 2007 Canadiens architect Sam Pollock dies CBC Sports Retrieved September 19 2023 Goldstein Richard 2007 08 17 Sam Pollock 81 Hockey Executive Dies The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2023 09 19 Pollock architect of Habs dynasty remembered ESPN com 2007 08 21 Retrieved 2023 09 19 Hockey greats among mourners at Pollock service CBC Sports The Canadian Press August 21 2007 Retrieved September 19 2023 Ernie Hicke Stats Sports Hall of Fame Anderson Michel 2020 04 22 Islanders Denis Potvin the greatest franchise altering trade that never was Eyes On Isles Retrieved 2023 09 19 Beacon Bill August 15 2007 Sam Pollock legendary sports manager 81 Toronto Star Canadian Press Retrieved September 19 2023 External links EditBiographical information and career statistics from Hockey Reference com or Legends of Hockey CBC ObituaryPreceded byFrank J Selke General manager of the Montreal Canadiens1964 78 Succeeded byIrving GrundmanPreceded byPaul Beeston President and CEO and Peter Hardy Chairman Toronto Blue Jays Chairman and CEO1995 99 Succeeded byPaul V Godfrey Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sam Pollock amp oldid 1176660521, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
