| Toe Blake CM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1966 | |||
 Blake in the 1960s | |||
| Born |
August 21, 1912 Victoria Mines, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
May 17, 1995 (aged 82) Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 162 lb (73 kg; 11 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Maroons Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 1934–1951 | ||
Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake CM (August 21, 1912 – May 17, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). Blake played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens. He led the NHL in scoring in 1939, while also winning the Hart Trophy for most valuable player, and served as captain of the Canadiens from 1940 to his retirement. He won the Stanley Cup three times as a player: in 1935 with the Maroons, and in 1944 and 1946 with the Canadiens. While with the Canadiens Blake played on a line with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard which was dubbed the Punch line, as all three were highly-skilled players. In 2017 Blake was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He was also known as "The Old Lamplighter"[1] due to his skill for putting the puck in the net.
Blake retired as a player in 1951, and soon after turned to coaching. After several years in lower leagues he was named the Canadiens' coach in 1955, and would remain in that role until his retirement in 1968. As coach of the Canadiens he won the Stanley Cup a further eight times, and helped Montreal become one of the most dominant teams in NHL history.