Cecil Hart

Cecil Hart (November 28, 1883 – July 16, 1940) was a head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

Hart was Jewish, a direct descendant of Aaron Hart who was Canada's first Jewish settler,[1] and was born in Bedford, Quebec.

Hart helped lead the team to three Stanley Cups, in 1924, 1930, and 1931. He was fired after a dispute with Canadiens' owner Léo Dandurand after leading the Canadiens to first place in the 1931–32 season, but after Dandurand and Joseph Cattarinich sold the Canadiens to Ernest Savard and Maurice Forget of the Canadian Arena Company, the Canadiens hit bottom in 1935–36.

To rebuild the team, they rehired Hart in 1936–37, but Hart would only come back if Howie Morenz did. A deal was arranged and with Morenz back, and despite the death of Morenz during the season, Hart managed to lead the Canadiens to first place. After that, the team eroded as age caught up with some key players. When the Canadiens were reclining near the cellar in 1938–39, Cecil resigned as coach and manager.[2]

Hart later became vice president and treasurer of the Quebec, Ontario and Vermont Baseball League also before his untimely death.

Hart died after a lengthy illness in July 1940. Hart's father, David Hart, donated the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1923. Hart was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

NHL coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsDivision rankResult
Montreal Maroons1924–25 1989218(Fired)
Montreal Canadiens1926–27 4428142582nd in CanadianLost in Semi-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1927–28 4426117591st in CanadianLost in Semi-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1928–29 4422715591st in CanadianLost in Semi-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1929–30 4421149512nd in CanadianWon Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens1930–31 4426108601st in CanadianWon Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens1931–32 4825167571st in CanadianLost in Semi-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1936–37 4824186541st in CanadianLost in Semi-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1937–38 48181713493rd in CanadianLost in Quarter-Finals
Montreal Canadiens1938–39 306186(18)6th in NHL(Fired)
NHL Total41320413473

References
  1. "Jews In Sports". jewsinsports.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  2. "Cecil Hart - Bio, pictures, stats and more - Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". canadiens.com.
Preceded by
Position created		 Head coach of the Montreal Maroons
1924–25		 Succeeded by
Eddie Gerard
Preceded by
Leo Dandurand		 Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
1926–32		 Succeeded by
Newsy Lalonde
Preceded by
Sylvio Mantha		 Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
1936–39		 Succeeded by
Jules Dugal
Preceded by
Ernest Savard		 General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens
1936–39		 Succeeded by
Jules Dugal
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