Time is flying and I have the impression that the Hockey Hall of Fame is forgetting about Jacques Demers. His impact on the sport and on his profession is great and he deserves, without a doubt in my mind, a place in the Hall as a builder for his work as head coach.
Demers’ last match dates back to April 17, 1999, more than 25 years ago. Since then, he has had great success on television, he was appointed senator and for the past few years, unfortunately, he has been confined to a bed due to a stroke.
I believe that memory is a faculty that forgets and, today, I would like to remind anyone who will listen of the accomplishments of Mr. Demers from 1979 to 1999 with the Quebec Nordiques, the St-Louis Blues, the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Jacques Demers’ last match in 1999 was also his 1007e in career. At that point, he was only the fifth with 1,000 games behind an NHL bench. In 1999, Jacques Demers was in an exclusive club with Dick Irvin, Billy Reay, Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour. Nowadays, we have 31 head coaches who have coached 1000 games. At the time of Jacques Demers, this was not customary.
Also, Jacques Demers was the first head coach to win the Jack Adams Trophy twice, in 1987 and 1988. Please note that in 2024, there are only seven in history who have achieved this feat. Besides Demers, the others are Pat Burns (with three), Pat Quinn, Scotty Bowman, Jacques Lemaire, Barry Trotz and John Tortorella. In addition, Demers remains the only one to have won this trophy two years in a row.
To that, you add the Stanley Cup he won with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, the last won by the team.
Jacques Demers was a charismatic, fiery and determined coach. His flamboyant style was recognized across the league. He was also a great motivator and he had the gift of communicating well with his players. He will have managed star players like Michel Goulet, Bernie Federko, Steve Yzerman, Adam Oates, Patrick Roy, Vincent Lecavalier and so on.
He was the first head coach of the Nordiques in the NHL, he took the Red Wings from the bottom of the National League in the 1980s and he was an important architect of the Canadiens’ unexpected Stanley Cup in 1993.
What is all the more remarkable is that Jacques Demers managed to distinguish himself and rise to the rank of the best in his profession, even if he was illiterate as he admitted in 2005. His journey will have inspired several young coaches.
For all these reasons, Jacques Demers has his place in the Hall of Fame. The wait has lasted long enough. Now 80 years old, Mr. Demers deserves this ultimate honor.
