July 18: Red Wings sign Bowman for two more years as coach

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: July 18
1997:Two months after winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years, the Detroit Red Wings make two moves that will help them win three more in the next 11: They sign Scotty Bowman to a two-year contract to remain as coach and promote Ken Holland to general manager after three years as assistant GM.

Bowman guides the Red Wings to the Cup again in 1998 and wins his NHL-record ninth championship as a coach in 2002. After the final buzzer, he puts on his skates and takes the Cup for a lap around the ice. It's Bowman's last act before retiring as the holder of NHL records for wins and championships by a coach.
The Red Wings continue to thrive under Holland, winning the
Stanley Cup
three times (
1998
,
2002
,
2008
), the
Presidents' Trophy
four times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008) and extending their streak of consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to 25 years before they fail to qualify in 2016-17.

MORE MOMENTS
1943:
Don Awrey
, a longtime NHL defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion, is born in Kitchener, Ontario. Awrey joins the Boston Bruins in time to play 16 games as a 20-year-old in 1963-64, and he's a key part of Boston's Cup-winning teams in
1970
and
1972
. Boston trades him to the St. Louis Blues prior to the start of the 1973-74 season, and he plays for four more teams before retiring after 1978-79 with 189 points (31 goals, 158 assists) in 979 NHL games.
2006:New York Islanders goalie
Garth Snow
retires and is immediately named general manager. He replaces Neil Smith, whose tenure as the replacement for GM Mike Milbury lasts less than six weeks. Snow serves as GM for nearly 12 years until he's
replaced by Lou Lamoriello
on June 5, 2018.
2008:The Chicago Blackhawks name center Jonathan Toews as their captain. At 20 years and 79 days, Toews becomes the youngest captain in Blackhawks history and the third-youngest (at the time) in NHL history. He is given the captaincy after finishing his first NHL season with 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games. Toews is captain when the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in
2010
,
2013
and
2015
.

2019:Ron Francis is
hired as general manager
by NHL Seattle, which is slated to begin play as the League's 32nd team in the 2021-22 season. Francis, a Hockey Hall of Famer, finishes his playing career with 1,798 points (549 goals, 1,249 assists) with the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring in 2005, then joins the Hurricanes and serves in a variety of roles, including four seasons as general manager, before being let go in 2018.