Scotty Bowman may have coached the Detroit Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships but it was a different Scotty Bowman that played defense for the Red Wings when the franchise won their first two Stanley Cup championships back in the 1930’s.
The Hockey Hall of Fame head coach has the name William Scott Bowman on his birth certificate. The Stanley Cup champion defenseman was named Ralph Bowman but went by the nickname Scotty.
Ralph Bowman – Junior and Minor Pro
Scotty’s NHL career started directly after four years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association. From 1929-30 to 1932-33, he played one year with the Parkdale Canoe Club and three years with the Niagara Falls Cataracts.
Bowman jumped right to the NHL for the 1933-34 season without any time spent in the minors. However, eleven games into the 1939-40 National Hockey League season, he was relegated to the IAHL and never returned to the show again.
The rest of his 1933-34 season was spent in the IAHL with the Indianapolis Capitals. The league changed to just the AHL the following season and over the next three years, Bowman played for five different teams. From 1940-41 to 1942-43, Scotty spent time with the Pittsburgh Hornets, Philadelphia Ramblers, Providence Reds, Hershey Bears and Washington Lions.
Over his time in the minors, Bowman enjoyed little post season success. In 1939-40, the Capitals lost 3-2 in the opening round to Providence with each team scoring 12 goals over the series.
In 1940-41 with the Hornets, Pittsburgh won their opening round series two games to one over the Springfield Indians, despite being outscored 6-5. Pittsburgh then lost in the second round to the Hershey Bears by the same 2-1 margin. It was another close series with each team scoring six goals.
Ralph Bowman – NHL
Bowman played 274 regular seaon games in the NHL between 1933-34 and 1939-40 in a time when schedules were no more than 48 games long. Over that time, the defenseman scored eight goals and assisted on 17 for 25 points.
Ralph’s rookie season was spent with the Ottawa Senators in the team’s final year of existence. With the Buck Boucher coached club, Bowman sat 64 penalty minutes, good for seventh in the NHL.
In 1934-35, Bowman started the year with the St. Louis Eagles. It was the franchise’s only year in the NHL after being moved from Ottawa. The team would fold at the end of the year. Scotty was traded to the Red Wings before the end of the season but not before making hockey history with the Eagles.
On November 13, 1934, in a game between the St. Louis Eagles and the Montreal Maroons, Ralph ‘Scotty’ Bowman became the first player in NHL history to score a goal on a penalty shot. Also that season, Bowman’s 72 PIM placed him fifth in the league.
Success came the following year with the Red Wings. In 1935-36, Detroit, coached by Jack Adams, finished first overall in the eight team NHL, led offensively by Marty Barry. Detroit met the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup finals and won their first ever championship, three games to one.
The following year, 1936-37, was for the most part a carbon copy of the year before. Detroit again placed first overall in the eight team league during the regular season with Marty Barry leading the way offensively.
This time, the Red Wings met up with the New York Rangers in the finals. The Rangers won the first game of the series, the only one in the series held at Madison Square Gardens. The rest of the series was played in Detroit and at one point, New York held a 2-1 series lead. However, the Red Wings shutout the Rangers in the final two games to take the series 3-2.
Ralph Bowman – Rookie Card
The only hockey card listed of Ralph Bowman is the 1935-36 Diamond Match #4. This was a set of hockey cards printed on the back of matchbook covers. On the card, he is shown as a member of the St. Louis Eagles. Scotty is referred to as the “coming Eddie Shore of the NHL”.
Ralph ‘Scotty’ Bowman passed away in 1990 at the age of 79. Born in Winnipeg, he is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1933-34 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 46 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 64 |
| 1934-35 | St. Louis Eagles | NHL | 31 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 51 |
| 1934-35 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 21 |
| 1935-36 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 44 |
| 1936-37 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| 1937-38 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 45 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| 1938-39 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 43 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 26 |
| 1939-40 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1939-40 | Indianapolis Capitals | IAHL | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1940-41 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 48 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| 1941-42 | Providence Reds | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941-42 | Philadelphia Rockets | AHL | 55 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| 1942-43 | Hershey-Washington | AHL | 47 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| NHL Totals | 274 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 260 |