Ralph Backstrom passes away

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens family was saddened to learn of the passing of former Habs forward Ralph Backstrom. The former Calder Trophy recipient in 1959 was 83.

An outstanding performer everywhere he played, Ralph Backstrom first made a name for himself as captain of the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in 1957 and 1958, leading the team to the Memorial Cup in 1958.
Voted the NHL's rookie of the year in 1959, Backstrom won the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. During his 15-year career with the Red, White and Blue, he etched his name on the Holy Grail six times. Following a successful career in the NHL, he joined the WHA and was selected to represent North America in an 8-game series vs the USSR in 1974.

Backstrom played 1,032 games in the NHL, including 844 with the Canadiens earning 502 points as a "Glorieux" and an additional 253 points in 304 WHA games.
Following his playing days, Backstrom became a coach leading the WCHA Denver Pioneers to a record of 182-174-14 between 1981 and 1990.

Following his stint as head coach with the Pioneers, Backstrom founded a new CHL team called the Colorado Eagles. As owner, general manager and coach of the team for three seasons, including a league title in 2004-05, Backstrom remained active as a hockey executive for another decade.