Remembering Bobby Kromm’s Rare Coaching Accolade In Detroit

Did you know that the only head coach to ever be awarded the first star of the game was a head coach for the Detroit Red Wings in the 70s?

Normally, in an NHL game, they will award the top three players of the game with a star of the game, with the number one star of the game usually being either a goaltender who shut out the opponents, the game-winning goal scorer, or the player who amassed the most points during the game.

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But one instance saw the Detroit Red Wings head coach receive the number one star of the game after eliminating the Atlanta Flames in the NHL playoffs in 1978. Interestingly enough, even though he’s the only coach to ever accomplish this, his tenure with the Red Wings lasted a very short amount of time

His Wikipedia page details his 3-year stint as the Detroit Red Wings coach:

He left the Jets for the Detroit Red Wings in 1977. In his first season, he became the first coach in franchise history to win the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. He led the 1977–78 Red Wings to a 37-point improvement on their 16 win season the year previous, and a second-place finish in the Norris Division. The Red Wings made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

There is one thing he did accomplish during his time with the Detroit Red Wings that he could say never happened to any other coach, as the video below explains:

In 1978 Bobby Kromm was voted "First Star" of the game. The only time in NHL history a head coach has received this honor. The Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Atlanta Flames in the NHL Playoffs.