Born in Hawkesbury, on the Ontario/Quebec border, Bob aspired to a stable and settled life. As a teenager, his passion for hockey led him to dream and hope for success in the National Hockey League.
Before taking the plunge, he was a factory worker (at PPG) and a car salesman. Having never played in the National League, few people believed in his chances of coaching an NHL team. This was a misunderstanding of Bob Hartley. Through hard work and dedication, the Hawkesbury factory worker fulfilled his childhood dream and became one of the few francophone coaches to win the Stanley Cup. For twenty-nine years, Bob has coached teams at all levels with passion and drive. To date, he has coached 653 games in the National Hockey League and still wears his Stanley Cup ring with pride.
Bob has coached high level teams in Canada, USA, Switzerland, Latvia and Russia. All these forays into the language, culture and way of life of these different countries have made Bob a man of great humanity.
His goal is to win top honours in all six leagues he has coached in.
Bob Hartley has been married for over thirty years and has a family.
