Cecil Hart was a head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 of the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

. He was born in Bedford, Quebec

Bedford, Quebec

Bedford is a town located in the Montérégie region of southern Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,612. This small community is just a half hour's drive from larger cities such as Burlington and Montreal, and is the home to southern Quebec's largest boy scout troop.-...

.

Hart helped lead the team to three Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

s, in 1924, 1930, and 1931. He was fired after a dispute with Canadiens' owner Leo Dandurand

Leo Dandurand

Joseph Viateur "Léo" Dandurand , was a sportsman and businessman. He was the owner and coach of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team in the National Hockey League...

 after leading the Canadiens to first place in the 1931–32 season, but after Dandurand and Joseph Cattarinich

Joseph Cattarinich

Joseph "Joe" Cattarinich , was a professional hockey player, and co-owner of horse racing tracks in Canada and the United States as well as a co-owner of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League....

 sold the Canadiens to Ernest Savard

Ernest Savard

J. Ernest Savard was a Canadian stock broker and a partner in the brokerage firm of Savard & Hart in Montreal, Quebec.A sports fan, in 1928 Savard partnered with fellow Montreal businessman and politician Athanase David and American baseball executive George Stallings to revive the Montreal Royals...

 and Maurice Forget of the Canadian Arena Company, the Canadiens hit bottom in 1935–36.

To rebuild the team, they rehired Hart in 1936–37, but Hart would only come back if Howie Morenz

Howie Morenz

Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League teams: the Montreal Canadiens , the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers...

 did. A deal was arranged and with Morenz back, and despite the death of Morenz during the season, Hart managed to lead the Canadiens to first place.
After that, the team eroded as age caught up with some key players. When the Canadiens were reclining near the cellar in 1938–39, Cecil resigned as coach and manager.

Hart later became vice president and treasurer of the Quebec,Ontario and Vermont Baseball League also before his untimely death..

Hart died after a lengthy illness in July 1940. Hart's father, David Hart, donated the Hart Memorial Trophy

Hart Memorial Trophy

The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different...

 in 1923. Hart was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....

 in 1992.