Robert Kromm (June 8, 1928 – June 9, 2010[1]) was an National Hockey League (NHL) head coach who in 1978 became the first coach of the Detroit Red Wings 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.[2] The Red Wings made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Prior to coaching the Wings, Kromm had been a successful coach in the World Hockey Association, where he had guided the high-flying Winnipeg Jets to the 1976 Avco Cup championship. That fall, he was as an assistant coach for Canada at the inaugural Canada Cup.
In 1961 Kromm took an underdog team from Trail, British Columbia to a World Championship win over the Russians. The Trail Smoke Eaters represented Canada that year.
Kromm's son, Richard, played ten years in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders.[3]
Born in Calgary, Alberta. Kromm died from complications of colorectal cancer one day after his 82nd birthday.[1]
| Preceded by Bobby Hull |
Head coach of the original Winnipeg Jets 1975-77 |
Succeeded by Larry Hillman |
| Preceded by Larry Wilson |
Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings 1977–80 |
Succeeded by Ted Lindsay |
| Preceded by Scotty Bowman |
Winner of the Jack Adams Award 1978 |
Succeeded by Al Arbour |