A new face with a familiar last name was introduced to the Blackhawks Thursday afternoon.

Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, father of Hawks assistant general manager Stan Bowman, agreed to a three-year deal to become the team’s senior advisor for hockey operations.

Scotty (left) and Stan Bowman

“It’s certainly an exciting day for me and for the family,” said Scotty Bowman. “Being in Detroit for 15 years, I got to know Gordie Howe. He often talked about… how he felt the most exciting time of his career was when he got to play with his sons. I wanted to work with my son Stan. It’s a dream everyone has and it doesn’t happen very often.”

Bowman, who has won 11 Stanley Cups as a coach and front office member, will report directly to Hawks general manager Dale Tallon. The Montreal native is the NHL’s all-time leader with 1,224 regular-season wins and 223 postseason victories. Bowman is the only man in the history of the sport to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup and has reached the Finals 13 times as a coach.

He was most recently an advisor to the Detroit Red Wings, a position he took upon retiring from coaching after winning the 2002 Stanley Cup.

“This is a great day,” said Tallon. “It’s an historic day for our franchise. [Scotty’s] arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game and a great man. He’ll take us where we need to go.”

Tallon expressed his excitement for the team as a whole with the new acquisition, but also pointed out how elated he was for Stan Bowman, who has been with the Hawks for 8 years and became assistant GM in 2007.

“I’m proudest and most excited for Stan Bowman,” said Tallon. “[Stan’s] been a great partner that I can rely on, and I’m excited for Stan to work with Scotty.”

“It’s a dream come true for me,” said Stan. “I’ve got very fond memories of my dad talking about hockey and it was my favorite thing to do,” said Stan. “That’s the most exciting part now. It’s a great day for everybody.”

All involved emphasized that the overriding message of the move is the Hawks’ commitment to one goal: winning a championship.

GM Dale Tallon and Scotty Bowman

“I’m not sure [Scotty’s] record has been achieved by anybody else,” said Blackhawks president John McDonough. “The greatest statement you can make is to bring in somebody like Scotty Bowman who is all about winning, all about success. We want to win, and that’s what today represents.”

Scotty emphasized that he chose to come to Chicago for a very specific reason -- he sees a team on the rise and wants to help them get to the next level.

“The timing could not be any better than it is today. To see the enthusiasm this team has generated is awesome.” he said. “I’m really looking forward to getting this thing to where it should be.”