MERIDEN, July 7 (NHL) - NHL legend Scotty Bowman has admitted the Detroit Red Wings will find it hard to defend the Stanley Cup next season.

The Red Wings lifted their fourth cup in 11 years when they clinched a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh Penguins last season.

Bowman has a history of claiming back-to-back crowns, winning four in a row with hometown club Montreal Canadiens between 1976 and 1979 before success with Detroit in 1997 and 1998.

The 74-year-old also led Pittsburgh to a second successive triumph a year after Bob Johnson had guided them to Cup glory.

But his feat with the Red Wings 10 years ago has not been repeated and Bowman, now a consultant with the champions following his retirement as a coach, doubts whether the trophy will be staying in the cabinet in 12 months time.

Speaking at The Paul Thompson Coaching Clinic at The Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club in Warwickshire, Bowman told PA Sport: "Back-to-back is tough to win now because you have to retain your players and it's tougher to retain them; you also have the motivation factor so you have to keep adding to your roster.

"A lot depends if you can add to your team. In Detroit this year we will have two or three new guys. It's hard to keep that hunger going but it's all about motivation.

"Montreal was a little different in my day because of the expectation of the team. The fans are fanatics. I come from there and living in the off-season after a winning season is a lot of fun but after a losing season it is not as easy and you can't wait to get going again.

"Tradition is a big factor, we got a lot of young players at the same time and they grew up together.

"The best dynasties, Montreal in the 50s and 70s, then New York Islanders who won it four years in a row and Edmonton in the 1980s, did this and it is hard to beat.

"It is not as easy when you are dealing with a team which has won the year before. You have to come up with some innovations because it is a new season and new talent comes into the league.

"It's not always the odds-on favourite who wins, it changes."

Bowman is the most successful coach in NHL history, winning nine Stanley Cups and holding the record for most wins with 1244 in the regular season and 223 in the play-offs.

He also won the cup with Pittsburgh when he was their Director of Player Development and Recruitment and is the only coach to have led three different teams - Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit - to Stanley Cup success.

Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and his career had a fairytale ending when, after deciding to retire at the end of the 2001/02 season, he led Detroit to Stanley Cup glory, beating Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

Asked to pick the highlight of a glorious career, Bowman said: "My crowning achievement? As a coach it was tough for me to decide because I have had some good events. It was going to be either the first or the last cup but I chose the last cup.

"The first cup as a coach is important because you have reached one of your dreams, one of your goals. It gives you a bit of tenure. But winning the last one before I retired was extra special."