The NHL’s Top Three Head Coaches
The men behind the NHL bench are some of the most underrated in professional sports. Keeping track of the fitness, line combinations, and development of 23 players takes a lot of work, and many head coaches find themselves on their way out after a few short years. An elite few of men have figured out the secret formula, and have had successful NHL careers, just like the players they lead. Today we count down the best of the best, the top three active head coaches in the NHL.
- #3: Ken Hitchcock
Jan 27, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock looks at the scoreboard during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Ken Hitchcock has single-handedly guided under-powered teams to successful seasons, and with a skilled St. Louis roster in front of him, he looks to return to the playoff success he experienced early in his career. In experience terms, the 61-year old Alberta native has been around the block, and then some. With a background that includes AAA Midget, the WHL, and the defunct IHL, Hitchcock paid his dues and refined his craft before getting his shot in the NHL.
That chance finally came in 1995, when he signed with the Dallas Stars. Hitchcock’s first season wasn’t successful, but the very next year he posted a 48-26-8 record, as the Stars headed to the playoffs as the first seed in the Central Division. A first-round exit came as a shock for the club, but in 1997-98 the Stars made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. The next season would prove to be the best yet. The Stars finished the 1998-99 regular season with a franchise-record 114 points, and won their third consecutive division title, this time in the Pacific. They kept the momentum and kept on going in the playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup in Game Six overtime against the Buffalo Sabres, off of Brett Hull‘s controversial goal. The Cup was the first for the Stars, and the first and only for Hitchcock. The Stars would return to the Finals the next season, but the title defense fell short as they were defeated by the New Jersey Devils in six games. Hitchcock would spend one more full season in Dallas, clinching their fifth consecutive division championship in the process. The Stars would lose in the second round, and Hitchcock would find himself out of a job just 5 months later.
The Philadelphia Flyers picked up Hitchcock for the start of the 2001-02 campaign, his second time in the organization after spending time with their IHL affiliate from 1990-1994. In three full seasons with the Flyers, Hitchcock qualified for the playoffs every year, adding an Atlantic division championship in 2003-04. A dismal start to the 2006-07 campaign would find him out on the streets once again, after only eight games.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were in need of some leadership, so Hitchcock began his third stint behind the bench just over a month later. After the Blue Jackets’ extremely poor play put them behind early in the year, Hitchcock righted the ship and the Blue Jackets just missed out on the playoffs, ending up one game below .500%. Hitchcock wouldn’t reach the playoffs the next season either, finishing just outside again, but staying in the hunt despite an underrated team. The third time turned out to be the charm, and the lowly Blue Jackets made the post-season for the first time in franchise history the next year. Although they were swept by the Red Wings, Hitchcock proved that he could work with what he had to create success. 2009-10 brought a challenging season, and after a shakeup throughout the organization, he was let go.
Hitchcock returned to NHL action with the St. Louis Blues in 2011-12. After 13 games, the Blues replaced Davis Payne with Hitchcock, and never looked back, narrowly missing out on the President’s Trophy on the way to a Central Division title. They were swept by another eventual champion, the L.A. Kings, in the second round. The 2013 shortened season would bring another successful year, as the Blues took second in the Central Division. They won the first two games in their Quarterfinal match-up with the Kings, but lost four straight, ending their season. The Blues look to rebound in a weaker, realigned division, with all the key pieces in place. With the experienced man behind the bench, they know they will have leadership throughout.
With the second most wins out of all active coaches, Hitchcock proves that he has the tools to take his teams far. With 10 playoff appearances in 11 full seasons, his veteran leadership has been an asset to teams for 15 years, and will continue to be in St. Louis for seasons to come.
Feb 17, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Red Wings 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Babcock was destined for a job in hockey. Playing in the WHL and at McGill University in his playing days, Babcock learned about the game and what it takes to be a leader, playing in that role on both clubs. He translated that well when he headed behind the bench, as coach of Red Deer College from 1988-1991. During his tenure, he won a provincial championship, and the Coach-of-the-Year Award. After that, Babcock spent time in the WHL with Moose Jaw and Spokane, as well as the University of Lethbridge, during a nine-year period from 1991-2000.
Babcock finally got his shot at the pro ranks in 2000-2001, when he was named head coach of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The team had a franchise record 41 wins that season, and qualified for the playoffs, as well as in the following year. The Mighty Ducks organization had seen enough success, and was named head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2002. He took Anaheim, a team that finished 13th in the Western Conference the season before, all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils. The unbelievable turnaround was much to Babcock’s credit. After losing captain Paul Kariya and seeing starting goaltender J.S. Giguiere’s numbers decline dramatically, the Mighty Ducks couldn’t work any Disney magic, and finished a distant 12th in the West.
The lockout caused a big disruption in Babcock’s career, and he did not return to California when play resumed in 2005-06. He instead opted to take his talents to Michican, with the Detroit Red Wings. He saw immediate success with the already-experienced Red Wings club, and posted a 28-18 playoff record in his first three seasons, with a Stanley Cup Championship coming in seven games against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007-08. This would be Babcock’s only cup. The following year, they made it back to the Finals, only to lose to the Penguins. Nevertheless, Babcock took home four straight Central Division titles in his first four years with Detroit. 2009-10 and 2010-11 saw the Red Wings lose to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Semifinals twice, finishing second and third in the Central Division, respectively. 2011-12 saw the Central Division become far and away the strongest division in the league, and were ousted by division rivals Nashville in the first round after teams from the Central Division took up half of the playoff seeds in the West. 2013 was another tough year for the Wings, after losing great captain and hockey ambassador Nick Lindstrom to retirement. The aging Wings had to win their last four games of the regular season to make the playoffs, and they did so, entering as the seventh seed in the West. This would be the Red Wings 24th consecutive playoff appearance, and eighth under Babcock. The Wings got past the stellar Anaheim Ducks in the first round, and were up 3-1 before losing 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Babcock has settled in nicely in Detroit, and will continue to use his great hockey knowledge to attempt to keep the Wings’ playoff streak alive. With a healthy group in front of him, the Red Wings can use their experience and be a dark horse in Cup contender conversations in the next few years.
Jun 14, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks head coach
Joel Quennevilleshoots the puck during practice the day before game two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
- #1: Joel Quenneville
Joel Quenneville is legendary throughout the league for gruff voice, great moustache, and successful teams in front of him. The first two come naturally, but the last one of the three has came about due to his years and years studying , playing, and living the game of hockey.
Quenneville’s hockey career started way back in 1978, when he was drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would play for Toronto, the now-defunct Colorado Rockies and Hartford Whalers, as well as the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. Quenneville, a two-way defenseman, had a lot of regular season success, but never earned a Stanley Cup as a player over his 13-year career. Those years of experience are very valuable behind the bench, where he is one of the best all-time.
His coaching career started in a very unique way; Quenneville served as a player-coach for the St. John’s Maple Leafs. He became a full-time coach in 1993, with the Springfield Indians of the AHL. He then made the move to the NHL, becoming an assistant coach for the Quebec Nordiques for their final season in 1994-95. He followed the franchise for their move to Colorado in 1995-96, and won his first Stanley Cup ring.
The St. Louis Blues brought in Quenneville midway through the next season after a disastrous start. Quenneville had just enough time to straighten out St. Louis, and they snuck into the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. Quenneville would continue to have stellar regular seasons with the Blues, winning a Central Division title as well as a President’s Trophy, in 2000. Despite all of the Blues’ regular season success, they could not keep it together in the Playoffs, and would only get to the Conference Final round once, 2001. Quenneville would be fired in 2004 after sending the Blues to the post-season in all 7 seasons. He would take home the Jack Adams Award as best head coach in the NHL, in 2000.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up Quenneville for the second time, adding him as their head coach before the lockout in 2004-05. Once hockey finally got going in 2005-06, he took the Avalanche to the playoffs, a remarkable feat after many expected them to tank in the standings. They beat the Dallas Stars in the first round, but would go no further. The Avalanche would miss the playoffs the following year, but qualify once again, losing to the eventual champion Red Wings in the conference semi-finals.
Quenneville’s contract was never renewed, and he was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as a pro scout in the months before the 2008-09 campaign. In his first season in the Windy City, the Blackhawks would make the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons, taking it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where Quenneville was handed his second straight exit by the Red Wings.
The Blackhawks returned the following year, and won their first Central Division championship in 17 years. Going into the playoffs as the third seed, they took it all the way, winning the Stanley Cup in Game Six against Philadelphia, the first for Quenneville as a head coach. The Blackhawks would struggle slightly during the following two years, almost completing a miraculous comeback in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks, but falling short in Game Seven overtime after battling back from a 3-0 deficit. The next season saw the ‘Hawks lead the division until February, where a disastrous 9-game losing streak had Blackhawks fans calling for Quenneville’s head. He remained, and the Blackhawks lost to the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round.
The Blackhawks would return in 2013 for their most successful regular season in their 86-year history, including an unprecedented streak of 24 games with at least a point to start a year. They went wire to wire as the top team in the league, and won the Stanley Cup for the second time in four years, this time against the Boston Bruins.
Quenneville leads all active coaches in wins, and at age 54, he is entering the prime of his coaching career. With a solid lineup in front of him, ‘Coach Q’ could add several more rings to his collection in the next few seasons.
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