Top 5 NHL Coaches

With the recent firings of as many as 7 NHL Coaches (and possibly counting) this season I thought what better way to fill your head with a Headshot of information then giving you the Top 5 NHL Coaches of all-time.

Choosing five coaches from all the great names that had the chance to grace the back of a coaching bench was not the easiest thing to do. Therefore fellow Headhunters, I say with pride, let the debate begin!

5. Viktor Tikhonov

Though being the face of the enemy for both Canada and the United States in terms of hockey, there is no denying his accomplishments on the ice. His dictatorship style of coaching allowed Tikhonov to win practically every major hockey accomplishment outside of the NHL, including 13 straight Soviet Union Championships, 4 World Championship Gold’s, 3 Olympic Gold medals, the 1979 Challenge Cup and the 1981 Canada Cup. Though his accomplishments are plentiful it is not the reason why he ranks #5 on this list. Tikhonov produced the original Russian five (Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov, Sergei Makarov, Igor Larionov, and Vladimir Krutov) but produced the next Russian Five in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings (Fetisov, Larinov, Sergei Federov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and Vladimir Konstantinov). The introduction and success of Russian players in the NHL saw more NHL teams recruit Russian players of their own. So next time you youtube a Igor Larinov pass or a Vladimir Konstantinov hit, you can thank Tikhonov for grooming these beauties.

4. Dick Irvin

After a fractured skull ended his playing days, Dick Irvin got his start in coaching with the Blackhawks in 1931. Irvin would coach for the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and again the Blackhawks in his final season. Irvin won 4 Stanley Cups (1932-TOR, 1944, 46’ and 53’ MTL), 692 wins, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958. Not only did he win, his record12 runner-up finishes in the Stanley Cup Finals displays the special touch he had to get the most from his players and reach the finals 13 times. Irvin’s 692 wins are surpassed only by Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour. Irvin could easily have been higher than #4 on this list but the fact he could not capture more than one Stanley Cup in 13 tries keeps him solidified in his current position. 

3. Al Arbour

            When the words New York Islanders are spoken by any individual, AL Arbour and four consecutive championships are the first thing to come to mind. Not only did this bench boss win four Stanley Cups as a player he was also the mastermind behind the New York Islanders memorable four Stanley Cups in a row, from 1980-1983. The Islanders dynasty went on to set records for consecutive regular season victories, consecutive Finals victories and consecutive playoff series victories. No team since Arbour’s Islanders have won 4 straight championships and the Islanders’ nineteen consecutive playoff series victory is a professional sports record. Having coached in 1607 regular season games and racking up 782 wins, ranks Arbour second to the legendary Scotty Bowman. As we can see, Arbour not only has a knack for dawning a dapper set of lenses, as in the picture to the left, but he also collected the Jack Adams Trophy in 1979 after improving the Islanders to a playoff after taking over the Isles in the 1973 season which saw them finish a dismal 19-41-18 (remember ties?!). Arbour’s ability to take a team from oblivion to infamy did not go unnoticed as he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. Many might argue he should be placed higher but the final two coaches make it awfully hard.

2. Hector “Toe” Blake

            After concluding an illustrious playing career which was highlighted by 3 Stanley Cups, a Hart and Lady Byng trophy and part of the “Punch Line” with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard, Blake stepped behind the bench after fracturing his ankle in 1948. After a few years away from the game, Blake was named head coach of the Montreal Canadians succeeding Dick Irvin. In 13 years with the Canadiens, Blake collected an outstanding 8 Stanley Cups and 582 wins, including 82 playoff wins. Considering there was only 6 teams in NHL at the time, 82 play-off wins is quite outstanding. Blake was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966 and collected the Order of Canada in 1982. Known for his tough coaching style, Blake will infamously be remembered for not allowing Hall of Fame netminder Jacques Plante to wear a mask. He eventually relented after a shot broke Plante’s nose. For all gongers who are probably wondering how he got the nickname “Toe”, well it is quite simple. His younger sister could not pronounce his name when they were children, often sounding like “Toe”. The name stuck and oh boy what a beauty it is, almost as good as the next final fellow on the list.

1. Scotty Bowman

            Scotty Bowman, a name synonymous with winning. Throughout this stellar career Bowman owns the top spot in the record book for wins with 1,244 and wins in the playoffs with 223. Having started his career with the St. Louis Blues, Bowman surprised the NHL by bringing the recently added Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals three years in a row from 1967-1970. Bowman would go on to collect 9 Stanley Cups, including 6 with the Montreal Canadiens, 1 with Pittsburgh Penguins and 2 with the Detroit Red Wings. Having won the Jack Adams Trophy twice and setting a record with 62 wins in the regular season, it is hard denying Bowman the ultimate honour of the best NHL coach of all time. This slick looking legend won with all kinds of teams, including the start studded 2001-02 Red Wings club that was arguably the toughest team to coach with so many all-stars in one dressing room. Scotty Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. Bowman also wins the gongshow award for being part of two historic NHL brawls. The 97’ brawl between the Red Wings and Avalanche saw Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon throw down as Darren McCarty sought revenge on Claude Lemiux for his hit from behind on Kris Draper. The following year Bowman and Av’s coach Marc Crawford verbally got into it on the benches during the 98’ brawl. Words led to actions and if not for a piece of Plexiglas, we could have seen the first coach’s brawl in NHL history.

Honourable mentions: Punch Imlach, Pat Burns, Jack Adams, Mike Keenan, and Gordon Bombay. (Quack, Quack, Quack....!) and Mike Babcock purely due to his UNREAL flow!

Thanks and remember to keep your head up and stick on the ice.