NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest coaches of all-time
This edition of our NHL power rankings look at the best head coaches ever.
The final article of this series of our NHL power rankings will be on the three greatest coaches of all time. The coaching position is arguably the toughest and without a doubt the most stressful in hockey.
Teams go through coaches very quickly, which really supports the old saying “coaches are hired to be fired”. It is much easier for a struggling team to replace a coach rather than an entire roster, so often times coaches aren’t given a fair shake.
Some will say coaches aren’t overly important as it is the players who go out and execute. This is true to a certain extent, but coaches, especially the great ones, can take weak rosters and still have team success if they have great systems. With that said, here are the three greatest coaches of all-time.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
3. Al Arbour
Despite playing 626 career regular season games in the NHL as a defenseman, Al Arbour is better known for his coaching. His first three seasons as a head coach in the NHL began with the St. Louis Blues. However he is remembered for his time as the head coach of the New York Islanders. He spent 20 years with the Islanders, which is a very rare feat for an NHL coach.
His tenure with the Islanders was extremely successful, as he led the team to four straight Stanley Cup wins from 1980-1983. He helped the Islanders become what is one of the last dynasties we have seen in the league, as they won an incredible 19 straight playoff series between 1980 to 1984. On top of the Stanley Cups, Arbour also won a Jack Adams Award for the 1978-79 season which saw the team finish with a record of 51-15-14.
Despite that season being the only time he won the prestigious award, he had plenty of other very successful regular season records. In total, he led the Isles to three 50+ win seasons, including a career best 54 during the 1981-82 season.
Arbour currently sits at third all time in games coached with 1,607. He also ranks fifth all time in wins with 782, and tied for fourth all time with four Stanley Cup titles. His brilliant career was rewarded with an induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.