NHL Power Rankings: Who Is The Best Coach in the NHL?
Hockey coaches seem to come and go at a whim.
In 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup with interim coach Dan Bylsma.
Joel Quenneville has never missed the playoffs, but has twice been canned during the season.
Other coaches like Lindy Ruff (Buffalo) and Barry Trotz (Nashville) appear to be comfortable in their respective cities due to their reputation as overachievers.
The following is a list of the 30 coaches in the NHL ranked in order of proficiency.
Recent success weighed heavily in the rankings, but a longer-tenured coach or a bench boss who has a reputation of winning sometimes was given the nod over a coach with a smaller sample size to work with.
All statistics are provided by hockey-reference.com.
30. New York Islanders: Jack Capuano
1 of 30
Tenured since: 2010
Overall record: 11-17-4
Capuano has a tough task ahead of him.
The Islanders are a franchise in flux with limited talent in a difficult division.
It will be difficult for the first-year coach to go anywhere with this team.
29. Ottawa Senators: Cory Clouston
2 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 80-68-18
After a stint with the Binghamton Senators, Clouston got a shot with the big club.
He missed the playoffs in his first season, but was a mid-season replacement.
His club made a postseason appearance last season but was eliminated by Pittsburgh in the first round.
This year the Senators are a mess, and Clouston may be on the hot seat.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets: Scott Arniel
3 of 30
Tenured since: 2010
Overall record: 23-21-5
In 2009, while coaching the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, Arniel won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL coach of the year.
A former left wing for the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres, Arniel took over for the struggling Blue Jackets in hope of turning around this moribund franchise.
Since joining the NHL in 2000, the Columbus has not won a playoff series. Only one other team, the Thrashers, have the same stigma.
Time will tell if Arniel is the man to turn them around.
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27. Minnesota Wild: Todd Richards
4 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 63-55-13
Replacing a legend like Jacques Lemaire in hockey-crazed Minnesota is a tall order.
Richards, a Minnesota native and former assistant in San Jose, appeared to be the right man to do the job.
Unfortunately for him, he may be on the hot seat as the Wild have slumped after winning the division in 2007-08 and are starting to have attendance woes.
26. Edmonton Oilers: Tom Renney
5 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 218-196-9-54
Renney had a brief stint in Vancouver before coaching the Rangers from 2005-2008.
The veteran coach has a difficult task ahead of him: turning around the once-proud Oilers organization.
25. St. Louis Blues: Davis Payne
6 of 30
Tenured since: 2010
Overall record: 45-35-11
Picked from the Blues' minor league affiliate in Peoria, Payne replaced Andy Murray as head coach of the Blues halfway through the season last year.
The young and talented Blues face a lot of pressure to win in St. Louis, and, with their recent slump, Payne may be on the hot seat.
24. Atlanta Thrashers: Craig Ramsay
7 of 30
Tenured since: 2010
Overall record: 40-46-6-9
Before joining the Thrashers this year, Craig Ramsay had not coached an entire season.
In 1987 he served as an interim coach for the Sabres, the team he played for as a left win from 1971 to 1985.
In 2000 he was fired 28 games into the season by the Flyers.
This year his team started out hot but appears to be waning in the second half of the season.
23. Florida Panthers: Peter DeBoer
8 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 95-89-29
After a distinguished career as a coach in the OHL, DeBoer faces a difficult task of turning around the decadent Panthers franchise.
By stressing defense, DeBoer is turning the Cats into a difficult to team to play, but has yet to bring competitive success to South Florida.
22. Calgary Flames: Brent Sutter
9 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 161-109-27
After two years in New Jersey, Sutter joined the family business that is the Calgary Flames.
However, this organization is in need of a serious overhaul, and Sutter may join his brother and former Flames GM Darryl in unemployment after this season.
21. Colorado Avalanche: Joe Sacco
10 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 68-49-15
The Avalanche appeared to be falling out of favor in Denver before Sacco, a player from 1990-2003, got behind the bench.
Sacco has got a young team playing well enough to advance to the playoffs in his first year.
Despite their poor defense, the Avs should squeeze his way into the postseason this season, but time will tell if Sacco can get them to win in the postseason.
20. Montreal Canadiens: Jacques Martin
11 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 583-457-119-71
Martin began his career in St. Louis where he led the Blues to two-straight playoff appearances, but was fired when the team was unable to reach the Finals.
He spent nine seasons in Ottawa, but his talented teams could never reach the Stanley Cup finals either.
After his stint in Ottawa he coached the Panthers, but was never able to take his team to the playoffs.
Last year the Canadiens reached the conference finals, marking only the second time his team has advanced that far in the postseason.
19. Toronto Maple Leafs: Ron Wilson
12 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 601-524-101-78
After stints in Anaheim, Washington and San Jose, Wilson has returned to the team that drafted him in 1975, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In Anaheim he took the Ducks on their first playoff run.
In Washington he took the Caps to the finals in his first season.
In San Jose he made the Sharks a perennial contender.
However, he's really got some magic to work turning around Toronto's beloved Leafs.
18. Carolina Hurricanes: Paul Maurice
13 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 437-432-99-59
At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games.
The first coach in Hurricanes history, Maurice came over from Hartford after coaching the Whalers for two years.
In 2002 he took Carolina to the finals, but his team lost to the Red Wings in five games.
He was canned two years after.
He spent two years in Toronto, but the Leafs never made a playoff appearance.
Acquired mid-season by the 'Canes in 2008, Maurice led an underdog team to the Eastern Conference Finals before they were swept by Pittsburgh.
17. New York Rangers: John Tortorella
14 of 30
Tenured since: 1999
Overall record: 318-285-37-54
Tortorella had a brief stint with the Rangers in 2000, when he coached the team for four games, but got recognized in 2004 when he won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After taking over the Bolts as a mid-season replacement, Torts would coach the Bolts until the 2007 season when the franchise took a deadly tailspin.
In 2008 he got behind the bench and led the Blueshirts to the playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Capitals.
This year the Rangers appear to be on their way to another playoff appearance.
16. Washington Capitals: Bruce Boudreau
15 of 30
Tenured since: 2007
Record: 168-71-37
The former Jack Adams Award winner has led the Capitals to Southeast Division titles every year since he has been behind the bench.
However, the foul-mouthed coach has come under scrutiny for his team's recent losing streak and the vulgar language he unleashed on a national stage during HBO's 24/7 segment.
Boudreau will have to win a Stanley Cup with his gifted squad before he is ever considered a top-caliber coach in the NHL.
15. Phoenix Coyotes: Dave Tippett
16 of 30
Tenured since: 2002
Overall record: 346-198-28-53
Last year's Jack Adams Award winner, Tippett spent six years in Dallas before taking the Coyotes to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Tippett has only missed the playoffs once in his seven-year career, but his teams have only got out of the first round twice.
The Desert Dogs will be on the bubble this year.
Time will tell if Tippett will be a long-term solution this year.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning: Guy Boucher
17 of 30
Tenured since: 2010
Overall record: 31-15-5
During his stint with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Boucher was awarded the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award, which caught the eye of Steve Yzerman.
In the offseason he signed the Quebec native to a four-year deal.
One of Boucher's former employers was Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL, Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier's junior team.
Boucher has had a solid first-year campaign. He has turned the talented, but historically underachieving Bolts into bona fide contenders in the East.
13. Los Angeles Kings: Terry Murray
18 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 467-363-89-32
Brother of current Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray, Terry was drafted by the California Golden Seals in 1970 and played for the Flyers, Red Wings and Capitals during his NHL careers.
Murray has had stints in Washington (five seasons), Philadelphia (three) and Florida (three), before arriving in LA.
His teams have only missed the playoffs twice in his career.
The young Kings appear to be moving on from their rebuilding mode and should be contenders in this year's playoffs.
12. San Jose Sharks: Todd McLellan
19 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 129-57-28
After winning the Stanley Cup as part of the Red Wings coaching staff in 2008, McLellan was hired to get the Sharks, who always play well in the regular season, into the Stanley Cup Finals.
In his first season, San Jose won the President's Trophy, but was bounced in the first round by the rival Ducks.
Last year he was able to get the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals, but his team was swept by Chicago.
11. Vancouver Canucks: Alain Vigneault
20 of 30
Tenured since: 2006
Overall record: 322-242-35-45
After an unsuccessful stint in Montreal (1997-2000), Vigneault has found a home in Vancouver.
In his first year with the team, he earned the Jack Adams Award when his team won the Northwest and got to the second round of the playoffs.
He went through a sophomore slump, the Canucks finished last in the Northwest, but his 'Nucks have rebounded and the team has won their division the last two years.
However, every year his team has won their division, Vancouver has been eliminated from the postseason in the second round.
If this team has another early exit Vigneault may be replaced.
10. Boston Bruins: Claude Julien
21 of 30
Tenured since: 2007
Overall record: 208-179-10-65
Julien spent two-and-a-half years in Montreal and almost an entire season in New Jersey before joining the Bruins in 2007.
Since taking over in Boston, Julien has put his team in the playoffs three straight years.
The way things look now, the B's are in good shape to make the postseason and should be primed for a deep run.
9. Nashville Predators: Barry Trotz
22 of 30
Tenured since: 1998
Overall record: 438-388-60-66
Since the Predators' inception in 1998 there has been only one man at the helm.
Trotz has kept the Predators, a frugal, developing franchise, competitive.
Although the team's first-round picks from 2000-02 are playing elsewhere now, the Preds have been in the playoffs five of the last six years.
Trotz's paramount objective is to get the Preds out of the first round, something that has not happened yet in Nashville.
8. Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff
23 of 30
Tenured since: 1997
Overall record: 506-382-78-67
Since 1997 Ruff, the longest tenured coach in the NHL, has remained in Buffalo, where he was originally drafted as a player in 1979.
Ruff has done well despite having to coach penny-pinching management and, therefore, mostly homegrown players.
His teams have reached the playoffs seven of the 12 years he's been coaching and last season placed first in the Northeast.
However, his team has not been to the finals since losing infamously in 1999 to Dallas.
7. Dallas Stars: Marc Crawford
24 of 30
Tenured since: 1994
Overall record: 537-407-103-72
Crawford has had a distinguished career as a coach and player.
As a skater, he spent most of his time split between Vancouver and their minor league affiliate.
Crawford coached the Quebec Nordiques to a first-place finish in the Northeast during his first season as a coach (1994), a year after winning the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award.
He stayed with the organization when they moved to Colorado and won a Stanley Cup as well as the Jack Adams Award in 1995.
In 1999 he returned to Vancouver and led them to four straight playoff appearances before being shown the door in 2006.
He spent two hapless years in LA before joining the Stars organization last year.
After a last place finish in 2009, Crawford has made this young Dallas squad the team to beat in the Pacific this year.
6. Anaheim Ducks: Randy Carlyle
25 of 30
Tenured since: 2005
Overall record: 247-159-56
When all is said and done, Carlyle may be remembered more for his service as a player than a coach.
The defenseman was drafted by both the NHL and WHA in 1976 and played from 1976 to 1993 for the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
During his first four years as the coach of the Ducks, Carlyle led his defensive-minded teams to the playoffs, winning the Cup in 2006.
However, he has yet to go back since.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: Peter Laviolette
26 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 305-220-25-44
Laviolette spent two years with the Islanders, but will be most remembered as the coach who won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.
He was fired halfway through the 2008 season and joined the Flyers mid-season in 2009 and led them to last year's finals.
His second biggest accomplishment, aside from winning the Cup, has to be curing the hangover that typically keeps Cup finalists grounded.
This year's team has a legitimate chance to get back to the finals this year.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins: Dan Bylsma
27 of 30
Tenured since: 2009
Overall record: 96-46-15
A solid athlete in his own right, Bylsma played collegiate hockey at Bowling Green before a long career in the minor leagues.
However, Bylsma will be remembered as the coach who took over Crosby's Penguins in 2009 and led the rejuvenated franchise to their first Stanley Cup victory since 1992.
3. New Jersey Devils: Jacques Lemaire
28 of 30
Tenured since: 2011
Overall record: 595-449-124-61
As a member of the Canadiens dynasty in the '70s, Lemaire won eight Stanley Cups as a player.
In 1984 Lemaire took over the Canadiens as a head coach, but was canned after the 1984-85 season.
He was hired by the Devils in 1993, won Cup with them in 1995, but was fired in 1998 after his team won their division but was ousted from the playoffs in the first round.
In 2000 he became the first coach of the Minnesota Wild. In St. Paul he took his team to the Conference Championship in 2003 and won the division in 2007.
He chose to leave the organization in 2009.
Last year was supposed to be his final year with the Devils, but he has joined the team mid-season to try and rectify the reeling organization.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Joel Quenneville
29 of 30
Tenured since: 2008
Overall record: 561-347-77-64
One of very few players to say he played for the Colorado Rockies (New Jersey Devils) and Hartford Whalers (Carolina Hurricanes) in his career, Quenneville, an outstanding defensemen, has also established himself as a stalwart behind the bench.
From 1997-2002 Quenneville led the Blues to the postseason every year, but only reached the Conference Finals once during that stretch.
He was fired halfway through the season in 2003.
In 2005 he was hired by Colorado and led them to the playoffs twice but was fired after the 2008 season.
The following season he led the Hawks to the conference finals and last season won a Cup for the city of Chicago.
This year he faces the task of avoiding the Stanley Cup hangover.
1. Detroit Red Wings: Mike Babcock
30 of 30
Tenured since: 2005
Overall record: 356-176-19-72
One of McGill University's finest, Babcock won the Stanley Cup in 2008 and has maintained a standard of excellence with an aging team in a hostile market.
Since taking over the team in 2005 after a stint with the Ducks, Babcock's team has won the Central four-straight years before Chicago took the division last season.
In Anaheim he took an underdog Ducks club to the Final in 2003, but lost to the Devils in seven games.
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