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Al MacNeil
Allister Wences MacNeil (September 27, 1935 – January 5, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. MacNeil played 524 games in the National Hockey League and was a four-time Stanley Cup winner. He was the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. He won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, first as the team's rookie head coach in 1971, and then back-to-back championships as Director of Player Personnel in 1978 and 1979. He went back into coaching in 1979, becoming the last head coach of the Atlanta Flames and then the first one for the Calgary Flames in 1980. As an NHL head coach, with the Canadiens and Flames, his career win-loss-tie total was 160–134–55. The final time he won a Stanley Cup was as the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames in 1989.
MacNeil won three Calder Cup Championships as the general manager and head coach of the Montreal Canadiens' farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, in 1972, 1976 and 1977. He was twice selected as American Hockey League Coach of the Year in 1972 and 1977. In 2014, his coaching career was celebrated when he was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame.
Allister Wences "Al" MacNeil was born on September 27, 1935, in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. He grew up in the steel town and played his first hockey there. As a junior player in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, he moved to Weston, Ontario, going to high school there on a scholarship and playing with the Weston Dukes in 1953. He won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Toronto Marlboros, in 1955, and then, as captain of the team, in 1956. 1956—57 was his first year as a professional hockey player, as he made the Leafs team and played 53 games that season for them. In 1960—61 he captained, and was an all-star defenceman for, the Eastern Professional Hockey League's Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. His team won the league's championship that year.
As a defenceman, MacNeil participated in parts of eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1956 to 1968. He played in a total of 524 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Between 1968 and 1970, he became a player-coach in the Montreal Canadiens' farm team system. He started with the Central Hockey League's (CHL) Houston Apollos, a Canadiens affiliate in Houston, Texas. This was their final season in Houston, and the franchise moved to Montreal, and joined the American Hockey League (AHL) as the Montreal Voyageurs in June 1969. He continued as a player/coach in Montreal for the 1969–70 AHL season. After a successful debut as a minor-league coach, MacNeil became an assistant coach to Claude Ruel of the NHL Canadiens for the 1970–71 season on September 8, 1970.
During the beginning of the 1970–71 season, the Canadiens struggled to win, and were in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight year. Head coach Ruel resigned 23 games into the season and MacNeil took over the helm on December 3, 1970. The appointment made him the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. His first game as coach went well, as the Canadiens won over the St. Louis Blues, including beating his future Calgary Flames Stanley Cup winning coach, Terry Crisp, who was a Blues centre at the time.
Canadiens general manager, Sam Pollock, bolstered the club when he swung a major trade to net top-scoring left-wing Frank Mahovlich from the Detroit Red Wings on January 13, 1971. The Canadiens rallied to qualify for the playoffs as the third seed in their division. The Canadiens stunned the heavily favoured, league-leading, Boston Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs by beating them four games to three in the quarter final round. They then defeated the Minnesota North Stars in the semi-finals. Unexpectedly, they made it to the Stanley Cup finals, playing the Chicago Black Hawks, and then beating them four games to three after having been behind in this series 3–2. Game seven was in Chicago, and at the end of the second period, the score was tied at 2–2 after. The Canadiens scored the winning goal early in the third period to take the series and the championship, with Henri Richard scoring both the equalizer and game-winner. MacNeil and Richard hugged at the end of the game, but that did little to patch up their differences.
Crucial to the Stanley Cup victory was MacNeil's decision to use rookie goaltender Ken Dryden in the playoffs despite Dryden having played only six regular-season games in 1970–71. MacNeil was presumably impressed that Dryden won all these regular games, allowing only nine goals for a 1.65 goals against average (GAA). Another crucial choice was having rookie Réjean Houle shadow the Black Hawks' star goal scorer Bobby Hull. Houle held Hull to only one even-strength goal in the finals series.
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Al MacNeil
Allister Wences MacNeil (September 27, 1935 – January 5, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. MacNeil played 524 games in the National Hockey League and was a four-time Stanley Cup winner. He was the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. He won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, first as the team's rookie head coach in 1971, and then back-to-back championships as Director of Player Personnel in 1978 and 1979. He went back into coaching in 1979, becoming the last head coach of the Atlanta Flames and then the first one for the Calgary Flames in 1980. As an NHL head coach, with the Canadiens and Flames, his career win-loss-tie total was 160–134–55. The final time he won a Stanley Cup was as the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames in 1989.
MacNeil won three Calder Cup Championships as the general manager and head coach of the Montreal Canadiens' farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, in 1972, 1976 and 1977. He was twice selected as American Hockey League Coach of the Year in 1972 and 1977. In 2014, his coaching career was celebrated when he was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame.
Allister Wences "Al" MacNeil was born on September 27, 1935, in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. He grew up in the steel town and played his first hockey there. As a junior player in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, he moved to Weston, Ontario, going to high school there on a scholarship and playing with the Weston Dukes in 1953. He won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Toronto Marlboros, in 1955, and then, as captain of the team, in 1956. 1956—57 was his first year as a professional hockey player, as he made the Leafs team and played 53 games that season for them. In 1960—61 he captained, and was an all-star defenceman for, the Eastern Professional Hockey League's Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. His team won the league's championship that year.
As a defenceman, MacNeil participated in parts of eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1956 to 1968. He played in a total of 524 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Between 1968 and 1970, he became a player-coach in the Montreal Canadiens' farm team system. He started with the Central Hockey League's (CHL) Houston Apollos, a Canadiens affiliate in Houston, Texas. This was their final season in Houston, and the franchise moved to Montreal, and joined the American Hockey League (AHL) as the Montreal Voyageurs in June 1969. He continued as a player/coach in Montreal for the 1969–70 AHL season. After a successful debut as a minor-league coach, MacNeil became an assistant coach to Claude Ruel of the NHL Canadiens for the 1970–71 season on September 8, 1970.
During the beginning of the 1970–71 season, the Canadiens struggled to win, and were in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight year. Head coach Ruel resigned 23 games into the season and MacNeil took over the helm on December 3, 1970. The appointment made him the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. His first game as coach went well, as the Canadiens won over the St. Louis Blues, including beating his future Calgary Flames Stanley Cup winning coach, Terry Crisp, who was a Blues centre at the time.
Canadiens general manager, Sam Pollock, bolstered the club when he swung a major trade to net top-scoring left-wing Frank Mahovlich from the Detroit Red Wings on January 13, 1971. The Canadiens rallied to qualify for the playoffs as the third seed in their division. The Canadiens stunned the heavily favoured, league-leading, Boston Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs by beating them four games to three in the quarter final round. They then defeated the Minnesota North Stars in the semi-finals. Unexpectedly, they made it to the Stanley Cup finals, playing the Chicago Black Hawks, and then beating them four games to three after having been behind in this series 3–2. Game seven was in Chicago, and at the end of the second period, the score was tied at 2–2 after. The Canadiens scored the winning goal early in the third period to take the series and the championship, with Henri Richard scoring both the equalizer and game-winner. MacNeil and Richard hugged at the end of the game, but that did little to patch up their differences.
Crucial to the Stanley Cup victory was MacNeil's decision to use rookie goaltender Ken Dryden in the playoffs despite Dryden having played only six regular-season games in 1970–71. MacNeil was presumably impressed that Dryden won all these regular games, allowing only nine goals for a 1.65 goals against average (GAA). Another crucial choice was having rookie Réjean Houle shadow the Black Hawks' star goal scorer Bobby Hull. Houle held Hull to only one even-strength goal in the finals series.
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