Canadian Male Coaches

Canadian national Steve Nash is a basketball coach and a former player. Known for his playmaking skills, he played for Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers in America’s coveted National Basketball Association. He also played for the Canadian national men’s team from 1991 to 2003. He became the head coach of Brooklyn Nets of NBA in September 2020.

Barry Trotz, popularly known as Trotzy and Eggman, is the head coach of the NHL team New York Islanders and also won a Stanley Cup, coaching the Washington Capitals. While he initially played as a defenseman, he soon realized his playing career wasn’t of NHL standards and this took to coaching.

Former baseball player Larry Walker had a 17-year stint with the MLB, playing for teams such as the Montreal Expos and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Baseball Hall of Fame inductee wanted to pursue hockey initially but chose baseball instead after failing to make it to a top hockey team.

The head coach of the NHL team Calgary Flames, Darryl Sutter has also previously coached the Los Angeles Kings, guiding them in a couple of Stanley Cup championships. His style of hockey is known as gritty and tough. Five of his six brothers have made it to NHL.  

Canadian ice-hockey coach Scotty Bowman created history by winning 9 Stanley Cups as an NHL head coach. While he was initially geared toward a skating career, a head injury stopped his playing career short, pushing him into coaching instead. He was also named to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Best known as the head coach of the NHL team Tampa Bay Lightning, Jon Cooper also excelled in lacrosse in college. He also boasts of business administration and law degrees and is actively involved with a number of charities, most notably those that deal with cancer research.

Canadian baseball player and coach Ferguson Jenkins has played for MLB teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. He also excelled in basketball and hockey and was part of the Canadian amateur hockey league. He also became the first Canadian to be name to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Paul Maurice was the seventh NHL coach to score 700 wins. The head coach of the NHL team Winnipeg Jets, he had a brief playing career too. However, his junior hockey career ended due to an eye injury, after which he began coaching the OHL team Windsor Spitfires.

Initially a player with the McGill Redmen team, Guy Boucher later coached the NHL teams Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning. A prominent scar on his right cheek has often made people compare him to Le Chiffre from the James Bond movie Casino Royale.

Apart from playing for teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Bruce Boudreau has been a head coach for teams such as the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild. He has also coached minor league teams such as the Hershey Bears. His 316 goals made him the 16th all-time top goal scorer.

The current Vegas Golden Knights head coach, Peter DeBoer has also won the OHL Coach of the Year award twice. He has also coached teams such as the San Jose Sharks previously. He also boasts of a law degree and is a father of three.

Mostly known as the coach of the NHL team Philadelphia Flyers, Alain Vigneault also previously led the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup finals in 20 years. He has also scored over 700 victories as a coach with the NHL teams. He was once accused of giving unprescribed sedatives to players.

Known as The Toughest Chicano, Joe Kapp made history by becoming the only player to quarterback in Rose Bowl, Grey Cup, and Super Bowl. He also received the Spirit of Life award for his charitable work and has helped Latin students by raising funds for their education.

In school, Jim Zorn excelled in not just football but a number of sports, such as baseball and basketball. He later played for various teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, as both a player and a coach. His other interests include outdoor activities such as mountain biking.

With 849 victories, Ken Hitchcock had the third-most wins in NHL history and has also won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars. Also known to his fans as Hitch, he has been an assistant coach of team Canada and has led the team to gold wins at three Winter Olympics.

Joel Quenneville, popularly known as Coach Q, is best known for his three Stanley Cup wins with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was with the Florida Panthers, when a sexual abuse scandal related to his Chicago Blackhawks days caused him to resign. He had previously played for teams such as the Washington Capitals.

Popularly known as The Big Irishman, coach Pat Quinn initially played as a defenseman for teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs. Later, as a coach, he led Team Canada to multiple gold medals. He also led both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks to Stanley Cup finals.

The head coach of the NHL team Los Angeles Kings, Todd McLellan also won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach. He also led Team Canada to a gold medal win in the 2015 World Championship and coached Team North America at the 2016 Hockey World Cup.

Best known for his playing stint with the NFL team Chicago Bears, Chris Leak was a child prodigy who had secured his college football scholarship in eighth grade. The national champion was dragged into a sex abuse scandal and was accused of forcing a 16-year-old girl to give him a massage.

Currently the senior advisor of the NHL team New York Rangers, Glen Sather has also led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup wins. The Hockey Hall of Famer also guided the Canadian national team as a general manager in their gold-medal-winning 1994 World Hockey Championship.

The current head coach of the NHL team Edmonton Oilers, Dave Tippett is from the quiet village of Saskatchewan in Canada. He also previously played for various NHL teams and even won an Olympic silver medal with the Canadian national team. He has also won accolades such as the Jack Adams Award.

Best known as the assistant coach of the NHL team Philadelphia Flyers, Michel Therrien, also known by his nickname, Bulldog, had also played in the American Hockey League previously. He had also coached the Montreal Canadiens but was eventually fired and replaced by Claude Julien.

Apart from representing 12 different MLB teams, Matt Stairs also created a record by scoring the most pinch-hit home runs in MLB. He is still the Canadian number 3 in home runs. He has also been an NESN sports analyst and was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed Big Bird for his towering 6’4” frame, ice hockey player and coach Larry Robinson was part of the Montreal Canadiens Big Three defense trio. A 6-time Stanley Cup winner, he has also been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame. His interests also include polo and horse-racing.

It is believed Ted Nolan once created a makeshift ice rink in his own backyard. He moved out of home at 16 to play junior hockey and later played for NHL teams, too. His coaching career saw him lead the Buffalo Sabres and the Latvian and Polish men's national ice hockey team.

Former head coach of the NHL teams Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, Randy Carlyle led Anaheim to their first Stanley Cup Championship win. An aggressive defenseman, he has transformed his old-school coaching style over the years. He has also been named to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

Al Arbour caught the attention of his fans by becoming one of the few ice hockey players to wear eyeglasses while playing. Apart from coaching National Hockey League teams such as the New York Islanders, he also made a place on the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Guy Carbonneau has won both the Selke Trophy and the Stanley Cup thrice. Named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was extremely popular with his fans, who would often chant “Guy, Guy, Guy!” when he would be on the field. He has also been a sports analyst and a coach.

The assistant coach of the NHL team Chicago Blackhawks, Marc Crawford has previously helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. He had initially had a 6-year stint with the NHL team Vancouver Canucks. He was also the youngest to win the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year.

Eight-time Stanley Cup champion Jacques Lemaire is known for his stint with the Montreal Canadiens. He also made history by becoming one of only two players in the history of NHL to score two Stanley Cup-winning goals. He has also been a head coach for teams such as the New Jersey Devils.

Pat Burns had a 14-year career with the NHL and coached teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. The Hockey Hall of Fame inductee also won a Stanley Cup for the New Jersey Devils. He succumbed to cancer at age 58.

Now an assistant head coach of the Montreal Carabins, Anthony Calvillo has also had a 20-season stint with the Canadian Football League. A 10-time Eastern All-Star and a 5-time CFL All-Star Team, he had first used football and basketball as an escape from his abusive father in childhood.

Apart from being an NHL head coach who help the Montreal Canadiens win a Stanley Cup, Jacques Demers has also been part of the Senate of Canada, representing Rigaud, Québec. He also claimed in his biography, All Spelled Out, that an abusive childhood had led him to be functionally illiterate.

Red Kelly was a Canadian ice hockey player who helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win two Stanley Cups. After his retirement, Kelly established himself as a coach, working with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2001, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, Kelly was named in the 100 Greatest NHL Players list.

Known for his signature move, the Savardian Spin-o-rama, Denis Savard is part of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. Apart from playing for teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, he has also been the head coach of the NHL team Chicago Blackhawks. The 9-time All-Star has also won a Stanley Cup.

Bryan Murray is best known for his stint as the general manager of the NHL team Ottawa Senators. He joined his first club at 14 and later also tried his luck in business, buying a motel. He had a 13-season run as an NHL head coach.

Canadian hockey player Milt Schmidt is best known for leading the Boston Bruins to two Stanley Cup wins. Part of the famous Boston Bruins trio Kraut Line, he had also been part of the Canadian army in World War II. He later served as the Bruins general manager, too.

Mario Tremblay, also known by his nickname, The Bionic Blueberry, has had a long stint as a player with the NHL and is known for his 5-time Stanley Cup-winning performance with the Montreal Canadiens. He has also been a hockey analyst on the Canadian network RDS.

Doug MacLean, also known as Prince Eddy, has been the head coach for the NHL team Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. He has also had a popular career as a sports analyst on the Sportsnet game show Hockey Central and the radio show Fan 590.

NFL coach and Emmy-winning commentator John Madden is best known for his Super Bowl win as an Oakland Raiders coach. His popularity can be gauged by the fact that entire video game series, Madden NFL, has been named after him. He is also part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sid Abel, known as Old Bootnose in his childhood, grew up to be one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. Apart from winning three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings as a player, he also led the Wings to four Stanley Cup finals as a coach.