The 5 Best NHL Coaches of All-Time Ranked

The best coaches in NHL history guided their teams to record-breaking seasons, memorable playoff runs, and, of course, the Stanley Cup. Our list of the best all-time NHL coaches shines a light on some of the best to ever stand behind the bench, including the coach with the most wins in NHL history, as well as a current coach that is still racking up wins to this day.

1. Scotty Bowman

• Years Coached: 1967–1980, 1981–1987, 1991–2002
• Teams: St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings
• Stanley Cups: 9 as a coach, 5 as an executive
• Jack Adams Trophies (Best Coach): 2

Scotty Bowman began coaching in the NHL in 1967 as the second head coach of the expansion St. Louis Blues, taking the helm midway through the team’s inaugural season. The Blues reached the Stanley Cup Finals in each of their first three seasons of existence under Bowman, though failed to capture the trophy.

In 1971, Bowman joined his hometown Montreal Canadiens as head coach, and in 1973 won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens. He won the Cup again with Montreal every year from 1976 to 1979, coaching a team that included legends like Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, and one of the greatest goalies in NHL history, Ken Dryden. Bowman’s Canadiens only lost eight games in 1976–1977, which is still the record for fewest losses in an NHL season. 

Scotty Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1991, and in 1992 he led the Pittsburg Penguins to their second consecutive Stanley Cup. During the 1992–1993 season, Bowman’s Penguins set the NHL record for longest win-streak at 17 games; a record that still stands to this day. 

Bowman joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1993, and in 1997 Detroit swept the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Cup. It was the first Cup the Red Wings had won in 42 years. In 1998, Bowman’s Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals to capture another Stanley Cup.

Before the 2002 season, Bowman announced that the following year would be his last as a coach, and he ended his career with yet another Stanley Cup. 

Bowman is the only coach in NHL history to have won the Cup with three different teams (Montreal, Pittsburgh, Detroit), and he also holds the record for most Stanley Cup Finals appearances as a coach with 13. 

Scotty Bowman has the most wins in NHL history at 1,244, as well as a record 223 playoff victories. Bowman has the most Stanley Cups in NHL coaching history with nine, and he won another five Stanley Cups as an executive. His 14 total Stanley Cups are second in NHL history, behind Jean Béliveau’s 17. 

2. Al Arbour

• Years Coached: 1970–1994, 2007
• Teams: St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders,
• Stanley Cups: 4 as a coach, 4 as a player
• Jack Adams Trophies (Best Coach): 1

As a player, Al Arbour was one of only 11 players in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams. He was named as the first captain of the expansion St. Louis Blues, and played under Scotty Bowman. In 1970, he was hired as a coach on top of being an active player, and served as player-coach for three more seasons. 

In 1973, Arbour became the head coach of the New York Islanders. Even though the Islanders finished last in the league for the second straight season, Arbour’s Islanders allowed 100 fewer goals and earned 56 more points in the standings than the season prior. He went on to record winning seasons every year from 1974 to 1986 with the Islanders. 

The 1975 playoffs saw New York come back from a 3-0 deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the second round, only the second team in North American sports history to come back from being down three games. The Islanders erased another 3-0 deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers in the next round too, but lost game seven. 

Al Arbour’s New York Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983, the most consecutive championships ever by an American NHL team. That run included a streak of winning 19 consecutive playoff series; both an NHL and North American professional sports record. The Islanders also set the records for consecutive regular season wins during this time (15 games, is now tied for fifth all time). No North American sports team has won four consecutive championships since Arbour’s Islanders did. 

He retired from coaching in 1986, but returned to the Islanders bench two years later. In 1993, Arbour and the New York Islanders prevented Scotty Bowman’s Pittsburgh Penguins from capturing a third consecutive Cup by upsetting them in the Patrick Division finals. 

Arbour retired again in 1994, having coached 1,499 games, and winning 739 of them. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, and soon after the Islanders raised a banner that said “739” to commemorate his career wins. 

In 2007, Islanders head coach Ted Nolan insisted that Arbour return to the bench to reach 1,500 games coached. He did, and he won the game on top of that. Al Arbour is the only coach to have coached 1,500 games with the same team in NHL history. The Islanders replaced the 739 banner with one that said “1,500” to commemorate the feat. 

Al Arbour ranks seventh in all-time NHL games coached, and is eighth in all-time wins. His 740 wins with the New York Islanders is the most victories coached for a single franchise in NHL history.

3. Toe Blake

• Years Coached: 1955–1968
• Team: Montreal Canadiens
• Stanley Cups: 8 as a coach, 3 as a player
• Jack Adams Trophies (Best Coach): 0 (award wasn’t created until 1973)

Toe Blake spent the entirety of his playing career with the Montreal Canadiens, playing for the team from 1934 to 1951. He won the Stanley Cup three times as a player, and was a linemate with Maurice “Rocket” Richard. In 1939, he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, and won the NHL scoring championship that year as well. Toe Blake served as captain of the Montreal Canadiens during the final eight years of his playing career. 

After retiring as a player, Blake coached various Canadiens-affiliated teams before being named Montreal’s head coach in 1955. He was considered qualified for the job since he was well-suited to control former linemate “Rocket” Richard’s famously fiery temper. 

Blake won the Stanley Cup in each of his first five seasons coaching in the NHL, and is the only coach in league history to have done so. He won eight total Cups with Montreal as well, the most ever won by a coach with a single franchise. His eight Cups are second in NHL history among coaches, behind only Scotty Bowman. Combined with his three as a player, Toe Blake won 11 total Stanley Cups in his career. 

He retired after winning the Stanley Cup in 1968, ending 33 consecutive years with the Montreal Canadiens as both a player and a coach.

4. Jon Cooper

• Years Coached: 2013–Present
• Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
• Stanley Cups: 2
• Jack Adams Trophies (Best Coach): 0

Jon Cooper is the only active head coach on our list, and is currently the longest tenured coach in the NHL. He practiced law for five years before entering professional coaching, including two years as a public defendant. After coaching various junior teams, he was hired as the head coach of the Norfolk Admirals, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s minor league team in the American Hockey League (AHL). 

During the 2011–2012 season, Cooper’s Admirals set a North American professional hockey record with 28 consecutive wins. The team won the Calder Cup as AHL champions that year, and Cooper won coach of the year as well. In 2013 Cooper was hired as head coach of the Lightning. 

He reached the Stanley Cup Finals in his second season as an NHL coach, though the Lightning lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Cooper also set franchise records with 50 wins and 108 points that year. The year after that, the Lightning came within one game of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals once again. 

2018–2019 saw Cooper coach the Lightning to 62 victories, tying Scotty Bowman for the most wins in a single NHL season. The Lightning won the President’s Trophy for most points in the regular season that year too. It was the team’s first President’s Trophy in franchise history. 

Cooper and the Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, and in 2022 reached the finals again but lost to the Colorado Avalanche. 

Jon Cooper has the most coaching wins in Tampa Bay Lightning history, with 592 wins and counting (at the time of this writing). He has guided the Lightning to two Stanley Cups and four Finals appearances. 

5. Barry Trotz

• Years Coached: 1998–2022
• Teams: Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders
• Stanley Cups: 1
• Jack Adams Trophies (Best Coach): 2

Barry Trotz was the first head coach in Nashville Predators history, and remained behind the bench for the next 15 seasons. His 1,196 games coached is the most in history by the first coach of an NHL expansion franchise, and at the time it was the longest unbroken coaching tenure for a single team in NHL history. He is one of only 10 coaches in history to coach more than 750 games for the same team.

Trotz began coaching the Washington Capitals in 2014, where he became only the sixth NHL coach ever to record 700 career wins. He won his first Jack Adams Trophy in 2015–2016. The Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2018 under Trotz. His 19 seasons coaching in the NHL before winning the Cup is the longest in history.

After coaching the New York Islanders for four seasons (and winning the Jack Adams again in 2018), Barry Trotz retired from coaching in 2022. He ranks fourth all-time in NHL wins (914), as well as fourth all-time in games coached (1,812). Trotz is also the fastest coach to 400 wins in history, doing so in only 659 games. His 426 wins in 700 games is the most during that span in NHL history as well. 

Barry Trotz returned to Nashville in 2023 as the general manager, a position he still holds today.

Honorable Mentions

• Paul Maurice: Youngest coach to reach 1,000 games in NHL history (43 years old). Current head coach of the Florida Panthers, has the second most-coached games ever (1,967 and counting)
• Jacques Lemaire: Popularized the neutral zone trap strategy that helped his New Jersey Devils win their first Stanley Cup in 1995. One of only 24 coaches to reach 600 wins.
• Darryl Sutter: Coached the Los Angeles Kings to their first two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014; he is the winningest coach in Kings history. The Kings 10 consecutive road victories in the 2011–2012 season is an NHL record.
• Ken Hitchcock: Won five consecutive division titles with the Dallas Stars from 1997 to 2001, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.
• Peter Laviolette: Won the first Stanley Cup in Carolina Hurricanes history in 2006, and is the fourth coach in NHL history to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Paul Maurice coached the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup in the 2023–2024 season, more than 20 years after he started his NHL coaching career with the Hartford Whalers. The Panthers repeated as Cup Champions the next year. 

Jacques Lemaire is one of the greatest forwards in NHL history, winning eight Stanley Cup championships with the Montreal Canadiens, including five under Scotty Bowman. He coached the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Minnesota Wild during a 17-year coaching career, winning the Jack Adams Award in 1994 and 2003. 

Daryll Sutter is one of seven brothers to have played in the NHL. After playing, he coached the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, and Los Angeles Kings. His 2011–2012 Kings became the only eighth seed in NHL history to defeat the first, second, and third seeds on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. 

Ken Hitchcock’s 849 coaching wins is sixth all-time, having coached the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and Edmonton Oilers. His Stars won the Central Division title five years in a row, and the Stanley Cup in 1999. He led the Blue Jackets to their first playoff appearance in franchise history. 

Peter Laviolette is only the fourth head coach in NHL history to lead three teams to the Stanley Cup Finals; the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators. He is the winningest
American coach in NHL history. 

The Best NHL Coaches in History 

Scotty Bowman is the consensus best head coach in the history of the NHL, having won the Stanley Cup a record nine times. His 1,244 career regular season wins are the most all-time, as are his 223 playoff victories. He’s the only coach to have won the Stanley Cup with three separate franchises, and no coach in NHL history has reached the Finals more than he has. 

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