Mike Yeo

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Yeo spent five seasons with the Houston Aeros while they were members of the International Hockey League (IHL). In 1998–99, he captained the team to the Turner Cup Championship. In 1999, Yeo was signed as a minor league veteran by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After a serious knee injury ended his playing career after just 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Yeo accepted an offer to remain with the team by becoming an assistant to head coach Glenn Patrick. He was promoted along with Michel Therrien in 2005 to the Pittsburgh Penguins as Therrien's assistant. Yeo aided Therrien in laying the groundwork for the Penguins rebuild, ending the franchise's six-year playoff absence in the 2006–07 season, and leading the Penguins to their second-highest points total in franchise history in 2007–08. Continuing as an assistant under Dan Bylsma, Yeo helped the team to a Stanley Cup victory in 2009. On June 16, 2010, Yeo left the Penguins to take up the vacant head coach position at the Houston Aeros of the AHL. Under Yeo, the revitalized roster reached the AHL Calder Cup Finals in his first year. Yeo was announced as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild on June 17, 2011. The Wild under Yeo won their first game 4–2 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild started the season 15–7–3, but failed to secure a winning record through each of the final five months of the season. The 2011–12 season marked a down-year for Yeo, as his team ranked last in number of goals scored in the NHL with a meagre 177. The team also did not make the playoffs. During the 2012–13 season, Yeo accused the San Jose Sharks players of embellishing penalties, and had to call Todd McLellan to apologize. Early in the 2013–14 season, there were rumours that Yeo would lose his job. However, in the second half of the season, the Wild were able to make the playoffs for the second straight year. The Wild defeated the heavily favored Colorado Avalanche in seven games before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. On May 31, 2014, Yeo was given a three-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild. During the 2014–15 season, there were again rumours that Yeo would lose his job. However, a mid-season trade for goalie Devan Dubnyk saved not only his job, but also the team's season. The team had a record of 18–19–5 prior to the trade and finished the season with a record of 46–28–8

In Their Own Story

The Xcel Energy Center hummed with nervous energy during Game Six against the Colorado Avalanche. On the bench, Mike Yeo leaned forward, hands gripping the railing, watching the clock wind down. The arena was a sea of red and white, but his focus remained locked on the ice. When the final buzzer sounded, sealing the series win, the roar from the traveling fans washed over the bench. It was the sound of history being made, a moment that validated every grueling practice and defensive drill he had demanded for three years.

Reader's Guide

Yeo's tenure with the Minnesota Wild included making the playoffs in 2013 and 2014. In the 2014 playoffs, the Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the first round, then lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. The Wild also made the playoffs in 2015, losing to Chicago in four games. Yeo was fired on February 13, 2016, after losing 13 of his last 14 games.

Did You Know?

• Yeo captained the Houston Aeros to the Turner Cup Championship in 1998–99.
• Yeo helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009 as an assistant coach.
• Yeo was the youngest head coach in the NHL for his first four seasons, until the hirings of Jeff Blashill and John Hynes in 2015.