Mike Keenan

Iron Mike Keenan: Stanley Cup champion, Gagarin Cup winner, and one of the winningest coaches in NHL history.

Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey coach. He served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams between 1984 and 2009. He currently ranks sixth in playoff wins with 96. He is noted for his early career success in coaching, which started with reaching the Stanley Cup Final in his rookie season in 1985. In 1987, he reached the Finals once again. Months later, he led Team Canada to win the 1987 Canada Cup round-robin tournament. He left the Flyers for Chicago in 1988. He reached the Finals once again in 1992 but lost again. After leaving the Blackhawks and spending a year away from coaching, Keenan won a Stanley Cup championship as coach of the New York Rangers in 1994. He is one of three coaches to coach in a playoff game seven ten times, for which he won five times. Keenan was the third person to lead three different teams (Philadelphia, Chicago, New York) to the Stanley Cup Final. He coached for eight NHL teams from 1984 to 2009. He also won the Gagarin Cup while coaching Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2014, becoming the first head coach to have won championships in both the NHL and KHL. Currently, he is 15th all time in NHL wins as one of 23 head coaches with 600 wins. In each of his first eleven seasons, Keenan led his team to the Stanley Cup playoffs; in the subsequent nine seasons, his teams only made the playoffs twice. His tough coaching style earned him the nickname 'Iron Mike'.

Quick Facts

Born: 21 October 1949
Birthplace: Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada

Lore & Background

Keenan's first coaching job was at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario. In 1977 he became coach of the Oshawa Legionaires of the Metro Junior B Hockey League, leading them to back-to-back championships in 1979 and 1980. He then coached the Peterborough Petes, the Rochester Americans (guiding them to the AHL championship in 1983), and returned to the University of Toronto to lead it to the CIAU title. He landed his first high-profile job with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984. From 1988–1989 through the end of 1991–1992, he coached the Chicago Blackhawks, losing the Stanley Cup to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992. In 1993, he became the New York Rangers head coach and led the team to its first Stanley Cup since 1940. He left the Rangers one month after the series ended due to disputes with GM Neil Smith. He then served as coach and general manager of the St. Louis Blues (1994–96), coached the Vancouver Canucks (1997–98), and the Boston Bruins (2000–01). He was named head coach of the Florida Panthers on December 3, 2001, before becoming its general manager. On September 3, 2006, he resigned. On April 24, 2007, he became senior advisor to the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. He was named head coach of the Calgary Flames on June 14, 2007. He passed Pat Quinn for 4th on the all-time NHL coach win list (648 wins) on February 12, 2009. He was fired on May 22, 2009. He recorded his 600th win with the Flames. On October 1, 2009, he joined the Rangers MSG Network broadcast team as a regular guest analyst. On May 13, 2013, he signed with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL, winning the Gagarin Cup on April 30, 2014. He was fired by Magnitogorsk on October 17, 2015. On March 16, 2017, he was named head coach of HC Kunlun Red Star, and was fired on December 3, 2017. On October 18, 2022, he was named head coach of the Italian men's national ice hockey team.