Roger Neilson
Roger Neilson | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2002 (Builder) | |||
Born |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | June 16, 1934||
Died |
June 21, 2003 Peterborough, Ontario, Canada | (aged 69)||
Coached for |
Toronto Maple Leafs Buffalo Sabres Vancouver Canucks Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers Florida Panthers Philadelphia Flyers Ottawa Senators | ||
Coaching career | 1966–2003 |
Roger Paul Neilson,
Born in Toronto, Neilson attended a public high school, North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Neilson's coaching career began as a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he continued to coach until graduation with a degree in physical education in both hockey and baseball.
Coaching career
Neilson's coaching career began in 1966 as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes, then the junior farm team of the Montreal Canadiens, and he remained for 10 years in Peterborough, Ontario, where he maintained a home until his death. He also worked at the University of Windsor with a summer hockey camp program, which led to camps from Port Hope, Ontario to Israel.
Neilson moved into professional hockey coaching with the Dallas Black Hawks in the Central Hockey League in 1976–77.
Neilson's entry into the National Hockey League (NHL) came in 1977 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he was hired to replace Red Kelly as the head coach of the team. Neilson coached the Toronto Maple Leafs (1977–79), the Buffalo Sabres (1979–81, associate and head coach), Vancouver Canucks (1981–84, assistant and head coach), Los Angeles Kings (1983–84), Chicago Blackhawks (1984–87, assistant), New York Rangers (1989–93), Florida Panthers (1993–95), Philadelphia Flyers (1997–2000), and for two games with the Ottawa Senators in April 2002.
Neilson's tenure with Toronto lasted until 1979, when Neilson was fired as head coach of the Maple Leafs by owner Harold Ballard. There was outrage throughout the players, media, and general public. Ballard then relented, but wanted Neilson to enter the next game with a paper bag over his head as "the mystery coach", but Neilson refused and coached the next game as if nothing had happened.[1]
Neilson was initially an assistant coach with Vancouver, but he took over as head coach after Harry Neale was suspended for taking part in an altercation with fans during a brawl against the Quebec Nordiques. When the team went unbeaten in the next seven games, he was given the job permanently. It was in his new capacity that Neilson led the team on its run to the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals.[2]
After five seasons with the Rangers and Panthers, Neilson led the Flyers to first place in the
Lemieux 'hit' controversy
The peak and valley of Neilson's stay with the Rangers came in the 1991–92 season, when they captured the Presidents' Trophy with the best record in the league. The Rangers entered the playoffs as prohibitive favorites to win their first Stanley Cup since 1940, only to be eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Patrick Division finals.
Neilson's reputation as a so-called old school coach was put on a microscope in Game 2 of the series, when Rangers player
'Yes, no question about it. I kill penalties, too. I hit the gloves, also, once in a while. But to take a swing like he did ... that certainly came from the coach." Lemieux said after the injury. He added, "Certainly a contract was on me that game. I'm not saying Roger Neilson told Graves to go after me, but he told his players to go after me."[6]
Graves was assessed only a two-minute minor penalty on the play.[7] He was allowed play in Game 3, in which he scored the first goal of a 6–5 overtime victory. Two days after the incident, at the league's disciplinary hearing, it decided to suspend Graves four games.[8] The Penguins rallied to win their next seven games, the series, and the Stanley Cup Finals.[9]
Non-coaching career
Neilson worked for the Edmonton Oilers as a video analyst during the 1984 Stanley Cup Playoffs, culminating in the Oilers' first Stanley Cup championship, and the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant to head coach Bob Pulford from 1984 to 1987. From 1995 to 1997, he was an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues.
During the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons, Neilson did not coach but served as a color commentator for TSN with Jim Hughson and Gary Green.
Retirement from hockey
On February 20, 2000, Neilson went on medical leave for cancer treatment, and
Neilson's dismissal by Clarke was widely lamented by fans and media as lacking class and respect. Neilson's doctors advised the Flyers that he lacked the strength to perform his duties as head coach. Neilson insisted on trying to return at the end of the first round of the playoffs, but Clarke refused. He even tried to defend his decision in the press, stating, "Roger got cancer – that wasn't our fault. We didn't tell him to go get cancer. It's too bad that he did. We feel sorry for him, but then he went goofy on us."[17]
Neilson was then hired as an assistant coach for the Senators. For the last two games of the 2001–02 season, which were inconsequential to the standings, head coach Jacques Martin stepped away from the bench, allowing Neilson to take the reins and become the ninth man to coach 1,000 games.[18] The following season, the Senators won the Presidents' Trophy as the regular season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was public knowledge that Neilson's cancer was terminal when the Senators were ousted in a seven-game series.
Neilson's overall regular-season record was 460 wins, 378 losses, 159 ties, and 3 overtime losses.
Coaching legacy
Neilson dedicated his entire life to coaching and hockey. He had no family ties and would stay up late into the night watching video and analyzing games.
Among his most well-known innovations was the use of
In situations where the face-off was in the opposition's end and there were three or less seconds to go in the first and/or second period, Neilson would pull his goaltender for an extra attacker for a potential shot on net off the ensuing face-off. His reasoning was that if the other team gained possession of the puck, it would be virtually impossible for the opposition to score from their end in the mere seconds that were left. No other coach would consider this radical move, and it was indicative of his innovative thinking.
Neilson was well known for closely reading the rule book with the intent of exploiting
Neilson also discovered that if he put a defenceman in net instead of a goaltender during a penalty shot, the defenceman could rush the attacker and cut down the latter's angle of shot, greatly reducing the chances of a goal. In 1968, he used this information in an OHL game between Neilson's Peterborough Petes and the opposing Toronto Marlboros. Neilson replaced Petes goaltender Pete Kostek with defenseman Ron Stackhouse. Stackhouse successfully blocked Frank Hamill's penalty shot attempt by charging out as soon as Hamill crossed the blue line.[19][20] The rules state that a team must use a goaltender in net for a penalty shot and that the goaltender cannot leave the crease until the skater has touched the puck.
One game during a time-out, Neilson told his goaltender, "...when we pull you, just leave your goal stick lying in the crease." When the other team gained possession, they sent the puck the length of the ice toward the open net, only to deflect wide when it hit the goal stick lying in the crease. The rule was changed the next season so that a goal would be awarded in such a situation.
Neilson also broke the rules, in a sense, when he did not like what was happening on the ice. As the Canucks coach during Game 2 of the 1982
Life after hockey
Neilson was awarded a
In 1999, Neilson was diagnosed with
Shortly after his death, the Ottawa Senators Foundation[27] announced plans to build "Roger's House" (French: "La maison de Roger"), later renamed Roger Neilson House, a paediatric palliative care facility built in his memory on the grounds of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.[28] The building was opened on April 21, 2006, by the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty.
In September 2004, Roger Neilson Public School, a new elementary school in Peterborough, opened. The name was chosen because of Neilson's commitment to teaching, which exemplified the qualities of the Character Education program of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.[29]
On April 7, 2011, Rogers Arena in Vancouver commemorated Neilson's contribution to the NHL and Vancouver Canucks, in particular to the tradition he created during the 1982 playoff series with the Chicago Blackhawks, later named "Towel Power", by erecting a large statue of him in the courtyard of Rogers Arena.[30]
The Florida Panthers dedicated the press box to Neilson, their first coach, in 2013.[31]
Coaching record
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
TOR | 1977–78 | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | — | 92 | 3rd in Adams | Won in preliminary round (2–0 vs. LA) Won in quarter-finals (4–3 vs. NYI) Lost in semi-finals (0–4 vs. MTL) |
TOR | 1978–79 | 80 | 34 | 33 | 13 | — | 81 | 3rd in Adams | Won in preliminary round (2–0 vs. ATL) Lost in quarter-finals (0–4 vs. MTL) |
TOR Total | 160 | 75 | 62 | 23 | — | 173 | 8–11 (0.421) | ||
BUF | 1980–81 | 80 | 39 | 20 | 21 | — | 99 | 1st in Adams | Won in preliminary round (3–0 vs. VAN) Lost in quarter-finals (1–4 vs. MIN) |
BUF Total | 80 | 39 | 20 | 21 | — | 99 | 1 division title | 4–4 (0.500) | |
VAN | 1981–82 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | (77) | 2nd in Smythe | Won in division semi-finals (3–0 vs. ) |
VAN | 1982–83 | 80 | 30 | 35 | 15 | — | 75 | 3rd in Smythe | Lost in division semi-finals (1–3 vs. CGY) |
VAN | 1983–84 | 48 | 17 | 26 | 5 | — | (73) | 3rd in Smythe | Fired |
VAN Total | 133 | 51 | 61 | 21 | — | 123 | 12–9 (0.571) | ||
LAK | 1983–84 | 28 | 8 | 17 | 3 | — | (59) | 5th in Smythe | Did not qualify |
LAK Total | 28 | 8 | 17 | 3 | — | 19 | 0–0 (0.000) | ||
NYR | 1989–90 | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | — | 85 | 1st in Patrick | Won in division semi-finals (4–1 vs. NYI) Lost in division finals (1–4 vs. WSH) |
NYR | 1990–91 | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | — | 85 | 2nd in Patrick | Lost in division semi-finals (2–4 vs. WSH) |
NYR | 1991–92 | 80 | 50 | 25 | 5 | — | 105 | 1st in Patrick | Won in division semi-finals (4–3 vs. NJ) Lost in division finals (2–4 vs. PIT) |
NYR | 1992–93 | 40 | 19 | 17 | 4 | — | (79) | 6th in Patrick | Fired |
NYR Total | 280 | 141 | 104 | 35 | — | 317 | 2 division titles | 13–16 (0.448) | |
FLA | 1993–94 | 84 | 33 | 34 | 17 | — | 83 | 5th in Atlantic | Did not qualify |
FLA | 1994–95 | 48 | 20 | 22 | 6 | — | 46 | 5th in Atlantic | Did not qualify |
FLA Total | 132 | 53 | 56 | 23 | — | 129 | 0–0 (0.000) | ||
PHI | 1997–98 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 2 | — | (95) | 2nd in Atlantic | Lost in conference quarter-finals (1–4 vs. BUF) |
PHI | 1998–99 | 82 | 37 | 26 | 19 | — | 93 | 2nd in Atlantic | Lost in conference quarter-finals (2–4 vs. TOR) |
PHI | 1999–2000 | 82 | 45 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 105 | 1st in Atlantic | Won in conference quarter-finals (4–1 vs. BUF) Won in conference semi-finals (4–2 vs. PIT) Lost in conference finals (3–4 vs. NJ) |
PHI Total | 185 | 92 | 57 | 33 | 3 | 220 | 14–15 (0.483) | ||
OTT | 2001–02 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | (94) | 3rd in Northeast | Interim head coach |
OTT Total | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0–0 (0.000) | ||
Total | 1,000 | 460 | 378 | 159 | 3 | 1082 | 3 division titles | 51–55 (0.481) |
References
- ^ Hornby, Lance (March 11, 2019). "A look back at the Roger Neilson 'paper bag' game and Pal Hal's theatre of the absurd". Toronto Sun. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (April 5, 1991). "Kings Can Consult History Book, Not Webster : NHL playoffs: Canucks went all the way to Stanley Cup finals without Neale in 1982". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Lapointe, Joe (May 7, 1992). "Hockey; Lemieux is Sidelined Amid Slash Controversy". The New York Times.
- ^ Molinari, Dave (May 7, 1992). "Graves digs deep hole for Penguins, Lemieux". The Pittsburgh Press. p. D1.
- ^ "N.Y. has tapes, too". The Pittsburgh Press May 7, 1992. p. D1.
- ^ "Stanley Cup Finals Notebook". UPI. May 30, 1992.
- ^ "Broken Hand Puts Lemieux On Sideline". Associated Press. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 7, 1992. p. C1, C7.
- ^ "Graves suspended four games for breaking Lemieux's hand". Associated Press. The Vancouver Sun. p. E8.
- ^ Cariou, Chris (June 2, 1992). "Pens sweep up Cup". Canadian Press. Toronto National Post. p. 44.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "One thing after the other". Newspapers.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Kelley, Jim. "Hasek and Zhitnik are the big unknowns in Sabres' equations". Newspapers.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Neilson to return to Flyers as assistant - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ "Flyers' Neilson is back but as an assistant only". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Ramsay to coach the Flyers". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Josh (May 28, 2008). "Tales From Behind The Bench: The Bizarre Genius of Roger Neilson". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "ESPN.com: NHL - Neilson to coach Ottawa's final two regular-season games". www.espn.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Penalty shot bid blocked by defenceman". The Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press. September 27, 1968. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^ Kay, Jason (January 29, 2015). "NFL has Deflategate, did the NHL have Coffeegate?". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^ McIndoe, Sean (November 22, 2013). "NHL Grab Bag: Everyone in Toronto Seems Extremely Chill About Clarkson's First Goal". Grantland. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ Laing, Zach. "NHL History: Roger Neilson waves the white towel". CanucksArmy. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Neilson elected to Hockey Hall of Fame - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Neilson now must battle serious skin cancer, too". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Roger Neilson Obituary". Ottawa Citizen.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ "Roger Neilson House". Ottawa Senators Foundation. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ^ "Memory of former Sens coach lives on at newly renamed Roger Neilson House". Ottawa South News. June 17, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Kim, Clark (November 4, 2004). "Roger Neilson Public School officially opens". Kawartha Lakes This Week. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Roger Neilson statue unveiled in pre-game ceremony". NHL.com. April 7, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Panthers to dedicate press box to Roger Neilson".
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Order of Canada Citation
- Roger's House Website
- Roger Neilson's Hockey Camp and Coaches' Clinic Site