Craig MacTavish
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player and executive}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = Craig MacTavish.JPG
| image_size = 230px
| caption = MacTavish in 2011
| position = Centre
| played_for = Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
St. Louis Blues
| coached_for = Edmonton Oilers
New York Rangers
Lausanne HC
Yaroslavl Lokomotiv
St. Louis Blues
| career_start_coach = 1997
| career_end_coach =
| shoots = Left
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb = 195
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|8|15}}
| birth_place = London, Ontario, Canada
| draft = 153rd overall
| draft_year = 1978
| draft_team = Boston Bruins
| career_start = 1979
| career_end = 1997
}}
Craig MacTavish (born August 15, 1958) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player, formerly an assistant coaching position with the St. Louis Blues. He played center for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues, winning the Stanley Cup four times (1987, 1988, 1990, 1994). He was the last NHL player not to wear a helmet during games.{{cite news|last1=McGran|first1=Kevin|title=Place in trivia history awaits NHL's last visor-less player|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2013/06/05/place_in_trivia_history_awaits_nhls_last_visorless_player.html|access-date=21 December 2017|publisher=The Toronto Star|date=June 5, 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Johnston|first1=Chris|title=Visor-less NHLers an increasingly rare sight|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/visor-less-nhlers-an-increasingly-rare-sight2/|website=Sportsnet.ca|publisher=Sportsnet|access-date=21 December 2017|date=November 27, 2015}}, although Mark Messier would be the last player who was not required to do so.
MacTavish later coached the Oilers from 2000 to 2009 and also served as assistant coach with the Rangers and Oilers. He last coached Team Canada at the 2019 Spengler Cup, after a short stint with Russian team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL. He served as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues from 2022 to 2023.
Early life and education
MacTavish was born on August 15, 1958, in London, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/dynasty_players_craigmactavish.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20040407115020/http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/dynasty_players_craigmactavish.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-04-07|title=Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website - Craig MacTavish|date=2004-04-07|website=archive.is|access-date=2020-03-09}}
After retiring as NHL player in 1997, MacTavish was accepted as an MBA student at the University of Alberta. He didn't start the program, following the decision to take a coaching position with the New York Rangers. In 2011, he obtained an EMBA from Queen's School of Business.{{Cite news|last=Holloway|first=Andy|url=http://www.nationalpost.com/stars+craig+mactavish/4366276/story.html|title=MBA All-Stars: Craig MacTavish|newspaper=National Post|date=2011-02-28|access-date=2020-03-09|language=en-CA|issn=1486-8008}}
Career
=Early career=
MacTavish played two years of NCAA hockey with the University of Lowell Chiefs (now University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks) from 1977 to 1979. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft with their ninth pick, 153rd overall, and spent the next several years splitting time between the Bruins and various American Hockey League teams. He finally made the Bruins for good in 1982–83 and played two full seasons with them.
During his early days with the Bruins, the young MacTavish was involved in the infamous brawl between several Boston players and a group of New York Rangers fans in 1979.{{cite web|last1=Rotter|first1=Adam|title=Flashback: When The Bruins and Mike Milbury Went Into The Stands|url=https://www.sny.tv/rangers/news/flashback-when-the-bruins-and-mike-milbury-went-into-the-stands/149643336|website=sny.tv|publisher=SportsNet New York|access-date=21 December 2017|date=May 15, 2013}}
MacTavish missed the 1984–85 season after being convicted of vehicular homicide, having struck and killed a young woman while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. MacTavish pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol the night of January 25, 1984, in Peabody, Massachusetts. Kim Radley, 26, of West Newfield, Maine, died four days later of injuries sustained in the crash.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/14/sports/sports-people-mactavish-is-free.html?&pagewanted=print|title=SPORTS PEOPLE; MacTavish Is Free|access-date=September 14, 2009|work=New York Times|date=May 14, 1985}} MacTavish was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for the offence. While incarcerated, he watched most of the games that were televised.
=Later career=
Widely viewed, at the time, as a personal favour from Edmonton coach Glen Sather to his best friend, then-Bruins general manager Harry Sinden (who felt that MacTavish ought to have a fresh start away from Boston and had offered to let him out of his contract, which MacTavish had accepted), the Oilers took a chance on MacTavish and signed him for the 1985–86 season. (Sather insisted, however, that MacTavish agree contractually that he would not ever be allowed to drive the team bus. MacTavish readily agreed to this contractual term.) Sather's intuition turned out to be good, as MacTavish spent eight full seasons with the Oilers, helping them to win three Stanley Cups in 1987, 1988, 1990 and serving as team captain from 1992 to 1994. MacTavish was traded to the New York Rangers in 1994, just in time to help several other former Oilers (including Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson, Adam Graves, Jeff Beukeboom, Esa Tikkanen and Mark Messier) win the Stanley Cup.{{cite book|last=Cole|first=Stephen|title=The Best of Hockey Night in Canada|year=2004|publisher=McArthur & Company|location=Toronto|page=128|isbn=978-1-55278-408-2}}
The next season MacTavish signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent, and was traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 1995–96 season. MacTavish retired following the 1996–97 season. He was the last helmetless player, having signed a professional contract with the Bruins before the mandatory cutoff date in 1979 (then-current players were allowed to remain bare-headed under a grandfather clause); incidentally, MacTavish had worn a helmet in his earliest days as he can be seen wearing one during the aforementioned fight with Rangers fans in 1979.
=Coaching career=
MacTavish turned to coaching immediately after retiring as a player, signing on as an assistant with the Rangers. After two seasons in New York, he returned to the Oilers as an assistant coach in the 1999–2000 season under former teammate Kevin Lowe. He was subsequently promoted to the top job when Lowe succeeded Sather as general manager.
In the 2005–06 season, MacTavish led the Oilers on their run to the Stanley Cup Finals. In the first round of the playoffs, MacTavish shocked the hockey world by utilizing a trapping defensive system to neutralize a potent Detroit Red Wings offence. The Oilers were able to deny scoring chances by blocking shots with their bodies—something for which MacTavish was known for during his playing career. This proved effective; the eighth-seeded Oilers won the opening round in six games, against the no. 1 seed, the Detroit Red Wings for their first postseason victory since 1998. Along the way the Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games to advance to their first Stanley Cup since their championship season of 1990. However, the Oilers could not complete their run, losing a thrilling seven-game final series to the Carolina Hurricanes after nearly rallying from a 3–1 series deficit to force a Game 7. As it would turn out, this was the only season in MacTavish's tenure where the Oilers won a postseason series.
On November 4, 2006, one day after the Oilers lost to the Dallas Stars due to an apparent blown call in the last five seconds of the third period by referee Mick McGeough, MacTavish was fined $10,000 for expressing his anger after the game, referring to the call as "retarded".{{cite web|title=Oilers' MacTavish fined|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/oilers-mactavish-fined-1.573892|website=cbc.ca|access-date=21 December 2017|date=November 4, 2006}}http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=282409&page=NewsPage&service=page{{dead link|date=December 2017}} After this incident, Oilers fans collected over $10,000 and gave it to MacTavish, who subsequently donated the money to charity.
On April 15, 2009, Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini announced that MacTavish had been relieved of his duties as head coach of the club. The Oilers had failed to reach the playoffs for the third year in a row.{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=275142|title=404|website=TSN}} He finished his tenure with the Oilers at 36th on the all-time NHL list with 301 wins, and second on the Oilers' all-time wins list behind only Sather.
During the 2011–12 season, MacTavish coached the Chicago Wolves, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. After the season, MacTavish left the Canucks organization, returned to the Oilers as Senior Vice-president of Hockey operations and was named general manager on April 15, 2013.
On December 15, 2014, MacTavish fired head coach Dallas Eakins from his duties as head coach of the Oilers. MacTavish named himself as interim coach with the intention of transitioning minor league coach Todd Nelson into the role of interim head coach in the near future.
On May 16, 2019, he returned to coaching, signing a two-year contract with the Russian KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.{{cite web|publisher=Lokomotiv Yaroslavl|url=http://www.hclokomotiv.ru/article.asp?id=KRJeJG-MAKTAVISh-%E2%80%93-GLAVNYJ-TRENER-LOKOMOTIVA-6702|title=КРЭЙГ МАКТАВИШ – ГЛАВНЫЙ ТРЕНЕР "ЛОКОМОТИВА"|trans-title=Craig MacTavish is the head coach of Lokomotiv|date=16 May 2019|language=ru}} On September 24, 2019, it was announced that Lokomotiv Yaroslav fired MacTavish after only eight games.{{Cite web | url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/craig-mactavish-fired-eight-games-coach-khls-lokomotiv/ |title = Craig MacTavish fired after eight games as coach of KHL's Lokomotiv - Sportsnet.ca}} In December 2019, he served as head coach of Team Canada and led the squad to the title at the Spengler Cup.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tdg.ch/sports/actu/team-canada-detient-record-coupes-spengler/story/20452717|title=Le Team Canada détient le record de Coupes Spengler|last1=Beaud|first1=Grégory|date=2019-12-31|work=TDG|access-date=2020-01-02|last2=Davos|language=fr|issn=1010-2248}} He took over the head coaching job at Swiss team Lausanne HC on February 27, 2020.{{Cite web|title=Zwei Runden vor Quali-Ende: Lausanne trennt sich per sofort von Trainer und Sportchef|url=https://www.hockeyinfo.ch/articles/zwei-runden-vor-quali-ende-lausanne-trennt-sich-per-sofort-von-trainer-und-sportchef|access-date=2020-07-08|website=Eishockey Schweiz: Hockey News und Resultate für die Schweiz}}
On July 1, 2022, MacTavish was hired by the St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach for the 2022-2023 season, after the Boston Bruins acquired Jim Montgomery as their head coach.{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2022 |title=Bruins hire Montgomery as next head coach, Blues replace him with MacTavish |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/bruins-hire-montgomery-as-next-head-coach-blues-replace-him-with-mactavish/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Sportsnet.ca |language=en}} In April 2023, the Blues announced that MacTavish, along with fellow assistant coach Mike Van Ryn, would not return for the next season.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-04-14 |title=St. Louis Blues fire assistant coaches Craig MacTavish and Mike Van Ryn |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/st-louis-blues-fire-assistant-coaches-craig-mactavish-and-mike-van-ryn-1.1945837 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=TSN |language=en-CA}}
=TSN commentator=
Failing to be picked up by another team in the coaching department, on September 21, 2009, MacTavish began the first of twenty-five in-studio appearances with TSN as a hockey commentator.{{cite web |url= http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/hockey/archive/2009/09/15/mactavish-already-showing-why-tsn-just-made-a-good-hire.aspx |title= Witty MacTavish finds "safe haven" at TSN |work= Edmonton Journal |first= David |last= Staples |date= September 15, 2009 |access-date= November 1, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090924004253/http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/hockey/archive/2009/09/15/mactavish-already-showing-why-tsn-just-made-a-good-hire.aspx |archive-date= September 24, 2009 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}{{cite web |url= http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=f8eaac9b-1f11-45f2-9071-188d53d83a01&p=1 |title= Behind the man behind the bench |work= Edmonton Journal |first= David |last= Staples |date= September 30, 2007 |access-date= November 1, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120523200316/http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=f8eaac9b-1f11-45f2-9071-188d53d83a01&p=1 |archive-date= May 23, 2012 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}
=Management career=
On June 11, 2012, Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini announced that McTavish was added to the club's hockey operations management team as senior vice-president of hockey operations.{{cite web|url=http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=634375&navid=DL%7CEDM%7Chome|title=Oilers Add MacTavish to Hockey Operations Management Team|website=NHL.com}}
On April 15, 2013, general manager Steve Tambellini was relieved of his position, and the Oilers named MacTavish as the new general manager. Former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson replaced MacTavish as the vice-president of hockey operations.{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=420813|title=404|website=TSN}}
On April 24, 2015, Oilers Entertainment Group CEO, Bob Nicholson announced that Peter Chiarelli had been hired as the new general manager and president of hockey operations. Nicholson did not provide details on what MacTavish's new position would be within the Oilers organization.{{cite web|last1=Spector|first1=Mark|title=Oilers set to announce Peter Chiarelli hire|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/oilers-set-to-announce-peter-chiarelli-hire/|website=Sportsnet.ca|publisher=Sportsnet|access-date=21 December 2017|date=April 24, 2015}}
On September 12, 2015, general manager Peter Chiarelli revealed in an interview with TSN's Bob McKenzie that MacTavish had been given the title of Vice-president of Hockey Operations; most of his duties would circulate around the Oilers' new affiliate team the Bakersfield Condors, his other main focus will be on pro scouting.{{Cite web|title = Video|url = https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/chiarelli-the-man-with-a-plan~703136|website = TSN|access-date = 2015-09-17}}
Personal life
MacTavish and his wife Debbie have a daughter and two sons.
While playing with the Flyers, MacTavish was a resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey.Anderson, Dave. [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/22/sports/sports-of-the-times-mact-s-muscular-art-the-crucial-face-off.html "Sports of The Times; MacT's Muscular Art: The Crucial Face-Off"], The New York Times, May 22, 1995. Accessed March 17, 2011. "Despite their age difference, MacTavish and the 22-year-old Lindros are roommates on Flyer road trips, and the Flyer captain often hangs out at the MacTavish home in nearby Voorhees, N.J."
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | |||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | |||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | |||||||||
| 1977–78
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | ECAC II | 24 | 26 | 19 | 45 | —
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1978–79 | University of Massachusetts Lowell | ECAC II | 31 | 36 | 52 | 88 | —
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979–80
| AHL | 34 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 20
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1979–80 | NHL | 46 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 8
| 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |
| 1980–81
| AHL | 53 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 89
| 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1980–81 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 24 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981–82
| AHL | 72 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 37
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1981–82 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982–83
| Boston Bruins | NHL | 75 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 18
| 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1983–84 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 35
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1985–86
| NHL | 74 | 23 | 24 | 47 | 70
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 11 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 55
| 21 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 16 | |
| 1987–88
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 47
| 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 55
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 1989–90
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 89
| 22 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 29 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1990–91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 76
| 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 | |
| 1991–92
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 98
| 16 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 28 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1992–93 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 110
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993–94
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 66 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 80
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1993–94 | New York Rangers
| NHL | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 11
| 23 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| 1994–95
| NHL | 45 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 23
| 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1995–96 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 55 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 62
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1995–96
| NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8
| 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1996–97 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 50 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 33
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 1,093 !! 213 !! 267 !! 480 !! 891 ! 193 !! 20 !! 38 !! 58 !! 218 |
North American professional coaching record
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; width:60em;" | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2" | Team | rowspan="2" | Year | colspan="7" | Regular season | colspan="4" | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result |
| style="background:#fdd;"
! EDM | 2000–01 | 82 || 39 || 28 || 12 || 3 || 93 | 2nd in Northwest | 2 || 4 || .333 || Lost in 1st round | ||||||||||
| EDM
| 2001–02 | 82 || 38 || 28 || 12 || 4 || 92 | 3rd in Northwest | – || – || – || Missed playoffs | ||||||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
! EDM | 2002–03 | 82 || 36 || 26 || 11 || 9 || 92 | 4th in Northwest | 2 || 4 || .333 || Lost in 1st round | ||||||||||
| EDM
| 2003–04 | 82 || 36 || 29 || 12 || 5 || 89 | 4th in Northwest | – || – || – || Missed playoffs | ||||||||||
| style="background:#fdd;"
! EDM | 2005–06 | 82 || 41 || 28 || – || 13 || 95 | 3rd in Northwest | 15 || 9 || .625 || Lost in Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||
| EDM
| 2006–07 | 82 || 32 || 43 || – || 7 || 71 | 5th in Northwest | – || – || – || Missed playoffs | ||||||||||
| ! EDM
| 2007–08 | 82 || 41 || 35 || – || 6 || 88 | 4th in Northwest | – || – || – || Missed playoffs | ||||||||||
| EDM || 2008–09
| 82 || 38 || 35 || – || 9 || 85 | 4th in Northwest | – || – || – || Missed playoffs | ||||||||||
| colspan="2" | Career total
| 656 || 301 || 252 || 47 || 56 || 694 || – | 19 || 17 || .528 || |
Awards and achievements
- 1979 – Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Division II Men's Ice Hockey Championship
- 1986–87 – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
- 1987–88 – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
- 1989–90 – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
- 1993–94 – Stanley Cup (New York)
- 1995–96 – played in NHL All-Star Game
See also
Notes
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats}}
- [https://archive.today/20040407115020/http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/dynasty_players_craigmactavish.html Oilers Heritage – Craig MacTavish]
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{{succession box | before = Jim Toomey| title = NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player | years = 1979| after = Steve Carroll}}
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