Douglas Harold Houda (born June 3, 1966) is a Canadian former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL)

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

and current assistant coach of the New York Islanders. He was a former assistant coach for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

of the NHL. He was drafted in the second round, 28th overall, by the Red Wings in the

1984 NHL Entry Draft The 1984 NHL Entry Draft was the 22nd NHL Entry Draft. It took place on June 9, 1984, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The 1984 Entry Draft is noted for the unusually high number of future Hall of Famers picked, particularly in lower ...

Playing career

After playing five seasons with the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their NHL affiliate team, the Calgary ...

and

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

, Houda made his

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

debut with the Red Wings near the end of the 1985–86 season. Houda would be a journeyman throughout his career, playing for the Red Wings,

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

, and

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: * ''Mighty'' (The Planet Smashers album) * ''Mighty'' (Kristene DiMarco album) * ''The Mighty'' (1929 film), a 1929 American action film *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy-drama film * ''The Mighty'' (comics), a DC Comics title *Th ...

in his NHL travels. He also spent a great deal of time in the minor leagues playing for the

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

and

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars ...

in the IHL, and the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Natio ...

and

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

with whom he would win the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

in 1996 in the AHL. After returning to Rochester in 1999 and serving as the Amerks captain in his final season, Houda retired after the 2002–03 season and immediately became an assistant coach under

Randy Cunneyworth Randy William Cunneyworth (born May 10, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, former AHL head coach, NHL head coach and assistant coach, as well as a pro scout, and player development coach spanning nearly 40 years. Cunneyw ...

in Rochester.

Coaching career

On July 25, 2006, Houda was named an assistant coach for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

. He was relieved of his duties following the 2015–16 season, after 10 seasons with the Bruins. During Houda's 10 seasons with the club, the Bruins compiled a 428–264–94 record, seventh-best in the NHL over that span. Boston's 57 playoff wins over the same duration are fourth-most in the league, trailing only Chicago (76), Detroit (66) and Pittsburgh (66). Houda also spent three seasons as an assistant coach in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

with the

from 2003–06. The Amerks compiled a 125–86–16–13 record in the span and held the league's best record in 2004–05 at 51–19–4–6 (112 points). On May 10, 2016, Houda was named an assistant coach for the

He was relieved of his position following the conclusion of the 2021-2022 season. He spent six years with the Red Wings. On July 5, 2022 The

announced that Doug Houda and

Brian Wiseman Brian M. Wiseman (born July 13, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward and NHL assistant coach. Biography As a novice player, Wiseman scored 413 goals in a single season. This broke a record held by Wayne Gretzky, and broug ...

have been brought on as assistant coaches under Lane Lambert.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards

* WHL East Second All-Star Team – 1985

References

External links

* 1966 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Boston Bruins coaches Buffalo Sabres players Calgary Canucks players Calgary Wranglers (WHL) players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Hartford Whalers players Ice hockey people from Alberta Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players Los Angeles Kings players Medicine Hat Tigers players Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players New York Islanders players New York Islanders coaches People from Special Areas, Alberta Rochester Americans coaches Rochester Americans players Utah Grizzlies (IHL) players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1960s-stub