Jack C. Capuano Jr. (born July 7, 1966) is an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

coach and former player. He is a former head coach of the New York Islanders of the

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). He is currently an associate coach for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

of the

(NHL). Capuano played as a

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

and spent parts of three seasons in the NHL in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is the older brother of former NHL hockey player

Dave Capuano Dave Alan Capuano (born July 27, 1968) is a retired American professional ice hockey left winger. Capuano was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, but grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island. Now he lives with his Wife Lori, and his 2 kids Jaclyn and Max. ...

Playing career

Capuano played high school hockey at the

Kent School Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States. Acade ...

in Kent, Connecticut and was a 5th round selection (88th overall) 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 lowe ...

. He played his college hockey at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

. At Maine, he was a teammate of his younger brother

and played on the same blueline as future NHLers

Eric Weinrich Eric John Weinrich (born December 19, 1966) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, B ...

and Bob Beers along with future

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

General Manager, Dave Nonis. He enjoyed a decorated college career, earning First-Team All-American honors in his junior year. His 32 goals remains the most ever by a

Black Bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

defenseman. Capuano turned pro in 1988 following his junior year and signed with the Maple Leafs. He spent his first season with the

Newmarket Saints The Newmarket Saints were a minor league hockey team in Newmarket, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1986 to 1991 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ray Twinney Complex. After the 1985–86 season, the Tor ...

of the AHL recording 21 points in 74 games. He would crack the Leafs' NHL roster for the 1989–90 season, but played in only 1 game before Tom Kurvers returned from a holdout, forcing his demotion. Shortly after his demotion, he walked out on the Saints and demanded a trade, feeling he belonged in the NHL. Toronto would deal Capuano to the New York Islanders mid-season, but they too assigned him to the AHL. He played only 17 games in the Islanders' system before being dealt again, this time to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. Capuano would have his finest professional season in

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, recording 20 goals and 50 points and earning 2nd-team All-Star honors in the IHL playing for the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

, Vancouver's minor-pro affiliate. He received a three-game callup to the Canucks, where he received the opportunity to play with his brother Dave. The two became the first pair of brothers in Canucks history to suit up for the team at the same time. Capuano signed as a free agent with 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 ...

for the 1991–92 season. He enjoyed another solid season in the AHL, and another two games of NHL action with the Bruins, but chose to retire at the end of the season. He finished his career having appeared in 6 NHL games without recording a point.

Coaching career

Following his career as a player, Capuano moved into coaching. He served as an assistant coach with the

Tallahassee Tiger Sharks The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played in Tallahassee, Florida, from 1994 to 2001 as members of the East Coast Hockey League. The Tiger Sharks home rink was the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Cente ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

before being hired as head coach of the ECHL's

Pee Dee Pride The Pee Dee Pride, known as the Florence Pride for the 2003–04 ECHL season, were a professional minor-league hockey team that was based in Florence, South Carolina, where they played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) from 1997 until 2005. ...

in 1997 and added the GM title to his responsibilities a year later. He left the bench in 1999 but continued as GM until 2005, when the franchise folded. Capuano then signed on to be an assistant coach for the New York Islanders in the 2005–06 season. The team played fairly well, despite a midseason coaching change, but failed to make the playoffs. The following season, 2006–07, Capuano became an assistant coach for the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

. On April 30, 2007, Capuano was named head coach of the Sound Tigers for the 2007–2008 season. On November 15, 2010, Capuano was named interim head coach of the Islanders after head coach Scott Gordon was fired from that position by GM

Garth Snow Garth E. Snow (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and former general manager, president and alternate governor of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted by the Quebec Nordiqu ...

amidst a 10-game losing streak by the team. The Islanders retained Capuano as the full-time coach for the 2011–12 season. Capuano led the Islanders to a playoff spot in 2013, their first appearance in six years. On April 27, 2016, Capuano was hit by a puck during a

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

game between the New York Islanders and

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. On January 17, 2017, Capuano was relieved from his duties as the head coach by the Islanders. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, Capuano served as associate coach for Florida Panthers On June 6, 2019, Capuano was named associate coach of the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

NHL coaching statistics

Awards and honours

* Holds Maine Black Bears record for career goals by a defenseman (32, 1985–88) * IHL Second All-Star Team (1990–91) * Coached Team USA/World in

ECHL All-Star Game The ECHL All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that traditionally marks the midway point of the ECHL's regular season, with many of the league's star players playing against each other. The starting lineup for the teams, including the start ...

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capuano, Jack 1966 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American expatriate ice hockey people in Canada American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen Boston Bruins players Florida Panthers coaches Ice hockey coaches from Rhode Island Kent School alumni Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey players Maine Mariners players Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players Newmarket Saints players New York Islanders coaches Sportspeople from Cranston, Rhode Island Springfield Indians players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players United States men's national ice hockey team coaches Vancouver Canucks players Ice hockey players from Rhode Island