Kelly McCrimmon (born October 13, 1960) is the General Manager of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Playing career
Kelly McCrimmon played for the
Prince Albert Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...
of the
SJHL
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years ...
before suiting up with the Wheat Kings for two seasons, winning his first championship there as a player in his rookie season. After his WHL career, he played hockey for the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Wolverines for four seasons, and was named captain his final season.
Brandon Wheat Kings
He spent his first years of coaching Junior Hockey in the
SJHL
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years ...
, starting with the
North Battleford North Stars for two seasons, then one with the
Lloydminster Lancers
The Lloydminster Bobcats are a Canadian junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They play home games in the Lloydminster Centennial Civic Centre on the Saskatchewan side In the city's street system, "Avenues" run n ...
.
In 1988 he re-joined the Brandon Wheat Kings as an Assistant Coach, then later became the General Manager in 1989, as well as a few stints as head coach on the way replacing
Doug Sauter and
Kevin Maxwell
Kevin Francis Herbert Maxwell (born 1959) is a British businessman. In the 1990s, Maxwell was acquitted of charges relating to financial crimes connected with the business practices of his father, publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell. Formerly disqu ...
respectively. In 1992, he became the minority owner of the Wheat Kings purchasing one-third of the franchise. In 2001, he became the sole owner of the franchise as he bought the remaining shares from
Bob Cornell.
In 1995–96, he won his first championship as a WHL General Manager and his second championship with the Wheat Kings.
In 2004, he took over the coaching duties for the Brandon Wheat Kings. In his third stint as head coach of Brandon Wheat Kings, he made an appearance in the finals as head coach and general manager.
In 2011, he stepped down from his coaching duties handing them to former
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 ...
head coach
Cory Clouston
Cory Clouston (; born September 19, 1969) is an ice hockey coach, who most recently served as head coach of the Kölner Haie of the DEL. He has previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Bingham ...
.
He returned to the bench in the 2013–14 season for the Wheat Kings for the next three seasons. During the
2014–15 season, he coached the Wheat Kings to the Western Hockey League finals losing to the
Kelowna Rockets
The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place.
The R ...
. The next season he was brought on as an assistant coach to
Team Canada at the
World Junior Championships in
Helsinki, Finland. The Wheat Kings had a second stint at the finals that year winning the
Ed Chynoweth Cup
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honou ...
that year against the
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. They play their games at home in acc ...
in five games.
Vegas Golden Knights
After twenty-six seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, on August 2, 2016, McCrimmon was named the first-ever Assistant General Manager of the new NHL expansion team
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
. This came after he turned down an offer from the
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 ...
to join their front office.
As McCrimmon's first year as assistant general manager, the Vegas Golden Knights became the second expansion team since the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
to make the
Stanley Cup Final.
On May 2, 2019, he was promoted to General Manager as former General Manager
George McPhee
George McPhee (born July 2, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey executive currently serving as the president of hockey operations for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). McPhee served general manager of the Washington Capital ...
took on the role as President.
On January 26, 2021, McCrimmon acted as Head Coach of the Vegas Golden Knights in a 5-4 shootout loss to the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
due to a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
outbreak within the Vegas Golden Knights coaching staff.
Awards and achievements
Ed Chynoweth Cup - 2016
Personal life
He is the younger brother of the late former NHL Defenseman
Brad McCrimmon
Byron Brad McCrimmon (March 29, 1959 – September 7, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played over 1,200 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, ...
.
McCrimmon and his wife, Terri have two adult children, Chelsea and Mick.
Career statistics
Head coaching record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrimmon, Kelly
1960 births
Living people
National Hockey League general managers
Prince Albert Raiders (SJHL) players
Brandon Wheat Kings coaches
Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan
Vegas Golden Knights executives
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players