Paul A. MacLean (born March 9, 1958) is a French-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

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 hock ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former player who is currently an assistant coach with 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 ...

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) and formerly head coach of the NHL's

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 ...

, winning the 2013

Jack Adams Award The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." The league's Coach of the Year award has been presented 47 times to 39 coaches. The winner is selecte ...

as the NHL's Coach of the Year. He also served as an assistant coach for the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

until his departure from the team on June 1, 2017. He played 11 seasons in the NHL with 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 ...

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 ...

and the original

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

Playing career

Born in

Grostenquin Grostenquin (; german: Großtänchen; Lorraine Franconian: ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, situated between Metz and Strasbourg. Localities of the commune: Béning, Bertring, Hingsange, Linstrof ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, while his father was serving with the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

, MacLean moved to Canada at the age of two and grew up in

Antigonish , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. As a youth, he played in the 1971

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team from Borden. Once, during a QMJHL game in which he was playing for the

Hull Olympiques The Gatineau Olympiques are a junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey team based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Starting with the 2021–22 season, the Olympiques play home games at Ce ...

, a deal was made to send MacLean to the

Quebec Remparts There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts (french: Remparts de Québec) that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The first edition played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has pla ...

, but the trade was called off before the game ended, after he had scored five goals. In the 1978–79 season, MacLean led the

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

Tigers to the AUHC championship with 12 goals, 17 assists and 71 penalty minutes in 18 games. MacLean was drafted by the NHL's

. He next represented Team Canada internationally at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

, held in Lake Placid,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The experience helped MacLean to excel when he finally did crack the NHL — he scored 36 goals in his rookie season after being traded to the

. He continued to enjoy success in Winnipeg on a line with

Dale Hawerchuk Dale Martin Hawerchuk (April 4, 1963 – August 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) fo ...

, tallying three 30-goal seasons and three 40-goal seasons before being dealt to the

in exchange for

Brent Ashton Brent Kenneth Ashton (born May 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1993. Despite being a fine goalscoring winger, he was known during his career f ...

. MacLean was a member of the

Campbell Conference Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

All-Star Team in the

1985 NHL All-Star Game The 37th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary, home of the Calgary Flames, on February 12, 1985. The Wales Conference defeated the Campbell Conference 6–4. The game's most valuable player was Mario ...

. After another 30-goal season for Detroit, he was traded back to St. Louis together with

Adam Oates Adam Robert Oates (born August 27, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, former co-head coach for the New Jersey Devils and former head coach for the Washington Capitals. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League ...

in exchange for

Tony McKegney Anthony Syiid McKegney (born February 15, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1978–79 until 1990–91. He is the first black player in NHL history to score 40 goal ...

and

Bernie Federko Bernard Allan Federko (born May 12, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of Ukrainian ancestry who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1976 through 1990. Playing career Federko began playing hockey at ...

. In 1990–91, MacLean suffered a rib injury and retired after ten seasons with 324 goals and 349 assists for 673 points. His best season statistically was the 1984–85 season, where he scored 41 goals and 101 points. MacLean has the distinction of being the highest-scoring NHL player born in France, with 673 points. The second-highest scoring French-born player is

Antoine Roussel Antoine Roussel (born 21 November 1989) is a French professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in ...

(124 points) who moved to Canada as a teenager. Paul MacLean ranks 3rd all time in NHL Shooting percentage at 21.4%

Coaching career

Before becoming an NHL coach, MacLean served as the head coach of the

Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 *Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (SP ...

of the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1993 to 1996. For the 1996–97 season, he served as an assistant coach with the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. From 1997 through 2000, MacLean returned to the IHL to serve as the head coach of the

Kansas City Blades The Kansas City Blades were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1990 until 2001, when the league folded. The Blades were based in Kansas City, Missouri, at Kemper Arena. Team history Russ and Diane Pa ...

. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the head coach of the

Quad City Mallards The Quad City Mallards were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa that competed in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. They were named after the Mallards team ...

of the

United Hockey League The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the Unite ...

(UHL). In 2001, MacLean led the Mallards to the Colonial Cup Championship. The Mallards had a record of 112–27–9 (.787 winning percentage) in MacLean's two seasons behind the bench. MacLean was then hired as an assistant coach for the

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 ...

under Head Coach

Mike Babcock Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

. Babcock would bring MacLean with him to the

when he was hired to coach the Red Wings. In the

2007–08 NHL season The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with the D ...

, MacLean won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

as assistant coach of the Red Wings. On June 14, 2011, the

announced that MacLean had been hired for their head coaching job, his first head coaching job at the NHL level. On October 11, MacLean won his first NHL game as a head coach as the Senators defeated the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

4–3 in a

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

. On April 30, 2012, MacLean was named a finalist for the

for NHL Coach of the Year alongside John Tortorella of the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and Ken Hitchcock of the

; Hitchcock would go on to win the award. On May 17, 2013, MacLean was again nominated for the Jack Adams Award, his second in a row, alongside Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks and

Joel Quenneville Joel Norman Quenneville (born September 15, 1958) is a Canadian–American ice hockey coach and former player in the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Coach Q", he is second in NHL coaching wins at 969 behind Scotty Bowman. Quenneville ac ...

of the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

. On June 14, 2013, MacLean was announced as the winner of the 2013 Jack Adams Award. On July 4, 2013, the Senators announced that MacLean had been signed to a three-year contract extension with the team. On December 8, 2014, MacLean was fired from his position as head coach of the Senators as the team appeared poised to miss the playoffs. He was succeeded by Dave Cameron. On June 30, 2015, MacLean was named the assistant coach of the Anaheim Ducks, working under head coach Bruce Boudreau. On June 1, 2017, MacLean's contract with the Ducks expired, and was not renewed. On November 21, 2019, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that he has joined the organization as an Assistant Coach. On September 25, 2020, MacLean was named the assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, working under head coach

Sheldon Keefe Sheldon Keefe (born September 17, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. His younger brother Adam Keefe is the head coach of Elite Ice H ...

Personal life

MacLean and his wife Sharon have three children — A. J., David and Erin. A.J. played professional hockey from 2004 to 2013, including a two year stint as captain and player-coach of the

Dundee Stars The Dundee Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in the Scottish city of Dundee. They were formed in 2001 and play their home games at the Dundee Ice Arena, situated off the city's main Kingsway dual carriageway. The current title s ...

of the

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

. He is currently an assistant coach with the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

of the AHL. David is currently a professional scout for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. Paul's brother Jerome lives in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, as does his sister Karen. He has a summer home in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. MacLean was born at RCAF # 2 Fighter Wing he Wing on-Base Hospital Grostenquinin, Lorraine, France, to Canadian parents while his father was stationed there as part of NATO's RCAF # 1 Air Division in Western Europe. Howard Cornfield, the former owner, president and general manager of the Quad City Mallards, said he hired MacLean on the spot after interviewing him in 2000. "He has a look to him and he looks you in the eye," said Cornfield. "It's hard to explain, but we came to call it 'The Grizz Look' as in

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

. He looked you in the eye and you knew he was being very honest. He was speaking from the heart. He had incredible intensity and you walked away saying, 'This guy is serious.' When he came in and told me, 'I'm going to win you a championship,' you walked away knowing that this guy was going to do it."

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

NHL coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacLean, Paul 1958 births Living people Anaheim Ducks coaches Canadian ice hockey forwards Canadian people of Scottish descent Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings players Hull Olympiques players Ice hockey people from Nova Scotia Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics Jack Adams Award winners Olympic ice hockey players of Canada Ottawa Senators coaches People from Antigonish, Nova Scotia St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players Stanley Cup champions Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players Canadian ice hockey coaches