Doug MacLean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doug MacLean is a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager. He was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island on April 12, 1954.

He is the former president/general manager and head coach of the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets and was also the head coach of the Florida Panthers. MacLean began coaching at the University of New Brunswick, followed by assistant coach positions with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals. MacLean's first professional head coach position came in 1990, when he was sent to the Baltimore Skipjacks, the Capital's AHL affiliate, as part of a midseason shakeup that placed Skipjacks head coach Terry Murray at the Capitals' helm.

MacLean is probably best known for leading an up-start Panther team, featuring goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, to the Eastern Conference crown in 1996, only to be swept in the Stanley Cup Final (four games to none) by the Colorado Avalanche.

After leading the Panthers to the playoffs in both the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons, MacLean was fired at the beginning of the 1997–98 campaign when the Panthers started with a 7–12–4 record.

MacLean was hired to serve as the Blue Jackets' GM on February 11, 1998, and added the position of team president to his responsibilities a month later. The Blue Jackets began play for the 2000–01 NHL season. On January 7, 2003 MacLean fired Blue Jackets head coach Dave King and took over as interim head coach, a position he held until January 1, 2004, when he promoted assistant coach Gerard Gallant to the role. MacLean remained president and general manager until the conclusion of the 2006–07 season. The Blue Jackets never posted a winning record, going 172–258–62 under MacLean's leadership and remaining the only franchise never to qualify for the NHL playoffs. On April 18, 2007 MacLean was fired as the team's president and general manager. TSN

On Tuesday, August 7, 2007 it was announced that a group of investors headed by MacLean had bought the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the deal fell apart during the 2007–08 season.

Preceded by
Roger Neilson
Head Coaches of the Florida Panthers
1995 – 1997
Succeeded by
Bryan Murray
Preceded by
Dave King
Head Coaches of the Columbus Blue Jackets
2002 – 2003
Succeeded by
Gerard Gallant
Preceded by
'none'
General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets
February 11,1998 - April 19,2007
Succeeded by
Scott Howson