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On Friday night, John Tortorella became the first American-born head coach to reach 1,500 games in the NHL. As the league's 10th-winningest coach of all time, 849-534-88-127, he became just the eighth bench boss to reach the plateau.
Although every NHL head coach is chasing Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, who coached over 2,100 games and collected more than 1,200 wins, becoming one of the greatest US-born coaches in the game's illustrious history is quite an achievement all on its own.
As everyone celebrates Tortorella's recent accomplishment, here's a breakdown of the top five American-born NHL head coaches to coach the most games in the league.
(* Indicates current NHL head coach)
Top 5 US-born NHL coaches to coach most games ft. John Tortorella
#5. Dan Bylsma (Grand Haven, MI) 565 games
Dan Bylsma became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 16, 2009, and held the position until Apr. 13, 2014, leading the team for 401 games, compiling a 252-117-32 record in six seasons.
During his first year, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, and two seasons later, Bylsma won the Jack Adams Award as NHL head coach of the year. Following two seasons away from the league, he was hired by the Buffalo Sabres and began his tenure there on Oct. 8, 2015, finishing two years later on Apr. 9, 2017.
Overall, his NHL coaching record is 320-190-55, with a 43-45 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
#4. John Hynes* (Warwick, RI) 616 games
John Hynes began his first NHL head coaching job with the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 9, 2015, and led the franchise until Dec. 2, 2019, when he was relieved of his duties mid-season after a 150-159-45 record.
However, he wasn't unemployed for long, agreeing to coach the Nashville Predators a month later on Jan. 7, 2020.
Despite a 134-96-18 record over four seasons, Nashville fired him following the 2022-23 season, allowing him to sign with the Minnesota Wild and take over the club on Nov. 28, 2023, where he is currently sparking a turnaround after a poor start to 2023-24.
His NHL coaching record after nine seasons is 295-258-63 and 4-15 in the postseason.
#3. Mike Sullivan* (Marshfield, MA) 786 games
Mike Sullivan is one of the NHL's longest-tenured coaches, taking over the Penguins on Dec. 14, 2015, leading the club to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in his first two seasons.
In 2003-04, Sullivan made his NHL coaching debut with the Boston Bruins, where he led the club for two years, compiling a 70-56-15-23 record for his hometown team, one he briefly played for in 1997-98.
After 11 seasons as an NHL bench boss, Sullivan has a record of 423-256-15-92 and, with two championships, is 47-42 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
#2. Peter Laviolette* (Franklin, MA) 1,464 games
Peter Laviolette's first NHL head coaching job came with the New York Islanders in 2001 and lasted two seasons. Despite being released at the end of the 2002-03 season, he returned to the league just a few months later with the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 18, 2003.
While serving as their head coach, Laviolette led the Hurricanes to their only Stanley Cup championship in 2006, eventually departing the franchise on Nov. 30, 2008.
However, just like before, he was back behind an NHL bench within a year, taking over the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 5, 2009, and leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.
After five seasons with the Flyers, Laviolette moved on to the Nashville Predators, leading the franchise to their only Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2017. He departed after six seasons in 2020 before taking over the Washington Capitals in 2021, recently losing his job in April 2023.
Now, he's the head coach of the New York Rangers, one of the top teams in the NHL. Overall, he's the winningest American-born head coach with a 776-512-25-151 record, which includes a 78-76 split in the playoffs.
#1. John Tortorella* (Boston, MA) 1,500 games
John Tortorella debuted with the Rangers as an NHL head coach on Apr. 1, 2000. Although his tenure lasted only four games, he landed a full-time role with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2001, leading the club to their first Stanley Cup title in 2004 and capturing the Jack Adams Award that year.
Eventually, Tortorella returned to New York, guiding the Rangers from 2008 to 2013 before leading the Vancouver Canucks for a single season in 2013-14. After a year, he returned to head coaching with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016-17, winning his second Jack Adams Award before helping the team win their first-ever playoff series in 2018-19.
Once Tortorella was relieved of his duties in Columbus, he took another year off before becoming the newest coach of the Flyers for the start of the 2022-23 season. After Friday night, Tortorella's NHL head coaching record is 723-590-149 with 37 ties. He has a 56-64 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
