St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the team has named former Blue Craig MacTavish as assistant coach.
MacTavish, who played his final two NHL seasons with the Blues (1995-97), brings over 10 years of coaching experience to the staff.
“Craig has spent 30 years in our League, serving as a player, coach and general manager,” said Armstrong. “He played in over 1,000 games, has coached in almost 700 and is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. We are excited to add his experience to our staff.”
MacTavish, 63, began his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant with the New York Rangers. After two seasons in that role, the London, Ontario, native moved on to Edmonton where he spent the next nine seasons with the Oilers. After one year as an assistant, MacTavish took over as head coach of the Oilers in 2000.
Over the next eight seasons, MacTavish led the Oilers to a 301-252-47-56 regular-season record and three playoff appearances, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.
Following his tenure in Edmonton, he served one season (2011-12) as head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and led them to a first-place finish in the Midwest Division.
In June 2012, he returned to Edmonton to serve as senior vice president of hockey operations before spending two seasons as the team’s general manager.
As a player, MacTavish crafted a 17-year NHL career, including 1,093 regular-season games and 193 playoff games. Originally drafted in the ninth round (No. 153 overall) of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, the centerman played for five different franchises, including Boston, Edmonton, New York (Rangers), Philadelphia and St. Louis.
An All-Star in 1996, MacTavish was a four-time Stanley Cup Champion, winning with Edmonton in 1987, 1988 and 1990, and with New York in 1994.
