Coaching Career
| John Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-05-04) May 4, 1966 (age 46) Campbellton, NB, CAN |
| Current position | Assistant Coach |
| Current team | Los Angeles Kings |
| Previous team(s) | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Phantoms |
| Stanley Cup wins | 0 |
| Years as NHL player | 1984–85 – 1998–99 |
| Years as a coach | 1999 – present |
| Years as an NHL coach | 2006 – present |
| Years with current team | 2010 – present |
Stevens was forced to retire as a player in 1999 due to a career-ending eye injury but remained with the Phantoms as an assistant coach. He then became the club's second head coach in 2000 when Bill Barber was promoted to the Flyers. During his six season tenure as coach, the Phantoms made the playoffs four times and won their second Calder Cup title in 2005. Stevens was himself promoted to the Phantoms' parent club as an assistant coach after the 2005–06 season, and on October 22, 2006, was named as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers after Ken Hitchcock was fired. On October 26, Stevens coached his first NHL game, a 3–2 win over the Florida Panthers. On November 20, the Flyers announced that they had signed Stevens to a 2-year contract.
His first season with the Flyers saw his team set a franchise record for consecutive losses (10 games) and finish the 2006–07 season with the club's worst record in its 40-year history. The Flyers set an NHL record for the biggest drop off in points from one season to the next – 101 points in the 2005–06 season to 56 points in the 2006–07 season for lowest point total in the league.
However, as stunning as their fall from grace was the previous season, Stevens guided the Flyers to an immediate renaissance in 2007–08. The Flyers won 42 games and amassed 95 points in the regular season under Stevens's guidance. In the playoffs, the Flyers beat the Washington Capitals in the first round and upset the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the second round before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. For this, The Hockey News honored Stevens with their Coach of the Year award.
Stevens was fired by the Flyers on December 4, 2009 after a 13–11–1 start and with a team expected to be a Stanley Cup favorite sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
On June 24, 2010, he was signed to a three year contract to be an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings. He joins former Flyers coach Terry Murray as well as former Flyers player Ron Hextall in the Kings organization.
During the 2011-12 NHL season Kings coach Terry Murray was fired, Stevens acted as interim head coach for 4 games before Darryl Sutter took over. He then returned to his post as Assistant Coach.
Read more about this topic: John Stevens (ice Hockey)
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