Joe Crozier - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Crozier made his head coaching debut in 1957–58 with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, while still playing defence with the team, posting a 29–31–4 record. Upon retiring in 1961, he became a head coach for the Charlotte Checkers of the minor professional Eastern Hockey League in 1962. After one season with the Checkers, he joined the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, with whom he had previously played two seasons with as a player. In 1965, his second season as head coach of the Americans, he won his first of three Calder Cups, as AHL champion, during five seasons with the team.

Fresh off of his third Calder Cup and fourth consecutive trip to the AHL finals, he became head coach for the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League, with whom he had also previously played for early in his career. Crozier immediately won two Lester Patrick Cups as WHL champion in his only two seasons with Vancouver.

After the second WHL championship in 1970, the Canucks were absorbed by the National Hockey League and Crozier briefly returned to the AHL to coach the Cincinnati Swords. However, after a heart attack to Buffalo Sabres coach "Punch" Imlach, Crozier was given Imlach's position and made his National Hockey League coaching debut in 1972. Although he finished the Sabres' 1971–72 season with just 8 wins in 36 games, Crozier coached the Sabres to a playoff berth the following season, posting a winning record of 37–27–14. However, after finishing his third season with the Sabres out of the playoffs, he was replaced by Floyd Smith after the 1973–74 season.

Upon leaving the Sabres, he joined the NHL-rival-league World Hockey Association with the Vancouver Blazers in 1974–75, then the Calgary Cowboys for two seasons as the franchise relocated. In 1975–76, Crozier made it to the semi-finals with the Cowboys but lost to the Winnipeg Jets. In his third and final season with the Blazers-Cowboys franchise, in which Calgary failed to make the playoffs, Crozier dumped the team's spare hockey sticks from the bench onto the ice during a game in protest of a disputed call. Another incident with the Cowboys involves a mishap while trying to return to Calgary after a game against the San Diego Mariners. The pilot had failed to refuel and there was not enough gas to return home. Although Crozier asked the team to collectively pitch in, they still did not have enough money. The team was bailed out by their play-by-play announcer who used his wife's Texaco card to front the $1,500 bill. During his stint with the franchise, Crozier also rose to the position of general manager.

In 1979–80, after beginning the season in the AHL coaching the New Brunswick Hawks, Crozier received his second break in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, replacing, once again, "Punch" Imlach mid-season. He coached the Leafs for the final 10 games of the regular season, but they were swept in the first round of the 1980 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Minnesota North Stars in three games. The following season, the Leafs started with just 13 wins in the first 40 games and Crozier was replaced mid-season with Mike Nykoluk.

After his second NHL stint, Crozier joined the Kitchener Rangers of the major junior Ontario Hockey League for two seasons, replacing Orval Tessier. The Rangers had just come off a Memorial Cup final game loss to the Cornwall Royals the previous season and in his first season with the team, they returned to the Memorial Cup, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup as the OHL champion. The Rangers made it to the 1982 Memorial Cup Final and defeated the Sherbrooke Castors 7–4 to capture Crozier and the Rangers' first Canadian Hockey League title. With the team, Crozier future NHL stars Scott Stevens and Brian Bellows.

Coming off their Memorial Cup championship, Crozier and the Rangers finished with a strong 45–23–2 record in 1982–83, but fell to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the third round. After two seasons with the Rangers, Crozier returned to the Rochester Americans for one season, in which they reached the 1984 Calder Cup Final against the Maine Mariners, but lost in five games. Crozier then retired after the 1983–84 season.

Shortly after his retirement, Crozier was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 for his individual efforts.