Coaching Career
His playing career abruptly ended on Jan. 13, 1973 when he was named to replace Red Kelly as coach of the Penguins. The Penguins did not make the playoffs that season, and were 14-31-5 on Feb. 6, 1974, when Schinkel was replaced by Marc Boileau, who had been coaching in the Penguins' minor league system.
Schinkel was reassigned to a front office position, where he remained until Jan. 17, 1976, when he was tabbed to replace Boileau. The team had been 15-23-5 under Boileau, but rallied for a 20-10-7 record with Schinkel coaching and made the playoffs. The Penguins were eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Schinkel led the Penguins to a 34-33-13 record in 1976-77, his only full season as coach. The Penguins qualified for the playoffs but were again defeated in the first round by Toronto. Schinkel was replaced by Johnny Wilson and returned to the front office for good. He held a variety of positions, including assistant general manager and scouting director in overseeing the drafting of Mario Lemieux in 1984. He stayed with the Penguins through 1989, then followed Eddie Johnston to the Hartford Whalers, where he remained in the front office for the rest of his hockey career. Schinkel coached the Penguins for 203 games, with a record of 83-92-28 for a winning percentage of .478.
Schinkel is now retired and lives in Florida, although he has made appearances for Penguins' alumni affairs.
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