John Stevens (ice hockey)

John A. Stevens ( born May 4, 1966 in Campbellton, New Brunswick ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defender and current coach, who works as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League since June 2010.

3.1 As a player
3.2 As a coach

Career as a player

John Stevens was elected during the 1984 NHL Entry Draft in the third round than a total of 47 players from the Philadelphia Flyers. The talented defender began his career as a hockey player at the 1983 Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. A total of four years he played at the former farm team the Flyers, the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League. With the Hershey Bears in 1988, he won the Calder Cup for the first time. His debut in the National Hockey League gave Stevens for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1986/87 season in which he reached two assists in six missions. In 1990, Stevens was released to the Hartford Whalers, but shortly afterwards to their farm team, the Springfield Indians passed. With the Indians for the second time, he managed to win the Calder Cup. After the dissolution of the Indians Stevens remained another two years in Springfield and played for the successor Team Springfield Falcons. In his last of the six years in Springfield Stevens was elected in 1996 in the AHL All- Star team.

In 1996, Stevens signed a contract with the newly formed Philadelphia Phantoms, the farm team of his former clubs Philadelphia Flyers. He captained the team in 1998 to their first Calder Cup win.

Although he scored only 21 goals in 834 games of American Hockey League, Stevens scored the first goal in each case in the history of the Springfield Falcons and the Philadelphia Phantoms.

Player stats

Career as a coach

Due to an eye injury had Stevens quit his career in 1999, but remained as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Phantoms. After Bill Barber was appointed head coach of the Flyers, Stevens received the item as the second head coach in the history of the phantom. In his six years as Phantoms coach he reached with his team four times the playoffs and won the 2005 Calder Cup with the team the first time as a trainer after he had already won three times as a player the title. After the 2005/ 06 season, Stevens was appointed assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. A little later, on 22 October 2006 he was Ken Hitchcock's successor as head coach for the Flyers. On 26 October 2006 Stevens won with the Flyers with a 3-2 win after overtime against the Atlanta Thrashers for the first time in the National Hockey League. On November 20, the Flyers announced that Stevens should get a new two- year contract.

In his first season with the Flyers, he hired a team-internal negative record with ten losses in a row. He presented one with his team in 2008. In addition, Stevens suffered on the other season in NHL history with his team the biggest point loss from a. After his predecessor could still get 101 points, Stevens had to settle for 56 points.

After John Stevens with his team in 2008 until the final of the Eastern Conference playoffs to the Pittsburgh Penguins subject, he was honored by The Hockey News with the Coach of the Year Award. During the 2009/10 season he was released at the Flyers and replaced by Peter Laviolette. In June 2010, the Los Angeles Kings took him as an assistant coach under contract. In December 2011, Stevens worked for three NHL games as interim coach of the Los Angeles Kings after the dismissal of Terry Murray.

2012 awarded him the American Hockey League for his contributions as a player and coach with the inclusion in the AHL Hall of Fame.

John Stevens (ice hockey)

Career as a player

Player stats

Career as a coach

Awards and achievements

As a player

As a coach

Records