NHL player, Stanley-Cup winning coach Al MacNeil dead at 89

CALGARY — Al MacNeil, a former NHL player and Stanley Cup-winning coach, has died at age 89.

The Flames said in a press release Monday that MacNeil died Sunday in Calgary. No cause of death was provided.

MacNeil was an Original Six defenceman who played 524 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1955 and 1968.

He compiled 17 goals, 75 assists and 617 penalty minutes during his player career.

MacNeil, from Sydney, N.S., was a rookie head coach of the Montreal Canadiens when the team won the Stanley Cup in 1971. MacNeil was Montreal’s director of player personnel for Stanley Cup wins in 1978 and 1979.

MacNeil won three Calder Cups as general manager and head coach of the Canadiens’ farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, in 1972,1976 and 1977.

MacNeil was the last head coach of the Atlanta Flames and the first head coach of the Calgary Flames for their first two seasons after relocation. He was an assistant general manager of the Flames for their Stanley Cup victory in 1989.

“Al was a great man who will be dearly missed by our organization,” Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation chairman Murray Edwards said in a statement. “He was a long-term loyal member of our Flames family ever since the team’s arrival in Calgary in 1980. He played, coached, and managed in both the NHL and AHL, and had ultimate success while doing so.”

MacNeil was also interim head coach of the Flames for 13 games in 2002-03.

He was an assistant coach of Canada’s team that won the 1976 Canada Cup, and served in that role again at the 1981 Canada Cup.

“For the last 70 years, Al MacNeil’s impact on our game has been profound, both on and off the ice,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

“First as a player, then as a coach, and finally as an executive, Al was the consummate professional who conducted himself with humility and grace.”

MacNeil is survived by his wife Norma, son Allister, who is an amateur scout for Flames, daughter Allison, son-in-law Paul Sparkes and grandsons Jack and Ben Sparkes.

“Having positively impacted every aspect of Flames hockey operations over the 44-year history of the franchise, Al will be remembered as a legend within the Flames family,” said CSEC president and CEO Robert Hayes. “His reputation and experience allowed him to command the room with his advice and guidance. Al’s contributions will never be replaced.”

Flames president of hockey operations Don Maloney said the hockey world “lost an icon” with MacNeil’s death.

“‘Chopper’ was a Stanley Cup champion and a Calder Cup champion but most importantly he was our friend and mentor,” Maloney said. “We will sincerely miss his company and our conversations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2025.