Why Are Most NHL Head Coaches Canadian?

[WarriorofTime]

Even still. In 2000, now 24 years ago, Canadian player share in the nhl was 55%. Sure it’s lower now, but not by enough to account for the 80+% Canadian coach share we still have.

But how many of those Europeans would even want to be nhl coaches? In addition to bias factors, self selection factors play a role. Many that would want to be coaches will do it back in their home countries. How many Europeans are nhl assistants or coaches at the junior, collegiate or minor professional levels?

 

[MessierII]

Even still. In 2000, now 24 years ago, Canadian player share in the nhl was 55%. Sure it’s lower now, but not by enough to account for the 80+% Canadian coach share we still have.

I’d be curious to see if you expanded that to pro hockey players not just limited to the nhl.

 

[Kranix]

Because it's out house

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

GMs have little time to succeed in this league, with their jobs on the line. So they are mostly going to go with as sure a thing as they can. And the reality is it's too much of a risk with an unknown/unproven coach.

 

[Oscar The Grouch]

Cuz CANADA = HOCKEY

Get a grip bro'

 

[Machinehead]

A lot of coaches played, and most of them are in their 50's and 60's.

The league was 75% Canadian when they were playing and you could count the Europeans.

The league is way more diverse now, but it's not going to happen in coaching until the diverse player base we have now is old enough to be coaching.

People in this thread have touched on it but I think they're underestimating how old coaches are. They're throwing out 10, 15, 20 years older.

Peter Laviolette was THIRTY-SEVEN when Alexis Lafreniere was born. There's not a guy on the roster he doesn't have 20+ years on, not even Jonathan Quick.

 

[Look Up]

A lot of coaches played, and most of them are in their 50's and 60's.

The league was 75% Canadian when they were playing and you could count the Europeans.

The league is way more diverse now, but it's not going to happen in coaching until the diverse player base we have now is old enough to be coaching.

People in this thread have touched on it but I think they're underestimating how old coaches are. They're throwing out 10, 15, 20 years older.

Peter Laviolette was THIRTY-SEVEN when Alexis Lafreniere was born. There's not a guy on the roster he doesn't have 20+ years on, not even Jonathan Quick.

Many, but there is a critical mass that are in their 40s or early 50s (but became a NHL head coach in their 40s).

Spencer Carbery – 41, Canadian

Andre Tourigny -41, Canadian

Sheldon Keefe – 43, Canadian

Kris Knoblauch -45, Canadian

Marty St Louis -48, Canadian

Andrew Brunette – 50, Canadian

Drew Bannister – 50, Canadian

Derek Lalonde – 51, Canadian

Travis Green – 51, Canadian

Pascal Vincent – 52, Canadian

Jared Bednar -52, Canadian

 

[ES]

GMs have little time to succeed in this league, with their jobs on the line. So they are mostly going to go with as sure a thing as they can. And the reality is it's too much of a risk with an unknown/unproven coach.

The issue is when GMs think John Hynes or Travis Green as a safe choice while taking European coach is risky.

Those two names I mentioned just as an example of coaches who have got multiple coaching gigs without having notable success.

 

[CanadienShark]

Because Oh Canada!

We stand on the shoulder of God for thee

Oh Canada!!

Shoulder of God? That's a new one.

 

[Moose Head]

The CHL pattern themselves after the NHL more than other major developmental sources, therefore that’s where coaches go first and those are the guys who end up working up the ladder to the NHL. That said, I see more Americans coaching in the AHL and as NHL assistants over the next few years and eventually as head coaches.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

The issue is when GMs think John Hynes or Travis Green as a safe choice while taking European coach is risky.

Those two names I mentioned just as an example of coaches who have got multiple coaching gigs without having notable success.

Well there's going to be some unsuccessful situations along the way. Nothing's perfect. But that doesn't change the fact that when their job is on the line GMs will be less likely to take a risk on someone who hasn't coached in NA.

 

[Foppberg]

Cause it’s Canada. No other country is close when it comes to hockey.

 

[nturn06]

Agree, on the surface this is true.

According to this source, 42.5% of players are Canadian, or conversely, 57.5% are not Canadian. Yet 81.5% of head coaches are from Canada.

Active NHL Players Totals by Nationality - Career Stats

You are looking at the wrong percentages, most coaches played hockey 20-30 or even 40 years ago.. What were the percentages then?

 

[nturn06]

Many, but there is a critical mass that are in their 40s or early 50s (but became a NHL head coach in their 40s).

Spencer Carbery – 41, Canadian

Andre Tourigny -41, Canadian

Sheldon Keefe – 43, Canadian

Kris Knoblauch -45, Canadian

Marty St Louis -48, Canadian

Andrew Brunette – 50, Canadian

Drew Bannister – 50, Canadian

Derek Lalonde – 51, Canadian

Travis Green – 51, Canadian

Pascal Vincent – 52, Canadian

Jared Bednar -52, Canadian

More than half of those guys have been drafted more than 30 years ago, and at that time Canadian players represented the majority of active or drafted players.

Also, the most natural route to the NHL is via one of the NA leagues, and the Junior league in Canada is one of the largest in the world.

 

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

Of the current 27 NHL head coaches ( 5 positions are vacant at the time of this post), 22 are Canadian and 5 are from the US.

(Doesn't look like this will change anytime soon - 4 of the five American coaches are retreads - Tortorella, Sullivan, Laviolette, Hynes - which means most first time coaches are from Canada).

Why is this?

More opportunities to coach at lower levels to gain experience? Good ole boy network? Better understanding of strategy to coach at a higher level? Something else?

There's no way you're actually Scotty Kilmer is there?

 

[Look Up]

There's no way you're actually Scotty Kilmer is there?

If I was I would have used a click bait thread title, lol.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

European coaches have a long tradition of a more pedagogic approach (exclude Tichonov and a few more). Now even NA-coaches have adopted that, with less yelling and management by fear. So to hire europeans would make sense from that perspective.

The Scandinavian country have a long history of theory crafting about how to play hockey and definitely can compete with Canada, but the way they think the game is also very different and a by product of the ice dimensions.

While the whole world is slowly undergoing the transition to the north American dimensions, the Scandinavian countries are probably the one place where theirs traditions and passion for the sport make this transition more difficult or not happening at all. (that something that I find fascinating to witness)

 

[Look Up]

You are looking at the wrong percentages, most coaches played hockey 20-30 or even 40 years ago.. What were the percentages then?

Good question, If you find out please post those percentages.

 

[nturn06]

Good question, If you find out please post those percentages.

I didn't, but looked instead at the drafts in the early 90's... I think that in each draft, more than 50% of the drafted players were Canadian, with higher percentages in the early rounds.

 

[Sky04]

More coaching opportunities in Canada if you want to go that route after retiring.

/thread

 

[SnowblindNYR]

A lot of coaches played, and most of them are in their 50's and 60's.

The league was 75% Canadian when they were playing and you could count the Europeans.

The league is way more diverse now, but it's not going to happen in coaching until the diverse player base we have now is old enough to be coaching.

People in this thread have touched on it but I think they're underestimating how old coaches are. They're throwing out 10, 15, 20 years older.

Peter Laviolette was THIRTY-SEVEN when Alexis Lafreniere was born. There's not a guy on the roster he doesn't have 20+ years on, not even Jonathan Quick.

Follow up question as to why this is the case?

Is it because coaches CAN be older? If we were to go up through say 70, after which it's too old and start at 35, if coaching would be evenly distributed then 35-50 would account for 15/35 and that's way higher than the percentage actually is.

Is it because you NEED that experience for the strategic part of the same?

Is it because you NEED that experience for the interpersonal part of the game? Players respect older coaches?

Is it because GMs are risk averse and only hire guys who have been there before for a while?

 

[KevinFinnerty]

Preds and Team Mopar, right there with Uncle Tony!

there's no way this dude is the real guy

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

I don't know, why are most NHL players Canadian?

 

[JackSlater]

Coaches are ~15-20+ years older than the average player, so it's also a reflection of which countries were pumping out hockey talent at that time. I think we'll see a shift to more USA coaches in the coming years.

That's pretty much it. There were far more Canadian players than there were Canadian players 20-40 years ago, in the NHL and at levels below, and that's generally the pool of candidates. European coaches are hard pressed to get into the NHL so there isn't much need to consider them here.

 

[Channelcat]

Same reason that football coaches are American