Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Todd McLellan Is The New Head Coach Of The LA Kings

04/16/2019 at 5:09pm EDT

LOS ANGELES – The LA Kings have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract for Todd McLellan to serve as the club's new head coach, it was announced today by Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake.

McLellan, 51 (born October 3, 1967), born in Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada, is the 29th head coach in club history, and he comes with a wealth of experience as a head coach in the NHL, having already logged 11 seasons of head coaching experience in both Edmonton (three-plus seasons with the Oilers) and San Jose (seven seasons with the Sharks). He has also won at the highest levels in the game (Stanley Cup Champion as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008).

McLellan’s has a career record of 434-282-90 in 806 regular season games (.594 points percentage). His 434 regular season wins are ranked 33rd all-time and 11th among active coaches in the NHL. McLellan-led teams have eclipsed the 50-win plateau three times and 100-plus points five times during his coaching career. Additionally, his teams have advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven of his 10 full seasons behind an NHL bench and he has a career post-season record of 37-38 over 75 games (.493 winning percentage).

McLellan most recently served as the head coach of the Oilers for three-plus seasons. He had a 123-119-24 record in 266 regular season games with the Oilers (.508 points percentage) before being relieved of his duties after posting a record of 9-10-1 over the first 20 games of the 2018-19 season.

McLellan led the Oilers to a 47-26-9 record and 103 points during the 2016-17 season, a season in which the Oilers finished in second place in the Pacific Division before getting to within one win of advancing to the Western Conference Final (lost 2-1 to Anaheim in Game 7 of the Pacific Division Final on May 10, 2017). The 2016-17 season marked the first 100-plus point season for the Oilers since 1986-87, and the furthest advancement for the Oilers in the playoffs since 2005-06.

In 2014-15, McLellan served as the head coach of Team Canada at the 2015 World Hockey Championship, leading Canada to its first gold medal since 2007. The team had an undefeated record of 10-0 and an impressive 6-1 win over Team Russia in the Gold Medal Final. He was also the head coach of Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

McLellan spent seven seasons as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks prior to joining the Oilers, posting a record of 311-163-66 in 540 regular season games (.637 points percentage). During his tenure in San Jose, McLellan led the Sharks to six playoff appearances, six 40-plus win seasons, four 100-point seasons, captured the Presidents’ Trophy (2009), three Pacific Division titles and made back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Final (2010, 2011).

No head coach in NHL history has won more games in their first four seasons behind the bench than the 195 collected by Todd McLellan (2008-2012). In 2010, McLellan became just the third head coach in NHL history to record 50-plus wins in his first two seasons as a bench boss. McLellan was named a finalist for the NHL’s Jack Adams Trophy in 2008-09 and became just the sixth NHL head coach (first since 1990) to lead his team to the Presidents’ Trophy, posting a record of 53-18-11 in his first season in the Bay Area.

Prior to joining San Jose, McLellan spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. One of McLellan’s key responsibilities was Detroit’s power play, which finished first in the NHL in 2005-06 (22.1 percent) and third in 2007-08 (20.7 percent). McLellan won a Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Red Wings, as well as two Presidents’ Trophies (2006, 2008).

Before entering the NHL coaching ranks, McLellan spent four seasons as the head coach with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Houston Aeros, capturing the 2003 Calder Cup Championship. Under his guidance, McLellan led the Aeros to 154 wins and four consecutive trips to the playoffs, and he was named the 2003 Minor Coach of the Year by The Hockey News. He was also selected to coach two AHL All-Star Games during his tenure in Houston.

McLellan spent the 2000-01 season as the head coach of the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). The Lumberjacks posted 43 regular season wins before advancing to the playoffs.

McLellan spent six seasons in junior hockey as the head coach with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he also served as the general manager in his final four seasons. He was named the WHL Executive of the year in 1997 and WHL Coach of the Year in 2000. The Broncos also captured division titles in 1996 and 2000 under McLellan.

McLellan played his junior hockey in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and he was drafted by the New York Islanders in the fifth round (104th overall) at the 1986 NHL Draft. He played parts of two seasons with Springfield of the AHL, and he played in five games with the Islanders during the 1987-88 season, posting two points (1-1=2) before a shoulder injury ended his playing career.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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