Here at Doc Sports we know all about how terrifying a good coach can be… but when it comes to the NHL, they have seen some of the most bone-chilling coaches of all time. Here are 15 of the most horrifying, sure to send chills down the spine of any true sports fan…
The Top 15 Scariest NHL Coaches
Without delay – here are our top scariest coaches of the NHL.
1 – Jack Adams
Nowadays we have the Jack Adams Award, given out to the top coach every year. The man was an inspiration, a manager with unbelievable success, a master manipulator as a club executive – oh yeah. And he once punched a referee in the Stanley Cup Final.
You did not want to mess with this dude.
2 – Lindy Ruff
Ruff has been known to vent frustrations at his players… The Buffalo Sabres haven’t been in the Stanley Cup for a while. Are the two connected? We think so.
3 – Tom Webster
Known for that time he threw the hockey stick at the referee… definitely crazy coach material…
4 – Pat Burns
We are too scared to say anything in case we get a horse’s head under the pillow. Unfortunately Burns passed away in 2010.
5 – Toe Blake
So this coach wasn’t crazy himself – but was fantastic at controlling the crazy in his players. 8 Stanley Cups under his belt and nobody with a black eye sounds like a win to us.
6 – Joel Quenneville
Joel is well known for weekly rants to vent his frustration… and well he might. His team can’t get past the first round – and haven’t in a long, long, long time.
7 – Dale Hunter
This guy represents how you can be a little bit petty and still be a top coach. Dale Hunter once benched Alex Ovechkin when everyone told him not to, then went on to knock Pierre Turgeon out of a game in a cheap shot move.
He wasn’t an NHL coach for long.
8 – Bruce Boudreau
Known for being so angry that Washington sacked him; Boudreau got good enough results that the Ducks hired him a few days later. Still… one of the angriest NHL coaches we can remember.
9 – Robbie Ftorek
Ftorek is well-known for throwing a hissy fit from the den. Luckily, he’s not thrown any punches… yet.
10 – John Tortorella
John Tartorrella is so recognisable as one of hockey’s craziest coaches that there are memes about him.
11 – Mike Keenan
Anyone that ever watched a game where Keenan was on the side-lines shouting at his players knows he wasn’t one to be messed with. They called him “Iron Mike” for a reason…
12 – Glen Sonmor
When you get in so many bar fights your team threatens to drop you? That’s when you know you have gone too far.
13 – Jack Adams
For punching that referee that time…
14 – Bryan Murray
Murray is not one to be taken lightly. If you offend him, he will take you down a peg or two – and cut you to the bone while he does it.
15 – Marc Crawford
This guy’s just nasty. Instead of showing sportsmanship when his team downed Steve Moore – he had a chuckle. What a piece of work.
