Broadcaster Blog: Laviolette's 600 Wins, Behind the Numbers

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Denver, Predators' Head Coach Peter Laviolette achieved a milestone - his 600th regular-season win behind an NHL bench.
More of them (211) have come while coaching the Predators than any of his other three stops. The New York Islanders won 77 in his two seasons there; the Carolina Hurricanes, 167 (plus the 2006 Stanley Cup) and the Philadelphia Flyers, 145 in addition to a trip to the 2010 Cup Final.
According to
Hockey-Reference.com
, 371 men have coached at least one National Hockey League game. From Mike Rodden's no wins in two games in 1927, to Scotty Bowman's record total of 1,244 regular-season wins, they are all listed. Just for good measure, no one is within striking distance of Bowman's 223 Stanley Cup Playoff games won either.

Laviolette is currently 20th on the list and his point percentage of .588 ranks sixth among the Top 20 coaches listed. Only six active coaches (although I expect Joel Quenneville will find another position relatively soon) rank above him: Ken Hitchcock, Barry Trotz, Paul Maurice, Mike Babcock, Claude Julien and John Tortorella. Tortorella preceded Laviolette by about a week in reaching the 600-win mark.

In what remains of this season, he has the chance to pass five others; first, the actives: Tortorella and Julien; along with Jacques Martin (613), Jacques Lemaire (617) and possibly Bryan Murray (620).
That is very exclusive company, very difficult to reach. He did it in "only" 1,138 NHL games coached. Consider the coaching mortality rate, and it becomes even more impressive.
Congratulations, coach, and here's to many more!