The Rangers announced the hiring of Peter Laviolette as the 37th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday.
Here’s everything you need to know about Laviolette…
His ties to New York
Laviolette comes to the Rangers with ties to New York and the organization.
After going undrafted, Laviolette spent the majority of his playing career grinding it out in the minors, but his only NHL appearances were with the Rangers. The defenseman appeared in 12 games during the 1988-89 season and failed to record a point.
Laviolette also began his NHL coaching career in New York with the cross-town rival Islanders. He spent two years on the Island, and led them to the playoffs both seasons, finishing with a record of 77-62-19.
His familiarity with the Metropolitan Division
Laviolette comes to New York with a ton of familiarity with the Metropolitan Division, as well.
As mentioned, he began his coaching career with the Isles. He then spent five years in Carolina with the Hurricanes, followed by five more years with the Philadelphia Flyers.
After a six-year stint with the Nashville Predators, Laviolette returned to the Metro as the coach of the Washington Capitals where he was for the past three seasons. He was fired this offseason after failing to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs but now finds himself back in the division.
Five of Laviolette’s six head coaching gigs at the NHL level have been within the same division.
His proven track record
Perhaps one of the things that most attracted the Rangers to a veteran coach, like Laviolette, is the fact that he has a proven track record at the NHL level.
Laviolette has shown he has what it takes to win and is capable of getting the most out of his star players. He currently holds the record for the most wins by an American-born head coach in NHL history with 752.
Laviolette has one Stanley Cup berth under his belt, back in 2006 with the Hurricanes, and has two other finals appearances (Philadelphia in 2010 and Nashville in 2017). He’s the fourth coach in NHL history to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final.
He also coached the U.S. men’s national team in 2020.
Laviolette has a .587 winning percentage and he’s led 13 teams to postseason appearances, advancing past the first round seven different times.
His desire to win
Laviolette’s Capitals tenure ended on a bit of a sour note.
The team finished with a record below .500 and missed the postseason for the first time since the 2013-14 season. With that in the back of his mind, the veteran head coach was determined to land another job.
In his first comments following his departure from Washington, Laviolette told the Athletic that he did want to coach again, and he definitely still has that “want and desire to be successful with a group.”
Laviolette-led teams have finished the season with a losing record just twice in his 22-year coaching career. One of the things that bothers the prestigious coach the most, though, is his 1-2 record in the Stanley Cup Final.
“I would like to even that up,” he said. “That’s what drives me.”
Perhaps a determined Laviolette will be the missing piece to help lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup berth since the 1993-94 season.
