Spotlight on Alain Vigneault

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Nov 23 2011; Denver, CO, USA; Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault on his bench in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

As everyone knows, Alain Vigneault is the Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He is a well accomplished, and respected coach in the NHL.

Born on May 14, 1961, in Quebec City, QC, CAN – he is 51 years old (7 years older than me). He resides in Gatineau (Hull), Quebec with his girlfriend, and has two daughters who live with their mother. He lives in Vancouver during the season, jogs in Stanley Park to stay physically fit, is known by his nickname A.V., and is known amongst the media for having a sense of humor. Sense of humor is something that is rare among Head Coaches of the NHL… Hint Hint: John Tortorella.

Onto his experience… he has 2 years NHL experience as a player, 10 years as an NHL coach, and 24 years overall as a coach with various teams.

In his playing years, he was a Defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for 4 seasons. During the 1977-78 season, he played for the Hull Olympiques before being traded to the Trois Rivieres Draveurs. In the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 8th round, and 167th overall.

After retiring as a player, at age 25, Vigneault began his successful coaching career. For the 1986-87 season, he coached a team he played for – Trois Rivieres Draveurs. After one season, he moved on to coach with another team he played for, and coached them for 5 seasons, the Hull Olympiques.

In 1992, he broke into the NHL coaching ranks with the expansion team… the Ottawa Senators as an Assistant. A position he held for 3 1/2 years. In 1997, and until 2001, he coached the Montreal Canadiens. After a hiatus, in 2005 he was named Head Coach of the Manitoba Moose. The Moose are the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. After one season, he was promoted to Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks, and has coached them since 2006 to the present.

Vigneault has won awards in his years as a coach. The Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year award was won in 1988. The Jack Adams Coach of the Year award was won in 2007. 2000 and 2011 were years that he was one the finalists for the prestigious award.

The 58th All-Star Game in 2011 saw him be a Co-Coach. He is the all-time winningest with 287 games (up through the completion of the 2011-2012 season) for the Canucks.