- Kevin Constantine
Kevin Constantine (b.
December 27 ,1958 ) has coached hockey teams in the NHL, IHL, and numerousmajor junior hockeyleague s. He is currently coach of theHouston Aeros in the AHL.Playing career
Born in
International Falls, Minnesota , Constantine was drafted as goaltender by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 NHL Draft, and played six games of collegiate hockey for at RPI in Troy, York. He left RPI as a junior and finished his degree at the University of Nevada-Reno.Coaching career
Born in
International Falls, Minnesota , Constantine made a name for himself as a head coach in the late 1980s and early 1990s by guiding theRochester Mustangs of theUSHL and theKansas City Blades of the IHL to winning records, as well as coaching the 1991 U.S. National Junior team to its (then) best-ever record at the World Junior Championships. Having found success at lower levels, he was hired as head coach of theSan Jose Sharks for the 1993-1994 season: under his guidance, the team set an NHL record for largest improvement by finishing 58 points higher in the standings than it had the previous season. Between 1993 and 2002, Constantine would coach the Sharks, thePittsburgh Penguins and theNew Jersey Devils , earning a record of 159–153–66. He is the only coach in NHL history to take two eighth-seeded teams to first-roundStanley Cup playoff upsets (San Jose over theDetroit Red Wings in 1994 and Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 1999).In 2001, he founded the
Pittsburgh Forge , a new entry in the NAHL. In two seasons as the team's general manager and co-coach, Constantine amassed a record of 80–24–8 -- the Forge won the NAHL regular season championship in 2002. After the 2002-2003 season, Constantine left Pittsburgh to be hired by the WHL expansion team, the Everett Silvertips. In their first year, the Silvertips broke the record for best season ever by a first-year team in the major junior hockey leagues (the WHL, OHL and QMJHL), winning the U.S. Division Championship -- they continued to set records, winning three straight playoff rounds to claim the Western Conference Championship and advance to the WHL Final against theMedicine Hat Tigers , where they lost 4–0.On
May 29 2007 , Constantine was named the head coach of the AHL'sHouston Aeros .Coaching records
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"! colspan="4" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular Season! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs
- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"! Season! Team! League! Type! W! L! T! PTS.! PCT.! W! L! PTS.! PCT.1985–86 North Iowa Huskies USHL Head Coach 17 24 4 38 .354 -?- -?- -?- -?- 1987–88 Rochester Mustangs USHL Head Coach 39 7 2 80 .833 -?- -?- -?- -?- 1991–92 Kansas City Blades IHL Head Coach 56 22 4 116 .683 -?- -?- -?- -?- 1992–93 Kansas City Blades IHL Head Coach 46 26 10 102 .561 -?- -?- -?- -?- 1993–94 San Jose Sharks NHL Head Coach 33 35 16 82 .488 7 7 14 .500 1994–95 San Jose Sharks NHL Head Coach 19 25 4 42 .438 4 7 8 .364 1995–96 San Jose Sharks NHL Head Coach+ 3 18 4 10 .200 - - - - 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Head Coach 40 24 18 98 .598 2 4 4 .333 1998–99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Head Coach 38 30 14 90 .549 6 7 12 .462 1999–00 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Head Coach+ 6 13 7 19 .365 - - - - 2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL Head Coach++ 20 8 2 42 .694 2 4 4 .333 2003-04 Everett Silvertips WHL Head Coach 35 27 8 80 .556 - - - - Awards
Constantine has been the recipient of
USA Hockey 's Distinguished Achievement Award: USA Hockey is the governing body foramateur ice hockey in the United States, and the award recognizes a U.S. citizen who has made a major contribution to hockey in the United States.He was a finalist for the 1994
Jack Adams Award for top NHL coach. He won the 1991–1992 Commissioner's Trophy.Constantine also was awarded the Coach of the Year award by the WHL in 2004.
External links
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