Craig Patrick
Craig Patrick | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 20, 1946 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, coach, general manager, executive |
| Known for | Assistant GM and assistant coach of 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team; GM of Pittsburgh Penguins (1989–2006) |
Craig Patrick (born May 20, 1946) is a former American ice hockey player, coach, and general manager, and the son of Lynn Patrick as well as the grandson of Lester Patrick. He held the positions of Assistant General Manager and Assistant Coach under Herb Brooks for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey squad that famously secured gold in the event known as the "Miracle on Ice." From 1989 until 2006, Patrick was the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, guiding the team to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992, and drafting key players who later played a role in the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup triumph.
Amateur career
Growing up primarily in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Patrick relocated at age fourteen to Quebec to participate in junior hockey within the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League, competing for the Lachine Maroons and Montreal Junior Canadiens.
He matriculated at the University of Denver, where he contributed to the Pioneers securing NCAA championship titles in both 1968 and 1969. During the 1969–70 and 1970–71 seasons, Patrick was a member of the US National Team, taking part in the 1970 and 1971 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments while fulfilling his duties in the US Army.
Professional playing career
Patrick’s professional career spanned eight NHL seasons with franchises including the California Golden Seals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Scouts, and Washington Capitals. In the 1976–77 season, he had a brief stint with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association before returning to NHL play. Across 401 NHL games, he tallied 72 goals and 91 assists, accumulating a total of 163 points. Additionally, he represented Team USA at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup and competed at the 1979 Ice Hockey World Championship held in Moscow prior to retiring from active play.
The Miracle on Ice
In his role as assistant general manager and assistant coach, Patrick was integral to the success of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that captured gold in what has become known as the Miracle on Ice.
He later took on the role of general manager for the 2002 U.S. Olympic hockey team, also coached by Brooks, which earned a silver medal—the first Olympic hockey medal for the United States since their gold in 1980. This squad mainly consisted of players from a disappointing 1998 team but was bolstered by seasoned athletes such as Mike Richter and Phil Housley, who surpassed expectations and were named to the tournament all-star lineup.
In both Olympic tournaments, Team USA secured narrow one-goal victories over Soviet or Russian teams on Friday, February 22. The U.S. advanced to compete for gold once more on Sunday, February 24; however, they fell to Canada in 2002.
NHL management and beyond
Patrick began his executive career in hockey as director of operations for the New York Rangers in 1980 and became their youngest-ever general manager in 1981. He also served as head coach during parts of two seasons (1980–81 and 1984–85).
On December 5, 1989, he was appointed general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Under his guidance, Pittsburgh captured two Stanley Cup championships, one President's Trophy, and five division titles. Patrick also assumed head coaching duties twice during his tenure (1989–90 and 1996–97).
Patrick’s initial period as Penguins GM proved highly effective. In 1990, he selected Czechoslovak forward Jaromír Jágr with the first overall draft pick and acquired veteran forward Joe Mullen from Calgary by trading a second-round draft choice. One of his most significant transactions occurred on March 4, 1991: he traded away John Cullen, Jeff Parker, and Zarley Zalapski to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson, and Grant Jennings. Although considered a bold move at the time, this trade was instrumental in securing back-to-back Stanley Cup titles for Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992.
Later years as GM
Although the Penguins advanced to the conference finals in both 1996 and 2001, the organization encountered financial difficulties and contentious player transactions during the subsequent period.
A particularly infamous decision occurred in March 1996 when Patrick exchanged future standout Markus Näslund to the Vancouver Canucks in return for role player Alek Stojanov. This trade has since been widely regarded as one of the poorest in NHL history. Additionally, to satisfy captain Mario Lemieux, Patrick dealt premier defenseman Sergei Zubov to Dallas, acquiring Kevin Hatcher, who was considered less impactful at that time.
In July 2001, facing financial pressures and increasing unrest from Jagr, Patrick traded Jágr along with supporting player František Kučera to the Washington Capitals. The Penguins received three minor league prospects (Kris Beech, Michal Sivek, Ross Lupaschuk) plus nearly five million US dollars. This transaction faced heavy criticism as the prospects failed to significantly contribute to the team’s success. It was reported that Patrick rejected a superior offer from the New York Rangers, allegedly due to lingering bitterness after his previous dismissal by that franchise.
Starting with the 2001–02 season, the Penguins missed playoff contention for four straight years during Patrick’s management.
Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Patrick secured the first overall pick in 2005 and selected teenage prodigy Sidney Crosby. He also brought in seasoned players such as Žigmund Pálffy, Sergei Gonchar, John LeClair, and Mark Recchi. Despite Crosby’s record-setting achievement as the youngest player to reach 100 points, the expensive veterans failed to meet expectations, and Pittsburgh once more finished at the bottom of their division. After a 17-year tenure as general manager, Patrick’s contract was not renewed on April 20, 2006. His successor Ray Shero acknowledged Patrick’s skill in drafting elite talents like Crosby, Marc-André Fleury, and Evgeni Malkin but stressed the necessity of strengthening organizational depth beyond star athletes.
Initially resentful about his dismissal, Patrick withdrew from hockey activities until 2008 when owner Mario Lemieux invited him back. The core players drafted under Patrick—Fleury, Malkin, and Crosby—were instrumental in guiding Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference finals in 2008 and capturing the Stanley Cup championship in 2009.
Draft history
Patrick’s record in NHL Entry Drafts during his GM years showed variability. Early first-round selections yielded notable players such as Jagr, Martin Straka, and Naslund. However, later first-round picks including Chris Wells, Robert Dome, Craig Hillier, Milan Kraft, and Stefan Bergkvist did not develop as hoped. The drafts in the early 2000s produced cornerstone talents like Marc-André Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby. Despite this, public opinion and management increasingly felt that Patrick’s effectiveness had diminished over time.
Patrick family history
The Patrick family has a distinguished legacy with several Stanley Cup victories:
- Lester (Craig’s grandfather): Montreal Wanderers championships in 1906 and 1907 (as player); Victoria Cougars title in 1925 (president/manager-coach); New York Rangers wins in 1928, 1933, and 1940 (manager/coach roles)
- Frank (grand uncle): Vancouver Millionaires Stanley Cup in 1915 (playing president/manager-coach)
- Lynn (father): New York Rangers Stanley Cup winner in 1940 (player)
- Murray (uncle): New York Rangers Stanley Cup champion in 1940 (player)
- Craig Patrick: Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup victories in 1991 and 1992 (general manager)
- Chris Patrick (cousin): Washington Capitals director of player personnel during their 2018 championship
- Dick Patrick (cousin): President of Washington Capitals during their 2018 Stanley Cup win
Additional relatives include Glenn Patrick (brother), who played professionally but never won a Stanley Cup, and Curtiss (nephew), who competed at minor league levels within the AHL and ECHL.
Other
Patrick was honored as "The Sporting News" Executive of the Year consecutively in 1998 and 1999. He represents the third generation in his family to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup and to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame under the Builder category. Between 1988 and 1989, he held the position of athletic director at the University of Denver and was later inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. The Lester Patrick Trophy, awarded for exceptional contributions to U.S. hockey, was bestowed upon him during the 1999–2000 season.
In December 2011, Patrick took on the role of senior advisor to Hockey Operations with the Columbus Blue Jackets. On January 9, 2014, he transitioned to become Special Advisor for the Buffalo Sabres' Hockey Operations Department. He made a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization on November 19, 2018, serving as a professional scout.
By 2020, Patrick assumed the commissioner role for 3ICE, a professional league specializing in 3-on-3 ice hockey. As of 2023, he expanded his responsibilities within the league by adding head coaching duties while maintaining his commissioner position.
Regular season and playoffs
1977–78 AHL season | Hershey Bears | AHL | 27 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | —| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1963–64 | Lachine Maroons | MMJHL | 43 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 56 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | Los Angeles Hechter Hawks | CalHL | 9 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | University of Denver | WCHA | 30 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | University of Denver | WCHA | 34 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | University of Denver | WCHA | 17 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | University of Denver | WCHA | 5 | 9 | 7 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 59 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 71 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 59 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
|
1978–79 NHL season | Washington Capitals | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
|
1978–79 CHL season | Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) | Central Professional Hockey League | 69 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
|
1978–79 Pacific Hockey League season | Los Angeles Blades (PHL) | Pacific Hockey League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | — | — | — | — |||— | ||||||||||||||
| WHA totals | 30 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 401 | 72 | 91 | 163 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | United States | WC-B | 7 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 2 | |
| 1971 | United States | WC | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1976 | United States | CC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1979 | United States | WC | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 30 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 6 | |||
Coaching record
| League | Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | |||
| NHL | |||||||||
| NYR | 1980–81 | 60 | 26 | 23 | 11 | (74) | 4th in Patrick | Lost in Conf. Finals (NYI) | |
| 1984–85 | 35 | 11 | 22 | 2 | (64) | 4th in Patrick | Lost in first round (PHI) | ||
| PIT | 1989–90 | 54 | 22 | 26 | 6 | (72) | 5th in Patrick | Missed playoffs | |
| 1996–97 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 3 | (84) | 2nd in Northeast | Lost in first round (PHI) | ||
| 3ICE | Team Patrick | 2023 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2nd | Lost in finals |
| NHL Total | 169 | 66 | 81 | 22 | |||||
See also
In popular culture
In the television movie Miracle on Ice (1981), which depicts the story of the U.S. hockey team from 1980, Patrick is represented by actor Robert Pierce. In Disney’s Miracle released in 2004, his character is portrayed by Noah Emmerich.