John MacLean (ice hockey)
John MacLean | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Carter MacLean November 20, 1964 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, coach |
| Years active | 1983–2002 (player), 2002–2025 (coach) |
| Known for | NHL player primarily with New Jersey Devils; NHL assistant coach |
John Carter MacLean (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current coach. Most recently, he held the position of assistant coach for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL). Throughout his playing tenure, MacLean primarily represented the New Jersey Devils, while also competing for the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and Dallas Stars.
Playing career
Chosen sixth overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft as the Devils' initial selection, MacLean made his NHL debut on October 5, 1983, facing off against the New York Rangers. A pivotal highlight occurred on April 3, 1988, when he netted an overtime goal that secured New Jersey’s inaugural playoff berth. Following this achievement, he notched three straight seasons with at least 40 goals before a severe knee injury sidelined him for the entire 1991–92 campaign. Serving as alternate captain, MacLean was part of the Devils’ 1995 Stanley Cup-winning squad. He remained with New Jersey until December 7, 1997, when he was traded to the San Jose Sharks. After completing the 1997–98 season there, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent on July 9, 1998. The Rangers later traded him to the Dallas Stars in February 2001.
Concluding an 18-season career on June 7, 2002, MacLean played in 1,194 NHL contests, accumulating totals of 413 goals and 429 assists for an overall 842 points. He held the franchise record for most points by a Devil until March 17, 2009, when Patrik Eliáš eclipsed his mark.
Since 1991, MacLean has made his home in Verona, New Jersey.
Coaching career
MacLean began his coaching journey in September 2002 by joining the New Jersey Devils as an assistant coach and earned a Stanley Cup ring with them in 2003. Although considered for the head coaching position in 2007, he continued as assistant when Brent Sutter was hired.
Following Sutter’s departure in June 2009, MacLean was appointed head coach of the Lowell Devils in July of that year. He advanced to head coach of the New Jersey Devils on June 17, 2010. However, after a disappointing start of nine wins, twenty-two losses, and two overtime defeats that placed the team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, he was relieved of his duties on December 23, 2010; Jacques Lemaire succeeded him.
On December 1, 2011, MacLean accepted an assistant coaching role with the Carolina Hurricanes under head coach Kirk Muller. Both he and fellow assistant Dave Lewis were dismissed on May 5, 2014.
MacLean resumed coaching as an assistant with the Arizona Coyotes beginning July 27, 2017. The San Jose Sharks added him to their staff as an assistant coach on September 8, 2021; he was released from this role on July 1, 2022.
Shortly thereafter, on July 28, 2022, MacLean joined the New York Islanders as an assistant coach. He was dismissed from this position on May 29, 2025.
Post-playing career
Following retirement from playing hockey professionally, MacLean transitioned into broadcasting roles. He served as an analyst for NHL Network and more recently contributed pre- and post-game commentary for MSG Networks covering the New Jersey Devils.
Awards
- Stanley Cup champion with New Jersey Devils (1995) as a player
- Stanley Cup champion with New Jersey Devils (2003) as assistant coach
- Memorial Cup All-Star Team selection (1983)
- Participant in two NHL All-Star Games (1989 and 1991)
- Named New Jersey Devils Most Valuable Player (1989–90)
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Oshawa Legionnaires | MetJHL | 41 | 35 | 35 | 70 | 151 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 67 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 197 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 63 | ||
| 1982–83 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 66 | 47 | 51 | 98 | 138 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 35 | ||
| 1983–84 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 30 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 58 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | ||
| 1983–84 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 61 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 21 | 36 | 57 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 31 | 36 | 67 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 23 | 16 | 39 | 147 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 60 | ||
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 42 | 45 | 87 | 122 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 41 | 38 | 79 | 80 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 12 | ||
| 1990–91 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 45 | 33 | 78 | 150 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 102 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1993–94 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 37 | 33 | 70 | 95 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 22 | ||
| 1994–95 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 46 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 32 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 14 | ||
| 1995–96 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 49 | 4 |5 |9 |4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | New Jersey Devils |NHL |26 |3 |8 |11 |14 |— |— |— |— |— | |||||
| San Jose Sharks |NHL |51 |13 |19 |32 |28 |6 |2 |3 |5 |4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | New York Rangers |NHL |82 |28 |27 |55 |46 |— |— |— |— |— | |||||||||||||
| New York Rangers |NHL |77 |18 |24 |42 |52 |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||
| Manitoba Moose |IHL |32 |6 |12 |18 |28 |
— | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
|
2000–01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
|
2000–01 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 28 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |- |
2001–02 | Utah Grizzlies | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
|
2001–02 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| NHL career totals !1,194 | 413 | 429 | 842 | 1,328 !104 | 35 | 48 | 83 | 152 | ||||||
International
| Year | Team Represented | Tournament | Games Played | Goals Scored | Assists Made | Total Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | "Canada" | "WJC" | "7" | "7" | "1" | "8" | "4" | |
| "1989 World Ice Hockey Championships" | "Canada" | "WC" | "10" | "3" | "6" | "9" | "4" | |
| Junior Level Totals | "7" ! "7" ! "1" ! "8" ! "4" | |||||||
| Senior Level Totals | "10" ! "3" ! "6" ! "9" ! "4" | |||||||
NHL coaching record
| Team | Season | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | Standing | W | L | Win% | Outcome | ||
| NJD | 2010–11 | 33 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 20 | (dismissed) | — | — | — | — |
| Overall | 33 | 9 | 22 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||
AHL statistics
| Season | Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Overtime Losses | Shootout Losses | Points Earned | Goals For | Goals Against | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Lowell (AHL) | 80 | 39 | 31 | — | 4 | 6 | 88 | 239 | 232 | 4th in Atlantic Division |
Records
- Holds New Jersey Devils franchise record for power play points with 197
- Led New Jersey in goals scored for the seasons: 1988–89 (42), 1989–90 (41), 1990–91 (45), 1993–94 (37), and tied in 1996–97 (29)
- Top scorer in New Jersey playoff points during 1991 (tied with 8) and 1997 (9)
- Leading goal scorer in New Jersey playoff campaigns for the years: 1990 (4), 1991 (5), and tied in 1997 (4)
- Recorded most assists in New Jersey playoff games in 1997 (5)
- Shared San Jose Sharks playoff points leader title in 1998 with 5 points
- Co-led San Jose Sharks playoff goals in 1998 with 2 goals
See also
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1964 births
- Living people
- Albany Devils coaches
- Canadian ice hockey forwards
- Carolina Hurricanes coaches
- Dallas Stars players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Lowell Devils coaches
- Arizona Coyotes coaches
- National Hockey League All-Stars
- NHL first-round draft picks
- New Jersey Devils coaches
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- New York Rangers players
- New York Islanders coaches
- Oshawa Generals players
- Sportspeople from Verona, New Jersey
- San Jose Sharks players
- Ice hockey people from Oshawa
- Stanley Cup champions
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen