John Muckler coached in professional hockey from 1960 to
2000 so the odds were for him winning a championship or two behind the bench.
Actually, Muckler led three teams to playoff championships in three different
professional leagues.
John played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association
for three years from 1951-52 to 1953-54 with the Windsor Spitfires and Galt
Black Hawks. His pro playing career consisted of eight years in the Eastern
Hockey League with the Charlotte Clippers, New York Rovers and Long Island
Ducks. With the Ducks, he was player/head coach from 1960-61 to 1962-63.
As a coach, Muckler found himself behind benches in the EHL,
CHL, NHL and AHL. At the highest level, he coached the Minnesota North Stars,
Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo
Sabres and New York Rangers. Of course, most notable are his years in
Edmonton.
Long Island Ducks - EHL
His first championship came in 1964-65 while coaching the
Long Island Ducks in the EHL. The team finished the regular season second in
the North Division, 17 points behind the division leading Clinton Comets.
The Ducks were third overall with the Nashville Dixie Flyers finished first
with 108 points.
Long Island faced the Jersey Devils in the opening round and
won 3-1. In the semi-finals, they upset the Clinton Comets four games to two.
In the finals, they played giant-killer once again, taking down the Dixie
Flyers in just five games.
Dallas Black Hawks - CHL
Well over a decade later, Muckler won his second
championship, this time in the Central Hockey League. His Dallas Black Hawks
finished second in the six team league behind the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Salt
Lake finished with 101 points while the Black Hawks were eight behind with 93.
Dallas used eight different goaltenders during the regular season, including
Gary Bromley, Eddie Mio, Dunc Wilson and Curt Ridley. They had the most goals
for and were the most penalized team in the CHL.
Dallas met the Kansas City Red Wings in the opening round
and swept the Detroit affiliate in four games. In the finals, they met up with
the Golden Eagles and lost just one game to take the championship.
Edmonton Oilers - NHL
Yet another decade and more passed before John’s third
championship. In 1989-90, he was behind the bench for the Mark
Messier led Edmonton Oilers. Messier finished second in the race for the Art Ross
Trophy with former teammate Wayne Gretzky. Mark had 129 points while
Gretzky had 142 with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers finished second in the Smythe Division with 90
points, nine behind the first place Calgary Flames. In the opening round of the
Stanley Cup playoffs, the Winnipeg Jets gave Edmonton a scare, going up 3-1 in
the series. The Oilers roared back with three straight to advance. The next
round was a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Kings. In the semi-finals,
Edmonton found themselves in trouble again, down 2-1 to the Chicago Black Hawks
before again winning three straight to take the series. The Oilers took the
Boston Bruins in five games in the finals to capture the Stanley Cup.
