Al Arbour

Al Arbour
Al Arbour in 1977
Born	(1932-11-01)November 1, 1932 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Died	August 28, 2015(2015-08-28) (aged 82) Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	Canadian
Coaching career
Team(s)	New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup wins	1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Years as a coach	1970–2008
Years as an NHL coach	1970–2008
Ice hockey career Hockey Hall of Fame, 1996 (Builder) Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) Position Defence Shot Left Played for Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues Playing career 1949–1971

Alger Joseph "Al" Arbour (November 1, 1932 – August 28, 2015) was a Canadian National Hockey League player, coach, and executive. He is second to Scotty Bowman for games coached in league history and third all-time in wins, behind Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville. Under Arbour, the New York Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Arbour played amateur hockey as a defenceman with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He played his first professional games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1953. Claimed by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1958, Arbour would help the team win a championship in 1961. Arbour played with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the next five years, winning another Cup in 1962. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in their 1967 expansion draft and played his final four seasons with the team.

During his last year with the Blues, Arbour was hired mid-season to coach the team. In 107 games, he led them to a 42–40–25 record, but only one playoff series win. After a woeful expansion year, the New York Islanders hired Arbour as coach in 1973. Arbour led the team to a winning record every season from 1974–75 until he stepped down in 1985–86. Arbour won nineteen consecutive playoff series, which remains an NHL and North American sports record. He was awarded the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach in 1979. Upon retiring from the bench, Arbour was named vice president of player development for the Islanders. He returned to coach the Islanders in the 1988–89 season and remained there through 1993-94, notably upsetting the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1993 playoffs. He was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to the sport and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.