Randy Carlyle

At 68 years old, Randy Carlyle has this physical status:

Randolph Robert Carlyle (born April 19, 1956) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player.

He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks.

He won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks during his first stint with the team.

As a player, Carlyle dressed for over 1,000 games between the Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman in the 1980–81 season and serving as a captain of both the Penguins and Jets. Carlyle is partially of Finnish descent, and was raised in Azilda, just northwest of Sudbury, Ontario.

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Junior career

Carlyle appeared in 12 games with the Sudbury Wolves in 1973-74, winning eight assists. In the first round, he appeared in four playoff games with Sudbury, going pointless.

In 1974–75, Carlyle was a regular on the Wolves' blueline, scoring 17 goals and 64 points in 67 games to finish tied for third place among defencemen. In the second round, Carlyle scored 3 goals and 9 points in 15 games as Sudbury was eliminated by the Toronto Marlboros.

Carlyle continued to improve offensively, scoring 15 goals and 79 points in 60 games to lead the Wolves' defense and finish fourth in team scoring. The Wolves were also playing in 17 games, scoring 6 goals and 19 points in 17 games, after being knocked out by the Hamilton Fincups in the final round.

Professional career

In the second round, 30th overall, the Toronto Maple Leafs introduced Carlyle into the National Hockey League (NHL) for the second round, the seventh in total, of the 1976 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the majority of the year with the Maple Leafs in the NHL, scoring 5 assists in 45 games during his rookie season. Carlyle had one assist in nine Stanley Cup playoff games with the Leafs after the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarterfinals. Carlyle had been with the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central Hockey League (CHL) for some time from 1976 to 1977, scoring 2 goals and 9 points in 27 games with the club.

The Dallas Black Hawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs split up in 1977-1978. He scored 3 goals and 17 points in 21 games with Dallas. He had two goals and 13 points in 47 games for Toronto, leading the Leafs into the 1978 playoffs. In seven playoff games, he had one assist as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals.

Carlyle (along George Ferguson) was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1978 in exchange for Dave Burrows.

Carlyle joined the Penguins in 1978-79, where he saw significant improvement offensively, scoring 13 goals and 47 points to lead all Penguin defensemen in scoring. However, Carlyle went pointless in seven playoff games, when the Penguins were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the quarterfinals.

Carlyle's offensive output dropped during the 1979-80 season, when he scored 8 goals and 36 points in 67 games, but he still led the Penguins defense in scoring. Carlyle scored one goal in five playoff games as the Penguins were defeated by Boston again in the preliminary round, this time for the second time.

Carlyle had his best season of his career (1980-81): in 76 games, he scored 16 goals and 83 points to lead all NHL defencemen in scoring. Carlyle was all goals and nine points in five games in 1981, when the Penguins were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the preliminary round. Carlyle was named to the NHL First All-Star Team and finished 11th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the NHL's Most Valuable Player during the regular season earlier this season.

Carlyle had another good season in 1981–82, scoring 11 goals and 75 points in 73 games, assisting Pittsburgh in the 1982 playoffs. When the Penguins were defeated by the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division semi-finals, he scored a goal and four points in five playoff games.

Carlyle suffered from injuries in the 1982-83 season, although he played in just 61 games. However, his offensive output remained strong, with him scoring 15 goals and 56 points to lead the Penguins' blue line. During the season, the Penguins suffered, and they missed the playoffs.

Carlyle struggled in the 1983–84 season, scoring only 3 goals and 26 points in 50 games, his lowest totals since joining the team in 1978. Carlyle was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in 1984 NHL Entry Draft (which the Penguins used to select Doug Bodger) and future considerations, which were completed on May 1 by the Jets as the Penguins sent Moe Mantha to the Penguins on March 5, with the Penguins rebuilding.

Carlyle spent his entire 1983–84 seasons with the Jets. However, he played in just five games with the club due to injuries, receiving three assists. Carlyle provided two assists in three 1984 playoff games as the Jets were thrashes by the Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division semi-finals.

Carlyle's offensive output increased in his first full season with the Jets, scoring 13 goals and 51 points in 71 games. Carlyle had one goal and six points in eight playoff games before the Jets were eliminated by Edmonton in the division final. Carlyle finished seventh in voting for the Norris Trophy for the first time this year.

Carlyle set his career-high with 16 goals in 68 games, beating his total from 1980 to 1981, with 33 assists for 49 points in 68 games to lead the Jets defense in scoring. Carlyle, on the other hand, did not appear in any playoff games as the Jets were swept by the Calgary Flames in the division semi-finals due to a late season injury.

Carlyle scored 16 goals in 1986-87, as well as 26 assists for 42 points in 71 games, assisting the team in the 1987 playoffs. Winnipeg will lose to Edmonton in the division final after scoring one goal and six points in ten playoff games.

In 1987-88, Carlyle had his best season as a Jet, scoring 15 goals and 59 points in 78 games, his highest point total since 1981-82. Carlyle also set a career-high with 210 penalty minutes, and it will be the only season of his Jets career that he will have more than 100 penalty minutes. Carlyle had two assists in five games as the Jets were defeated by Edmonton Oilers again, this time in five games in the division semi-finals.

Carlyle struggled offensively during the 1988-89 season, scoring just six goals, his lowest total since 1983-84, and 44 points in 78 games. For the first time since Carlyle joined the Jets, the Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs.

In the 1989-1990 season, injuries dogged Carlyle, who scored 3 goals and 18 points in 53 games, his lowest point total since his 1977–78 season with Toronto. In seven games in the division semi-finals, Carlyle did not appear in any playoff games as Winnipeg was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers.

Carlyle's 1990-91 season saw him score 9 goals and 28 points, while Injuries restricted them to 52 games. For the second time in three seasons, the struggling Jets missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Carlyle's offense suffered a lot in the 1991–92 season, with 1 goal and ten points in 66 games, his lowest totals since his rookie season in 1976–77. Carlyle scored one goal in five games for the Jets after being eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the division semi-finals, making the 1992 playoffs a success.

Carlyle played in 22 games for 22 games, scoring 1 goal and 2 points during the 1992–93 season. Carlyle played his last NHL game against Félix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 6, 1993, losing by 4–2 Jets.

Coaching career

Carlyle stayed with the Jets and later became an assistant coach with the club in the 1995–96 season under head coach Terry Simpson, who followed his retirement as a player. The Jets finished the year with a 36-40–6 record, winning their eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. In six games, Winnipeg faced the Detroit Red Wings and lost to them. Following the season, the Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes. Carlyle did not follow the team south for the team's south.

Carlyle remained in Winnipeg and became an assistant coach for the Manitoba Moose, their new International Hockey League (IHL) team, under head coach Jean Perron. In their first 50 games, the Moose got off to a rocky start in 1996–97, going 16–26–8. The Moose fired Perron and promoted Carlyle to become head coach and general manager, hoping to save the season. The Moose developed and went 16–14–2, but the team did not make the playoffs under Carlyle.

Carlyle led the team to a 39–36–7 record in his first full season as head coach of the Moose in 1997–98. The Moose were swept by the Chicago Wolves in the first round.

Manitoba made a new record in the 1998-99 season, finishing second in the Midwest Division and making the playoffs. The Moose lost in the quarter-finals to Chicago once more.

The Moose dropped to a 37–36–9 record in 1999–2000, but they made the playoffs in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Moose lost in two games to the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the pre-playoff round.

Manitoba's record in the 2000–01 season soared to a 42–37–7 record, finishing third in the Western Conference and in the playoffs. In the semi-finals, the Moose lost to the Chicago Wolves in the post-season.

Following the season, the IHL folded and the Moose moved to the American Hockey League (AHL) to become the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. In 2001–02, Carlyle was promoted to team president and Stan Smyl was fired as head coach, replacing him as head coach.

The Washington Capitals had Carlyle as an assistant coach for the 2002-03 season, with newly hired head coach Bruce Cassidy. The team went 39–29-14 in their first season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Capitals were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Washington struggled in the 2003-04 season, with Cassidy being fired after an 8–16–1 start and replaced by Glen Hanlon. The Capitals went 15-30-9 under Hanlon as the club finished in 14th place in the Eastern Conference as a result of 14th place. After the season, Carlyle was not brought back.

Carlyle returned as head coach for the Manitoba Moose in the 2004-2005 season. The Moose finished third in the North Division under Carlyle's leadership. The Moose shocked the St. John's Maple Leafs and Rochester Americans by raising their hopes to the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference final, beating the Chicago Wolves.

Carlyle was hired as the head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on August 1, 2005. The Mighty Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on October 5, 2005, Carlyle coached his first NHL game. Carlyle led the team to a 43–27–12 record in his first season with the Mighty Ducks in 2005–06, winning a 2006 playoff berth. The Mighty Ducks will be knocked out of the Western Conference final by the Edmonton Oilers in the post-season.

The Mighty Ducks rebranded themselves as the Anaheim Ducks in 2006–07, winning their first division championship and placing the team in second seed in the Western Conference, despite losing their first division title in franchise history. The Ducks defeated the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and Detroit Red Wings in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. The Ducks will face Ottawa in five games in the final round of the Ottawa Senators for their first Stanley Cup in team history.

In 2007, the Ducks had another good season, going 47–28-8 to clinch a playoff spot. In the first round of the playoffs, the Ducks were stunned by the Dallas Stars. Carlyle won his 121st game with the Ducks on February 8, 2008, setting a franchise record for wins by a head coach.

Anaheim slumped to a 42–3-7 record in 2008–09, but the Raiders advanced to the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. The Ducks defeated the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in the playoffs before losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.

For the first time since Carlyle became head coach, the Ducks struggled in the 2009–10 season, going 39–32-11 and losing to qualify for the first time since Carlyle was head coach.

Anaheim returned to the playoffs after a fruitful regular season in 2010–11, finishing 47–30–5, their highest point total since the 2007–08 season. In the first round of the post-season, the Ducks lost to the Nashville Predators in the first round.

In their first 24 games, the Ducks struggled to start the 2011–12 season. The Ducks fired Carlyle on November 30, 2011, replacing him with former Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau.

The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Carlyle as the head coach of the team on March 2, 2012. The Maple Leafs had a 29-28–7 record at the time of the recruitment. Carlyle coached his first game with the Leafs on March 3, guiding the team to a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The rebuilding team finished the 2011–12 season with a 6–9–3 record in 18 games, losing to qualify for the playoffs under Carlyle.

For the first time since 2004, the Leafs recorded a 26–17–5 record in their first full season with Toronto in 2012–13. The Leafs were defeated by the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. In Game 7, the Leafs had a 4–1 lead midway through the third period, but the Bruins stormed back to tie the game and force it into overtime, where Boston captured the game and the series.

The Leafs ended the season with a 38–38–8 record in 2013-2014. The Leafs appeared to be in a good spot in the 2014 playoffs with 14 games remaining. However, the rest of the way, they went 2–12 and missed the playoffs.

Carlyle was suspended on January 6, 2015, after Toronto lost seven of their last ten games, including their first defeat in that stretch of games. Despite personal additions and line-up upgrades, there were also issues in the Leafs' defensive and possession game, as well as a lack of advanced statistics. He ended his tenure as Toronto's head coach with a 91–78-19 record.

The Ducks announced Carlyle's return to the team as their head coach on June 14, 2016.

After going 2–15–4 since December 18, the Ducks ended Carlyle's position as head coach on February 10, 2019, with general manager Bob Murray to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.

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Awards and achievements

• OMJHL Second All-Star Team (1976)
• Norris Trophy winner (1981)
• NHL First AlI-Star Team (1981)
• "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Stanley Cup champion (2007)