Super 16: Coaches of expansion era

The NHL season has been paused since March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, but the weekly Super 16 rolls on in a revamped form, looking at the history of the game. This week, it's the top 16 coaches from 1967-present day, the NHL's expansion era.

Scotty Bowman is the unanimous choice for the best coach in the NHL's expansion era.

It's certainly not surprising either, because Bowman owns the NHL records for wins (1,244) and Stanley Cup championships (nine). He is also first in games coached (2,141) and points percentage (.657) among coaches with at least 250 games coached.

Where the voting got interesting was after Bowman.

Al Arbour, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, edged Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, by three voting points.

Lindy Ruff, currently an assistant with the New York Rangers, rounds out the list at No. 16, three voting points ahead of Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan.

Pat Quinn, Roger Neilson and Ruff are the three coaches in the Super 16 who never won the Stanley Cup. The other 13 coaches have combined to win it 31 of the past 51 times it has been awarded during the expansion era.

To create this week's Super 16, each of the 13 participating staff members put together his or her version of what they think it should look like. Those were submitted and a point total assigned to each.

The coach picked first was given 16 points, second got 15, third 14 and so on down to No. 16, who got one point.

Here is the Super 16, best coaches from 1967 to the present day:

1. Scotty Bowman

Total points: 208 (unanimous)

Hall of Fame induction: 1991

Bowman coached from 1967-2002 and won the Stanley Cup five times with the Montreal Canadiens (1973, 1976-79), once with the Penguins (1992) and three times with the Detroit Red Wings (1997-98, 2002). He won 419 games with the Canadiens from 1971-79 and 410 with the Red Wings from 1993-2002. Bowman is also first in Stanley Cup Playoff wins (223) and games (353). He has a .632 winning percentage in the playoffs (223-130). He won the Jack Adams Award with the Canadiens in 1976-77 and the Red Wings in 1995-96.

2. Al Arbour

Total points: 188

Hall of Fame induction: 1996

Arbour guided the Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83, the culmination of a building process that started in 1973, the Islanders' second season. He went 552-317 with 169 ties for the Islanders from 1973-86, winning 51 games in 1978-79, 54 in 1981-82 and 50 in 1983-84. He returned to the Islanders in 1988 and five years later guided them to the Wales Conference Final. Arbour is fifth in NHL history in wins (782) and fourth in games (1,607). He is second in playoff wins (123) and won the Jack Adams Award in 1978-79.

3. Joel Quenneville

Total points: 185

Hall of Fame induction: Not in, active (Florida Panthers)

Quenneville won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He is second behind Bowman in wins (925) and games coached (1,705). He won 307 games with the St. Louis Blues from 1996-04, 131 with the Colorado Avalanche from 2005-08, 452 with the Blackhawks from 2008-19 and is 35-26-8 in his first season with the Panthers. Quenneville is second in playoff games coached (215) and third in wins (118). He won the Jack Adams Award with the Blues in 1999-2000, when St. Louis went 51-19-1 with 11 ties.

4. Glen Sather

Total points: 163

Hall of Fame induction: 1997

Sather coached the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships in five seasons (1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988). He ranks first with a playoff winning percentage of .706 (89-37). Sather went 442-241 with 99 ties for a .629 winning percentage with the Oilers from 1979-89, coaching Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri. He won the Jack Adams Award in 1985-86, when Edmonton went 56-17 with seven ties.

5. Ken Hitchcock

Total points: 144

Hall of Fame induction: Not in

Hitchcock won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999. He is third all-time in wins (849) and sixth in games coached (1,598) with the Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Oilers and Blues. He won the Jack Adams Award with the Blues in 2011-12, when they finished 49-22-11. Hitchcock is 86-82 in the playoffs.

6. Barry Trotz

Total points: 125

Hall of Fame induction: Not in, active (New York Islanders)

Trotz coached the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018. He became coach of the Islanders the following season and New York is 83-50-17 under his guidance. He won the Jack Adams Award last season, when went 48-27-7 and also won it in 2015-16 when the Capitals went 56-18-8. Trotz became synonymous with the Nashville Predators, coaching them for their first 16 years in the NHL (1998-2014) and winning 557 games. His teams are 59-62 in the playoffs.

7. Mike Babcock

Total points: 109

Hall of Fame induction: Not in

Babcock led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 2008 when they defeated the Penguins in six games. They went back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009 but lost to Pittsburgh in seven games. He also led the Anaheim Ducks to the Cup Final in 2003 but lost in seven games to the New Jersey Devils. Babcock has 700 wins, eighth all-time, in 1,301 games (13th). He has a .608 point percentage (700-418-164 with 19 ties) in the regular season with the Ducks, Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and a .549 winning percentage in the playoffs (90-74).

8. Fred Shero

Total points: 92

Hall of Fame induction: 2013

Shero led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. The Flyers became known as the "Broad Street Bullies" under Shero and went 308-151 with 95 ties from 1971-78. He also coached the New York Rangers from 1978-81, going 82-74 with 24 ties. Shero is known for being the first coach to utilize an assistant on the bench. He embraced the Soviet style, preferring to attack in five-man units, and used philosophical sayings as motivational tactics, most famously scribbling "Win together today and we will walk together forever," on the chalkboard for the Flyers to read before playing Game 6 of the 1974 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. They won 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup. Shero won the Jack Adams Award in 1973-74, the first season it was awarded.

9. Pat Burns

Total points: 72

Hall of Fame induction: 2014

Burns is the only coach to win the Jack Adams Award three times. He did it with three different teams, each time in his first season with that team (Canadians, 1988-89; Toronto Maple Leafs, 1992-93; Boston Bruins, 1997-98). He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. Burns had a record of 501-353-14 with 151 ties in the regular season and 78-71 in the playoffs.

10. Mike Keenan

Total points: 70

Hall of Fame induction: Not in

Keenan won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994, his only season with the team. He won the Jack Adams Award with the Flyers in 1984-85, his first season as an NHL coach, when they went 53-20 with seven ties and then reached the Stanley Cup Final. He also coached the Flyers to the Cup Final in 1987 and the Chicago Blackhawks to the Cup Final in 1992. Keenan is 12th in wins (672) and 11th in games coached (1,386) and ranks fifth in playoff wins (96). In addition to the Flyers, Rangers and Blackhawks, Keenan also coached the Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Bruins, Panthers and Calgary Flames.

11. Jacques Lemaire

Total points: 58

Hall of Fame induction: 1984 (as player)

Lemaire won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 1995. He won the Jack Adams Award for the first time with New Jersey in 1993-94, when he went 47-25-0 with 12 ties and did it again with the Minnesota Wild in 2002-03, when they went 42-29-1 with 10 ties, a 16-win improvement from the previous season. Lemaire's teams went 617-458-63 with 124 ties in 1,262 games and 61-56 in the playoffs.

12. Pat Quinn

Total points: 56

Hall of Fame induction: 2016

Quinn won the Jack Adams Award twice, in 1979-80 with the Flyers (48-12 with 20 ties) and 1991-92 with the Canucks (42-26 with 12 ties). He never won the Stanley Cup as a coach but led the Flyers to the Cup Final in 1980 (lost to Arbour and the Islanders) and the Canucks to the Cup Final in 1994 (lost to Keenan and the Rangers). Quinn is 11th in wins (684), 10th in games (1,400) and sixth in playoff wins (94).

13. Darryl Sutter

Total points: 55

Hall of Fame induction: Not in

Sutter went back into coaching after four-plus seasons as Flames general manager when he took over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 17, 2011. He proceeded to guide the Kings to their first Stanley Cup title in 2012 and their second in 2014. He went 225-147-53 in 425 games as Los Angeles' coach and has 634 wins overall. Previously, Sutter won 110 games with the Blackhawks from 1992-95, 192 games with the San Jose Sharks from 1997-2003 and 107 games with the Flames from 2002-06. He guided the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

14. John Tortorella

Total points: 47

Hall of Fame induction: Not in, active (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Tortorella, who defeated Sutter in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, also won the Jack Adams Award for the 2003-04 season, when Tampa Bay went 46-22-8 with six ties in the regular season. Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award for the second time in 2016-17 when he went 50-24-8 with Columbus. He is 14th all-time with 655 wins and first in Blue Jackets history with 209. He also coached the Rangers and Canucks, taking New York to the Eastern Conference Final in 2012.

15. Roger Neilson

Total points: 38

Hall of Fame induction: 2002

Neilson was well known as an innovator and a rule bender. He popularized the use of video to analyze opponents and search for weaknesses and tried to use defensemen as goalies on penalty shots because they could rush the shooter. Those are just a few examples. He won 460 games and coached the last two for the Ottawa Senators (he was an assistant) in the 2001-02 season to reach 1,000 games. Neilson had the most success with the Rangers, going 141-104 with 35 ties from 1989-93. New York won the Presidents' Trophy in 1991-92, going 50-25 with five ties for 105 points.

16. Lindy Ruff

Total points: 35

Hall of Fame induction: Not in, active (Rangers assistant)

Ruff coached the Buffalo Sabres from 1997-2013 and won a team-record 571 games. He is sixth all-time with 736 wins, having also coached the Stars to 165 wins from 2013-17. Ruff won the Jack Adams Award in 2005-06, when the Sabres won a then team-record 52 games (they won 53 the following season). Ruff has never won the Stanley Cup but guided Buffalo to the Cup Final in 1999, when it lost to Hitchcock and the Stars in six games. His teams are 66-54 in the playoffs.

Others receiving points: Mike Sullivan 32, Peter Laviolette 29, Claude Julien 23, Alain Vigneault 17, Paul Maurice 13, Jacques Demers 3, Bob Johnson 3, Jon Cooper 2, Ron Wilson 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Jacques Lemaire; 5. Glen Sather; 6. Fred Shero; 7. Ken Hitchcock; 8. Barry Trotz; 9. Pat Burns; 10. Pat Quinn; 11. Roger Neilson; 12. John Tortorella; 13. Mike Babcock; 14. Bob Johnson; 15. Mike Sullivan; 16. Peter Laviolette

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Barry Trotz; 7. Darryl Sutter; 8. Peter Laviolette; 9. Mike Keenan; 10. John Tortorella; 11. Mike Babcock; 12. Lindy Ruff; 13. Jacques Lemaire; 14. Mike Sullivan; 15. Pat Burns; 16. Pat Quinn

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Joel Quenneville; 3. Al Arbour; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Mike Babcock; 6. Fred Shero; 7. Mike Sullivan; 8. Ken Hitchcock; 9. Barry Trotz; 10. Pat Burns; 11. Darryl Sutter; 12. Mike Keenan; 13. Pat Quinn; 14. Claude Julien; 15. Jacques Lemaire; 16. Lindy Ruff

WILLIAM DOUGLAS

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Fred Shero; 5. Glen Sather; 6. Mike Babcock; 7. Ken Hitchcock; 8. Barry Trotz; 9. Pat Quinn; 10. Darryl Sutter; 11. Jacques Lemaire; 12. Lindy Ruff; 13. Mike Keenan; 14. Peter Laviolette; 15. Claude Julien; 16. Pat Burns

TOM GULITTI

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Barry Trotz; 6. Pat Burns; 7. Ken Hitchcock; 8. John Tortorella; 9. Mike Babcock; 10. Jacques Lemaire; 11. Fred Shero; 12. Darryl Sutter; 13. Mike Keenan; 14. Peter Laviolette; 15. Claude Julien; 16. Pat Quinn

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Glen Sather; 4. Joel Quenneville; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Fred Shero; 7. Barry Trotz; 8. Pat Burns; 9. Mike Keenan; 10. Mike Babcock; 11. Roger Neilson; 12. John Tortorella; 13. Pat Quinn; 14. Darryl Sutter; 15. Peter Laviolette; 16. Mike Sullivan

ROBERT LAFLAMME

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Barry Trotz; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Mike Babcock; 7. Glen Sather; 8. Pat Burns; 9. Mike Keenan; 10. Jacques Lemaire; 11. Claude Julien; 12. John Tortorella; 13. Darryl Sutter; 14. Paul Maurice; 15. Lindy Ruff; 16. Alain Vigneault

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Joel Quenneville; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Fred Shero; 6. Mike Keenan; 7. Mike Babcock; 8. Pat Quinn; 9. Roger Neilson; 10. Ken Hitchcock; 11. Lindy Ruff; 12. Jacques Lemaire; 13. Pat Burns; 14. Barry Trotz; 15. Darryl Sutter; 16. Peter Laviolette

TRACEY MYERS

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Joel Quenneville; 3. Barry Trotz; 4. Ken Hitchcock; 5. Al Arbour; 6. Glen Sather; 7. Paul Maurice; 8. Lindy Ruff; 9. Alain Vigneault; 10. Pat Quinn; 11. Mike Babcock; 12. Claude Julien; 13. John Tortorella; 14. Peter Laviolette; 15. Darryl Sutter; 16. Ron Wilson

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Joel Quenneville; 3. Al Arbour; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Barry Trotz; 7. Jacques Lemaire; 8. Mike Keenan; 9. Pat Burns; 10. John Tortorella; 11. Roger Neilson; 12. Mike Babcock; 13. Pat Quinn; 14. Alain Vigneault; 15. Peter Laviolette; 16. Mike Sullivan

DAN ROSEN

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Joel Quenneville; 3. Al Arbour; 4. Ken Hitchcock; 5. Glen Sather; 6. Barry Trotz; 7. Mike Babcock; 8. Fred Shero; 9. Mike Sullivan; 10. Darryl Sutter; 11. Roger Neilson; 12. Alain Vigneault; 13. Jacques Lemaire; 14. Pat Burns; 15. John Tortorella; 16. Peter Laviolette

DAVE STUBBS

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Al Arbour; 3. Glen Sather; 4. Joel Quenneville; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Mike Babcock; 7. Fred Shero; 8. Barry Trotz; 9. Darryl Sutter; 10. Mike Sullivan; 11. Mike Keenan; 12. Lindy Ruff; 13. Peter Laviolette; 14. John Tortorella; 15. Jon Cooper; 16. Claude Julien

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Scotty Bowman; 2. Joel Quenneville; 3. Al Arbour; 4. Glen Sather; 5. Ken Hitchcock; 6. Pat Quinn; 7. Pat Burns; 8. Fred Shero; 9. Mike Babcock; 10. Mike Keenan; 11. Roger Neilson; 12. Barry Trotz; 13. Claude Julien; 14. Jacques Demers; 15. Lindy Ruff; 16. Darryl Sutter