44 years with the Flames franchise. little surprised given his broad CV he's not in the HHOF as a builder though guess he never really held the highest level positions for significant times
Al won his first Stanley Cup as the rookie Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens in 1971, his second and third Cups as the Director of Player Personnel for the Canadiens’ in their 1978 and 1979 Stanley Cup victories, and his fourth as the Assistant General Manager of the Calgary Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup winning team.
As a long-time NHL player, coach and executive, Al took tremendous pride in developing and coaching hundreds of NHL hockey players over many decades.
As the General Manager and Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, he guided the team to three Calder Cup Championships in 1972, 1976 and 1977. He was named American Hockey League Coach of the Year two times, in 1972 and 1977 and was inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2014.
Al was an Assistant Coach of Team Canada winning the 1976 Canada Cup, and was also an Assistant Coach of the 1981 Canada Cup team.
As a junior player with the Toronto Marlboros, he won two Memorial Cups in 1955 and as team captain in 1956.
Al was the last Head Coach of the NHL’s Atlanta Flames and the first Head Coach of the Calgary Flames for their first two seasons in our city.
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