| Peter Laviolette | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Laviolette in 2014 | |||
| Born | (1964-12-07)December 7, 1964 (age 60) Franklin, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers | ||
| Coached for | New York Islanders Carolina Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers Nashville Predators Washington Capitals New York Rangers | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1986–1997 | ||
| Coaching career | 1997–present | ||
Peter Philip Laviolette Jr.[1] (born December 7, 1964) is an American professionalice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as thehead coach for theNew York Rangers of theNational Hockey League (NHL). Originallyundrafted by teams in the NHL, he played a total of 12 games with the Rangers in the1988–89 season. Following retirement from active play, Laviolette also served as head coach of theNew York Islanders,Carolina Hurricanes,Philadelphia Flyers,Nashville Predators, andWashington Capitals. He led the Hurricanes to aStanley Cup win in2006, and later coached the Flyers to theStanley Cup Finals in2010, as well as the Predators in2017. Laviolette is the fourth coach in NHL history to lead three teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.[2]
On October 13, 2021, Laviolette won his 647th game as an NHL head coach, passingJohn Tortorella to become the winningest American-born head coach in league history.[3] In February 2022, Laviolette became the 10th head coach in NHL history to record 700 wins,[4] and in March 2024 he became the eighth coach to record 800 wins.
Laviolette was born inFranklin, Massachusetts, and attendedFranklin High School, where he played baseball and ice hockey.[5][6] He playedcollege ice hockey atWestfield State College inWestfield, Massachusetts.[7]
As a player, Laviolette spent the majority of his 10-year career playing for various minor league teams. He played 12 games in the NHL for theNew York Rangers during the1988–89 season, but failed to record a point. Laviolette also played for the United States in the Olympics twice (1988 and 1994).
He began his coaching career as head coach of theECHL'sWheeling Nailers. In one season as coach, he led his team to a 37–24–9 record and a berth in the playoffs, wherein they lost in the third round. He left Wheeling to take over the head coaching job for theProvidence Bruins of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL). In 1998–99, he coached the team to a 56–15–4 regular-season record. In the playoffs, Providence won the AHLCalder Cup Championship with a 15–4 playoff record. Laviolette was named the AHLCoach of the Year.
Laviolette's success in the AHL earned him a stint as an assistant coach for theBoston Bruins. Having grown up in theBoston suburb of Franklin, Laviolette was disappointed when he did not get the head coaching job in Boston after that season so he left for the head coaching job onLong Island.
He became head coach of theNew York Islanders in 2001. After taking over theNew York Islanders, which had missed the playoffs for seven years before his arrival, he led his team to the playoffs in both seasons he was there. His first season in New York, the Islanders earned 96 points (42–28–8–4 record), nearly winning theAtlantic Division before losing in the first round to theToronto Maple Leafs in seven games. The Islanders snuck into the playoffs the following season and then lost in five games to theOttawa Senators in the first round. On June 3, 2003, he was fired by general managerMike Milbury.[8]
Laviolette came to theCarolina Hurricanes as head coach in the2003–04 season, taking over following the firing ofPaul Maurice. In his first season, he coached 52 games during a rebuilding year. Laviolette led the Hurricanes to an excellent regular season during his second year at the helm, winning theSoutheast Division with 112 points (52–22–8 record). He also coached the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team at the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin,Italy. The Hurricanes won their firstStanley Cup championship in franchise history during the2006 playoffs, after winning two very close seven-game playoff series over theBuffalo Sabres andEdmonton Oilers. Laviolette was the fourth American-born coach to win it. He was also the runner-up for theJack Adams Award for the NHL's Coach of the Year, which was awarded toLindy Ruff in the closest vote ever recorded for this award, 155–154.
After winning their first Stanley Cup, Laviolette's Hurricanes suffered through an injury-plagued2006–07 season that saw the team finish with a disappointing 40–34–8 record. The next season, the team once again got off to a poor start, but held first place in a weak division for most of the season, despite having a sub-.500 record until February. The team then got hot and built what was seen as a solid lead. However, theWashington Capitals got red hot in the final weeks, Carolina lost several games down the stretch, and Laviolette's group missed the post-season.
On November 7, 2008, following his 240th victory, Laviolette moved pastJohn Tortorella to become the winningest American-born coach in the NHL.[9] Tortorella later eclipsed this record in 2009, and after several years of being within a few wins of each other, Laviolette regained the lead in 2021 while coaching the Washington Capitals.[3][10]
On December 3, 2008, Laviolette was fired as coach of the Hurricanes and replaced by his predecessor, Paul Maurice.[11]
Laviolette worked on the panel for the TV networkTSN.
On December 4, 2009, Laviolette replacedJohn Stevens as the head coach of thePhiladelphia Flyers. Barely making it into the playoffs thanks to a shootout victory overrival New York Rangers, Laviolette's Flyers became the third NHL team to come back from a 3–0 series deficit, defeating the Boston Bruins 4–3 in Game 7 to reach the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. On May 24, 2010, Laviolette led the Flyers to theStanley Cup Finals against theChicago Blackhawks. The Flyers would lose the Finals in six games, with Chicago winning the Cup in overtime on June 9.
On April 1, 2012, in a game against thePittsburgh Penguins, Laviolette jawed with the Penguins' head coachDan Bylsma after PenguinJoe Vitale hit FlyerDaniel Brière late in the game. Laviolette swung a stick against the boards which broke in half, and continued to verbally go after Bylsma and assistant coachTony Granato, an American teammate of Laviolette during the 1988 Winter Olympics.
TheHBO series24/7: Flyers/Rangers leading up to the2012 Winter Classic gave fans rare access to the Flyers locker room, and many of Laviolette's quotes became popular catch-phrases, such as, "We need to start playing with some jam," and, "It's about as casual as it gets." Laviolette himself acknowledged the popularity of his "jam" catch-phrase by making a video for the Flyers 2012 Fan Appreciation Game thanking Philadelphia fans for "bringing more jam than any other city in sports." For the Flyers' Game 6 Eastern Conference Quarter-final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers gave away orange shirts to all fans attending featuring an angry likeness of Laviolette and the phrase, "Time for some JAM!!"
After a 0–3 start of the2013–14 season by the Flyers, Laviolette was fired on October 7, 2013. He was replaced by assistant coachCraig Berube.[12]
On May 6, 2014, Laviolette was hired to become the head coach of theNashville Predators, becoming the second head coach in the team's history. He replacedBarry Trotz, who served 15 years as head coach of the Predators and the only coach the franchise had seen. Laviolette and his Nashville staff were chosen to coach one of the teams in the2015 NHL All-Star Game for having the highest points percentage in the NHL through January 8, 2015. Laviolette guided the Predators to a franchise record ninth consecutive home win with a 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 4, 2015. During the 2015-16 season, Laviolette guided the Predators to a new franchise record 14-game point streak. The team qualified for theStanley Cup playoffs but lost to theSan Jose Sharks in the second round.
In 2017, the Predators again qualified for the playoffs as the second wild card spot with 94 points. In the first round, the team swept theChicago Blackhawks 4–0, marking the first time that an eighth seed swept a playoff series against the top seed in the conference inNational Hockey League history.[13] In the second round, the Predators defeated theSt. Louis Blues in six games, marking the first time the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals. On May 16, the Predators beat theAnaheim Ducks in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and became the first team in 20 years (since theDetroit Red Wings in 1997) to achieve 10 straight wins at home in the postseason.[14] On May 22, 2017, Laviolette guided the Predators to the franchise's firstWestern Conference Championship by beating the Ducks 6–3 to move on to theStanley Cup Finals. After going down to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0, the Predators evened the series at 2, winning games 3 and 4 at home. Returning to Pittsburgh, the Predators lost 6–0 before being eliminated at home 2–0 in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 11, 2017.[15]
Laviolette was fired by the Predators on January 6, 2020, with the team sitting in sixth place in the division at the time with a record of 19–15–7.[16]
On September 15, 2020, Laviolette was named head coach of theWashington Capitals, replacing the recently firedTodd Reirden.[17]
On April 14, 2023, Laviolette and the Capitals mutually agreed to part ways after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season and finished with a below-.500 win percentage.[18]
On June 13, 2023, theNew York Rangers hired Laviolette as head coach, replacingGerard Gallant.[19] In his first year, Laviolette led the Rangers to a 55–23–4 record, winning thePresidents' Trophy, also becoming the first head coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs.[20] The following season, the Rangers failed to qualify for the playoffs, and Laviolette was subsequently fired on April 19, 2025.[21]
On February 26, 2020, Laviolette was named head coach of theUnited States men's national team.[22][23]
Laviolette and his wife Kristen have two sons and one daughter.[24] Laviolette's oldest son, Peter Laviolette III, plays for the ECHL'sOrlando Solar Bears; Laviolette III previously played for the Wheeling Nailers, with whom Laviolette began his coaching career during which Laviolette III was born.[25]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982–83 | Westfield State College | NCAA III | 26 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Westfield State College | NCAA III | 25 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Westfield State College | NCAA III | 23 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Westfield State College | NCAA III | 19 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Indianapolis Checkers | IHL | 72 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 146 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1987–88 | United States | Intl | 54 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Colorado Rangers | IHL | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Denver Rangers | IHL | 57 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 120 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Flint Spirits | IHL | 62 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 82 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1990–91 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 65 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 72 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 30 | ||
| 1991–92 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 50 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 50 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | ||
| 1992–93 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 74 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 64 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 1993–94 | United States | Intl | 56 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 65 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 84 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 17 | ||
| 1995–96 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 72 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1996–97 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 41 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| IHL totals | 227 | 27 | 66 | 93 | 395 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 33 | ||||
| NHL totals | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 367 | 51 | 124 | 175 | 363 | 44 | 7 | 27 | 34 | 74 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | United States | OG | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1994 | United States | OG | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Senior totals | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| NYI | 2001–02 | 82 | 42 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 96 | 2nd inAtlantic | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in conference quarterfinals (TOR) |
| NYI | 2002–03 | 82 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 83 | 3rd in Atlantic | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in conference quarterfinals (OTT) |
| NYI total | 164 | 77 | 62 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 8 | .333 | ||||
| CAR | 2003–04 | 52 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 4 | (50) | 3rd inSoutheast | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| CAR | 2005–06 | 82 | 52 | 22 | — | 8 | 112 | 1st in Southeast | 16 | 9 | .640 | WonStanley Cup (EDM) |
| CAR | 2006–07 | 82 | 40 | 34 | — | 8 | 88 | 3rd in Southeast | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| CAR | 2007–08 | 82 | 43 | 33 | — | 6 | 92 | 2nd in Southeast | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| CAR | 2008–09 | 25 | 12 | 11 | — | 2 | (26) | (fired) | — | — | — | — |
| CAR total | 323 | 167 | 122 | 6 | 28 | 16 | 9 | .640 | ||||
| PHI | 2009–10 | 57 | 28 | 24 | — | 5 | (61) | 3rd in Atlantic | 14 | 9 | .609 | Lost inStanley Cup Finals (CHI) |
| PHI | 2010–11 | 82 | 47 | 23 | — | 12 | 106 | 1st in Atlantic | 4 | 7 | .364 | Lost in conference semifinals (BOS) |
| PHI | 2011–12 | 82 | 47 | 26 | — | 9 | 103 | 3rd in Atlantic | 5 | 6 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals (NJD) |
| PHI | 2012–13 | 48 | 23 | 22 | — | 3 | 49 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| PHI | 2013–14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | (fired) | — | — | — | — |
| PHI total | 272 | 145 | 98 | — | 29 | 23 | 22 | .511 | ||||
| NSH | 2014–15 | 82 | 47 | 25 | — | 10 | 104 | 2nd inCentral | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round (CHI) |
| NSH | 2015–16 | 82 | 41 | 27 | — | 14 | 96 | 4th in Central | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost in second round (SJS) |
| NSH | 2016–17 | 82 | 41 | 29 | — | 12 | 94 | 4th in Central | 14 | 8 | .636 | Lost inStanley Cup Finals (PIT) |
| NSH | 2017–18 | 82 | 53 | 18 | — | 11 | 117 | 1st in Central | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost in second round (WPG) |
| NSH | 2018–19 | 82 | 47 | 29 | — | 6 | 100 | 1st in Central | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round (DAL) |
| NSH | 2019–20 | 41 | 19 | 15 | — | 7 | 45 | (fired) | — | — | — | — |
| NSH total | 451 | 248 | 143 | — | 60 | 32 | 29 | .525 | ||||
| WSH | 2020–21 | 56 | 36 | 15 | — | 5 | 77 | 2nd inEast | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round (BOS) |
| WSH | 2021–22 | 82 | 44 | 26 | — | 12 | 100 | 4th inMetropolitan | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round (FLA) |
| WSH | 2022–23 | 82 | 35 | 37 | — | 10 | 80 | 6th in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| WSH total | 220 | 115 | 78 | — | 27 | 3 | 8 | .273 | ||||
| NYR | 2023–24 | 82 | 55 | 23 | — | 4 | 114 | 1st in Metropolitan | 10 | 6 | .625 | Lost in conference finals (FLA) |
| NYR | 2024–25 | 82 | 39 | 36 | — | 7 | 85 | 5th in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| NYR total | 164 | 94 | 59 | — | 11 | 10 | 6 | .625 | ||||
| Total | 1,594 | 846 | 562 | 25 | 161 | 88 | 82 | .518 | 1 Stanley Cup 14 playoff appearances | |||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| ECHL | ||
| ECHL Alumnus of the Month (February) | 2001–02 | |
| AHL | ||
| Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award | 1998–99 | |
| All-Star Classic | 1999–2000 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2006 | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2011,2015,2018,2024 | |
| International | ||
| World Championship bronze medal | 2004 | |
Laviolette's father, Peter Philip Laviolette Jr., had just completed...
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Head coach of theProvidence Bruins 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the New York Islanders 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes 2003–2008 | Succeeded by Paul Maurice |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers 2009–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Nashville Predators 2014–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Washington Capitals 2020–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the New York Rangers 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |