Glen Hanlon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Glen Hanlon |
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Glen Hanlon in 2008
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| Born | February 20, 1957 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Right | ||
| Played for | Vancouver Canucks St. Louis Blues New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings |
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| NHL Draft | 40th overall, 1977 Vancouver Canucks |
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| WHA Draft | 30th overall, 1977 Houston Aeros |
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| Playing career | 1977–1991 | ||
Glen A. Hanlon (born February 20, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive, and former goaltender.
Hanlon played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings. After his playing career, he became a head coach for the Washington Capitals in the NHL. He also coached teams in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and several national ice hockey teams, including Slovakia, Belarus, and Switzerland. He even worked as a scout for the Vancouver Canucks.
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Playing Hockey
Glen Hanlon was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 40th player picked overall. He played as a goalie for the Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. Before the NHL, he also played in other leagues like the WCHL, Central Hockey League (CHL), AHL, and IHL.
In 1978, he won the "Rookie of the Year" award in the Central Hockey League. This award is called the Ken McKenzie Trophy.
On October 14, 1979, Glen Hanlon was the goalie who allowed the very first NHL goal scored by Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky later became the top scorer in NHL history! Hanlon has joked about it, saying he "created a monster" by letting Gretzky score that first goal.
Coaching Teams
After his playing career, Hanlon became a coach. He started as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals. Later, he became the head coach for the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates.
Coaching in Washington
In the 2003–04 season, Hanlon became the head coach of the Washington Capitals. The team was very young, but they had a future star, Alexander Ovechkin. Even though the team was still developing, Hanlon was given another year as coach.
The Capitals improved, but they still missed the playoffs. During the 2007–08 season, the team started strong but then had many losses. Because of this, Hanlon was replaced by Bruce Boudreau. After leaving the coaching role, Hanlon accepted a job as a scout for the Capitals.
Coaching International Teams
Glen Hanlon also coached national ice hockey teams. In 2005, he coached the Belarusian national ice hockey team. He led them to a high sixth-place finish at the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. This was a historic achievement for Belarus. He was even named "sports man of the year" in Belarus in 2006.
In 2010, he became the head coach for the Slovak national ice hockey team. He coached them at the World Championship in Germany. His contract with Slovakia ended in 2011.
In 2013, Glen returned to coach the Belarus national team again. Then, in 2014, he signed a contract to coach the Swiss men's national ice hockey team. He left the Swiss team in 2015 for family reasons.
Back to Management and Coaching
On May 19, 2016, Hanlon became the general manager for the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants. He had been an assistant coach there before. He left the Giants after the 2017–18 season.
In 2018, Hanlon became the coach of a Hungarian team called DVTK Jegesmedvék. Later, in 2020, he took on the role of head coach for the Krefeld Pinguine in Germany.
Awards and Achievements
- WCHL First All-Star Team (1976 & 1977)
- WCHL Goaltender of the Year (1977)
- CHL Rookie of the Year (1978)
- CHL First All-Star Team (1978)
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
See also
- List of NHL head coaches
