Glen Sather facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glen Sather
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1997 (Builder)
Sather at the 2006 NHL Awards
Born	(1943-09-02) September 2, 1943 (age 81) High River, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens Minnesota North Stars Edmonton Oilers
Coached for	Edmonton Oilers New York Rangers
Playing career	1966–1976
Coaching career	1976–2004

Glen Cameron Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a famous Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and leader. He is currently a senior advisor and alternate governor for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers' general manager until July 1, 2015. After that, he was their president until April 4, 2019. He stepped down from his advisory role with the Rangers on June 26, 2024.

Glen Sather is best known for coaching the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup wins in the 1980s. He was great at finding talented players, like Wayne Gretzky. These players helped make the Oilers a top hockey team back then. Gretzky, who became one of the best players ever, says Sather and his own father, Walter Gretzky, were his most important mentors.

Outside the NHL, Sather also helped build strong Canadian national teams. These teams won the 1984 Canada Cup and the 1994 Ice Hockey World Championship (gold medal). They were also finalists in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Before coaching, Sather played professional ice hockey as a left winger for 10 years. He played for several teams in both the WHA and NHL.

Sather was born in High River, Alberta, but grew up in Wainwright, Alberta. He lives in Rye, New York during the hockey season and Palm Springs, California in the off-season. He also has a home in Banff, Alberta. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. His nickname is "Slats."

Glen Sather's Early Hockey Days

Glen Sather started playing junior hockey in 1961. He played three seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings. His professional career began in 1964. He played for teams like the Memphis Wings and Oklahoma City Blazers. He joined the Boston Bruins at the end of the 1966–67 season.

Playing in the NHL and WHA

Sather played for 10 full seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He also played one season with the Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association (WHA). In his professional playing career, he played 739 regular season games. He scored 99 goals and had 146 assists, for a total of 245 points. He also spent 801 minutes in penalties. In the playoffs, he played 77 games, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists. His playing career ended after the 1976–77 WHA season.

After Playing: Coaching and Managing

Leading the Edmonton Oilers

Glen Sather became the player-coach for the Oilers in the 1976-77 WHA season. In his first game as coach, the Oilers won 5–4, and Sather even scored a goal! He stopped playing after that season but stayed on as head coach. He became the main leader of the team for the next 25 years. When the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979–80, Sather remained their head coach.

In 1978, the Oilers' owner, Peter Pocklington, asked Sather about getting Wayne Gretzky. Sather told him, "Whatever you have to do, get him." Many people thought Gretzky was too small to be a pro player back then. But Sather believed in him. After Gretzky joined, Sather even let him live with his family.

In 1979, the Edmonton Oilers became part of the NHL. After their first NHL season, Sather became the team's president and general manager. He also picked great players like Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, and Andy Moog in the draft. In the 1980–81 season, Sather took over as head coach again. The young Oilers started to play really well. They even beat the strong Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. This showed everyone what was coming! Sather also drafted future stars like Grant Fuhr and Steve Smith.

The 1981–82 season was amazing for the Oilers. They scored an NHL record of 417 goals, with Gretzky getting 92 goals and 212 points. They finished second in the league. This was the start of a fantastic time for the Oilers. They reached the 1983 Finals (losing to the Islanders). Then, they won the Stanley Cup in five of the next seven seasons! Sather was the main head coach until 1985. He won the Jack Adams Trophy in 1985–86 as the NHL's coach of the year.

In 1988, Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. After that, Sather stopped being the head coach but stayed as the general manager. For the 1989–90 season, the Oilers returned to the Finals. They beat the Boston Bruins in five games to win their fifth Stanley Cup.

The Oilers were still good in the early 1990s, but they were not as strong as before. Key players like Mark Messier and Jari Kurri left for other teams. This was partly because the team couldn't pay them as much. The Oilers also had trouble finding new talent through drafting. This meant they had to bring young players to the NHL too soon. In 1993, the Oilers missed the playoffs for the first time in their NHL history.

The Oilers returned to the playoffs in 1997. They upset stronger teams like the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. This was thanks to their great goalie, Curtis Joseph. In 1998, the team was almost moved to Houston, Texas. But a local group bought the team and kept it in Edmonton. Sather stayed as general manager. He left the Oilers in 2000.

Moving to the New York Rangers

In 2000, Glen Sather joined the New York Rangers as their president and general manager. He hired Bryan Trottier as head coach in 2002. Trottier was fired after 54 games in the 2002–03 season. Sather then took over as head coach himself. He coached into the 2003–04 season before giving the job to assistant coach Tom Renney. Sather's record as Rangers coach was 33 wins, 39 losses, 11 ties, and 7 overtime losses in 90 games.

During his time as Rangers general manager, Sather helped draft many good young players. These included Henrik Lundqvist, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Marc Staal, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Carl Hagelin. The team got much better after the 2004-05 lockout. They made the Stanley Cup playoffs four years in a row. Sather stepped down as general manager on July 1, 2015. He then resigned as president on April 4, 2019. He took on new roles as a senior advisor and alternate governor for the team.

Glen Sather's Coaching Records

Glen Sather's Career Stats as a Player

Glen Sather's Achievements

• Sather is among the top 20 coaches in NHL history for regular-season wins.
• As head coach of the Oilers, he won 89 playoff games and reached four Stanley Cups in five Finals appearances.
• He won the Stanley Cup as head coach with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
• He also won the Stanley Cup as president and general manager with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.
• The Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic in Edmonton, Alberta, is named in his honor.
• Outside the NHL, Sather helped build Canadian national teams that won the 1984 Canada Cup and the 1994 Ice Hockey World Championship. They were also finalists in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
• Sather was added to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in 1996.
• He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
• In 2010, he was one of the first people added to the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame.
• On December 11, 2015, a banner honoring Sather was raised at Rexall Place, the Oilers' former home arena.