Marc Crawford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marc Crawford |
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Crawford in 2006
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| Born | February 13, 1961 Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Played for | Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Coached for | Quebec Nordiques Colorado Avalanche Vancouver Canucks Los Angeles Kings Dallas Stars Ottawa Senators ZSC Lions |
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| NHL Draft | 70th overall, 1980 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 1981–1989 | ||
| Coaching career | 1989–present | ||
Marc Joseph John Crawford (born February 13, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played as a forward for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Crawford is best known for winning the Stanley Cup in 1996. He was the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche when they won this major championship. He has also coached several other NHL teams, including the Quebec Nordiques, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and Ottawa Senators.
Beyond the NHL, Marc Crawford coached in Switzerland for the ZSC Lions. He also led Team Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics. He has won two important awards for coaching: the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award (AHL coach of the year) and the Jack Adams Award (NHL coach of the year).
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Growing Up and Family Life
Marc Crawford grew up in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. As a teenager, he went to Nicholson Catholic College. Hockey runs in his family!
His father, Floyd Crawford, was also a professional hockey player. Marc's brothers, Bob Crawford and Lou Crawford, also played in the NHL.
Playing Hockey: Marc's Journey on the Ice
Marc Crawford started his major junior hockey career with the Cornwall Royals. He played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his time there, the team won the Memorial Cup twice in a row. He was also named the team's captain.
The Vancouver Canucks chose Crawford in the fourth round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Canucks for the 1981–82 season. As a new player, called a "rookie," he helped the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup finals in 1982. They lost to the New York Islanders that year.
During his six seasons in the NHL, Crawford often traveled between Vancouver and their minor league team. This team was the Fredericton Express in the American Hockey League (AHL). The cities are very far apart, so he earned the nickname "747" because of all the flying! Later, fans called him "Crow."
In his NHL career, Crawford scored 19 goals and made 31 assists, totaling 50 points. All his NHL games were with the Vancouver Canucks. After playing one season in the International Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals, he retired as a player.
Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory
Right after he stopped playing, Marc Crawford became a head coach. He started with the Cornwall Royals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the same team he played for as a junior.
Early Coaching Success
After two seasons with Cornwall, Crawford moved to the AHL. In his first year with the St. John's Maple Leafs, he led them to the 1992 Calder Cup finals. The next season, he won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's coach of the year.
In 1994–95, Crawford became an NHL coach for the Quebec Nordiques. He found success right away, winning the NHL's Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He was the youngest NHL coach ever to win this award!
The next season, the Nordiques team moved to Colorado and became the Avalanche. In 1996, Crawford led the Avalanche to win his first and only Stanley Cup as a coach. They beat the Florida Panthers in the finals.
Crawford continued to have strong regular seasons with the Avalanche. However, after losing early in the 1998 playoffs, he decided to leave the team.
Before leaving the Avalanche, Crawford also coached the Canadian Olympic hockey team at the 1998 Olympics. The team finished in fourth place.
Coaching the Vancouver Canucks
After a short time working as a TV commentator, Crawford became the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. This happened midway through the 1998–99 season. The Canucks were rebuilding their team, and Crawford helped them become a successful team again. They played a fast and offensive style of hockey.
After a season and a half, he led Vancouver back to the playoffs. However, they lost in the first round to his old team, the Colorado Avalanche.
In 2002–03, the Canucks kept getting better under Crawford. They earned a franchise record of 104 points. The next season, they won their division title. Despite their regular season success, the Canucks only won one playoff series during Crawford's time as coach. After the team missed the playoffs in the 2005–06 season, Crawford's time as head coach ended.
Marc Crawford coached the Canucks for six and a half seasons. He became the longest-serving and winningest coach in the team's history at that time. He coached 529 games and earned 246 wins. In 2006, he also became the third-youngest head coach in NHL history to reach 400 wins.
Later Coaching Years
About a month after leaving Vancouver, Crawford was hired by the Los Angeles Kings. He coached the Kings for two years, but they missed the playoffs both times. He was let go in 2008.
During the 2008–09 season, Crawford returned to TV as a color commentator for Hockey Night in Canada.
A year later, the Dallas Stars hired Crawford as their new head coach. He coached the Stars for two seasons. In 2011, the Stars fired him after they missed the playoffs.
In 2012, Crawford became the coach of the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. He signed a two-year contract. He led the Lions to win the Swiss championship in the 2013–14 season. He also helped convince future NHL star Auston Matthews to play for the Lions in 2015–16. Crawford led the Lions to win the 2016 Swiss Cup. He left the ZSC Lions when his contract ended in 2016.
In May 2016, Crawford was hired as an associate coach for the Ottawa Senators. On March 1, 2019, he became the interim head coach of the Senators for the rest of the 2018–19 season. He coached them to a 7–10–1 record.
In June 2019, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that Crawford would join them as an assistant coach.
Awards and Achievements
- Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award (AHL coach of the year) – 1993
- Jack Adams Award (NHL coach of the year) – 1995
- Stanley Cup champion (Colorado Avalanche) – 1996
- Canada Olympic head coach – 1998
Controversial Incident
During his time coaching the Vancouver Canucks, a controversial incident occurred in a game against the Colorado Avalanche in March 2004. A Canucks player injured an Avalanche player, which ended the Avalanche player's career. The NHL fined the Canucks organization for not preventing an atmosphere that may have led to the incident.
