Craig MacTavish (Born August 15, 1958 in London, Ontario, Canada.) is a former National Hockey League centre . He played 14 NHL seasons and parts of 3 more with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and St. Louis Blues. He was an assistant coach with the Rangers and Oilers, and is currently (as of 2004) the head coach of the Oilers.

Background and Early Career

MacTavish played two years in the NCAA with the University of Lowell , from 1977 to 1979. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft with their 9th pick, 153rd overall, and spent the next several years splitting time between the Bruins and various AHL teams. He finally made the Bruins for good in 1982-83 and played two full seasons with them.

Manslaughter Conviction

MacTavish spent a year in prison for vehicular manslaughter after he struck and killed a young woman while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. Because of this, he missed the 1984-85 NHL season , after which he was cut loose by the Bruins.

Post Bruins Career

The Edmonton Oilers took a chance on MacTavish and signed him for the 1985-86 season. The gamble turned out to be a good one, as he spent 8 full seasons with the Oilers, winning 4 Stanley Cups and serving as team captain from 1992 until he left the team. He was traded to the New York Rangers in 1994, just in time to help several other old Oilers mates to win the Stanley Cup again. However, the next season he joined the Philadelphia Flyers, and then he was traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 1995-96 season. MacTavish completed his playing career as a Blue in 1997.

Post Playing Career

MacTavish joined the New York Rangers staff for the 1997-98 season as an assistant coach, remaining for two seasons. In 1999-2000, he joined the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach under head coach Kevin Lowe, and then was promoted to head coach himself when Lowe was moved to the general manager position.

Notable Achievements

MacTavish's career NHL regular season totals were 1093 games played, with 213 goals and 267 assists for 480 points, and 891 penalty minutes. He played another 193 playoff games, scoring 20-38-58 with 218PIM. He was most noted as a player for his stellar defensive play and was also known as a good faceoffs man. He won 4 Stanley Cups and, despite his low draft status, played in more NHL regular season games than any other player taken in his draft year. His teams only once failed to make the playoffs (92-93 Oilers, although the next year he played 66 games with the non-playoff Oilers). His name is also the answer to an NHL trivia question, "Who was the last player to play without wearing a helmet?"

Related Links:

• List of NHL head coaches
• List of NHL players