Mike O'Connell
| Mike O'Connell | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1955 Chicago, IL, USA |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Defense |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | Chicago Black Hawks Boston Bruins Detroit Red Wings |
| NHL Draft | 43rd overall, 1975 Chicago Black Hawks |
| Playing career | 1977–1990 |
Michael Thomas O'Connell (born November 25, 1955) is the Director of Pro Development for the Los Angeles Kings. O'Connell was also a former professional ice hockey player and general manager. He played 860 NHL regular season games between 1977 and 1990 and later served as the general manager of the Boston Bruins from 2000 until 2006. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Tommy O'Connell and brother of former World Hockey Association player Tim O'Connell.
Playing career
Youth and junior hockey
O'Connell was raised in Cohasset, Massachusetts and grew up playing hockey and gridiron football at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. He moved to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League Kingston Canadians as a teenager, following the recommendation of Bruins GM Harry Sinden and was promptly named best OMJHL defenceman in 1974–75.
NHL career
Mike O'Connell was chosen in the second round, as the 43rd pick overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft. His professional career for the Hawks began in the minors with the CHL Dallas Black Hawks in 1976–77. He became the first Chicago native to play for the Chicago Black Hawks in 1978, but most of his career was spent in his adopted home state of Massachusetts with the Bruins, who obtained him in a trade for Al Secord in 1980. An excellent skater, O'Connell was a solid all-around player, being both reliable in the defensive zone and consistently effective on offense, with a hard, accurate shot from the point. His best years were spent in Boston, helping to make up a defensive squad that included Brad Park and Ray Bourque. He played in the 1984 NHL All-Star Game while with the Bruins, also representing the United States at the 1981 Canada Cup and 1985 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. O'Connell finished his NHL career as a penalty killer and defensive specialist with the Detroit Red Wings in 1989, who had obtained him in a trade for Reed Larson in 1986.
Management career
Following retirement as a player, O'Connell served as head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League in 1990–91. Despite a losing record, Harry Sinden hired his protégé to coach the Bruins' top farm team the Providence Bruins. He was then named Boston assistant general manager in 1994, and also became vice president of hockey operations in 1998, and alternate governor in 2000. The Bruins named O'Connell vice president and general manager on November 1, 2000, and signed a five-year contract extension on June 21, 2002. He was however fired from the job on March 25, 2006 following a controversial number of player trades that did not work out well for the Bruins. Notably, O'Connell decided to trade high-scoring center Joe Thornton.
In 2003–2004 season, under his direction, the Bruins finished 1st in the Northeast Division, 2nd in the Eastern Conference, and 4th overall in the NHL with 104 points. The NHL locked out the players for the 2004–05 season and the Bruins lost five players previously acquired by O'Connell (Michael Nylander, Brian Rolston, Sean O'Donnell, Mike Knuble and Sergei Gonchar) to free agency. O'Connell blamed Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs for the decision to not re- sign the free agents.
In 2005, he traded away top center Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins received players Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau; Thornton went on with the San Jose Sharks to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion.
Many important players on the Bruins roster were drafted during O'Connell's tenure as G.M., including Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. O'Connell is currently Director of Pro Player development with the Los Angeles Kings.
GM record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| BOS | 2000–01 | 70 | 32 | 24 | 7 | 7 | (88) | 4th in Northeast | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
| BOS | 2001–02 | 82 | 43 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 101 | 1st in Northeast | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost In First Round (MTL) |
| BOS | 2002–03 | 82 | 36 | 31 | 11 | 4 | 87 | 3rd in Northeast | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost In First Round (NJ) |
| BOS | 2003–04 | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 104 | 1st in Northeast | 3 | 4 | .428 | Lost In First Round (MTL) |
| BOS | 2005–06 | 72 | 28 | 32 | — | 12 | 87 | 4th in Northeast | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
| Total | 408 | 180 | 150 | 39 | 39 | 438 | 2 Division Championships | 6 | 12 | .333 | 0 Stanley Cups 3 Playoff Appearances | |
NHL coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | ||
| BOS | 2002-03 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in Northeast Division | 1 | 4 | Lost In First Round |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 0 Division Championships | 1 | 4 | 0 Stanley Cups | |
Awards and achievements
- OMJHL First All-Star Team (1975)
- CHL First All-Star Team (1977)
- Most Valuable Defenseman - CHL (1977)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1984)
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1973–74 | Kingston Canadiens | OHA | 70 | 16 | 43 | 59 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Kingston Canadiens | OMJHL | 50 | 18 | 55 | 73 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 70 | 6 | 37 | 43 | 50 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 1976–77 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 63 | 15 | 53 | 68 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 62 | 6 | 45 | 51 | 75 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 1977–78 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | New Brunswick Hawks | AHL | 35 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1979–80 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 34 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 5 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1982–83 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 14 | 39 | 53 | 42 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1983–84 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 75 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 15 | 50 | 65 | 64 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 63 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 5 | 26 | 31 | 70 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 1987–88 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 38 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1988–89 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 66 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 41 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 66 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 860 | 105 | 335 | 440 | 605 | 82 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 64 | ||||
External links
- O'Connell's bio at Hockeydraftcentral.com
- Mike O'Connell's biography at Legends of Hockey
- O'Connell's bio at LAKings.com
- Mike O'Connell's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Boston Globe article
| Preceded by Harry Sinden |
General Manager of the Boston Bruins 2000–06 |
Succeeded by Jeff Gorton |
| Preceded by Robbie Ftorek |
Head coach of the Boston Bruins 2003 |
Succeeded by Mike Sullivan |
| Preceded by None |
Head coach of the Providence Bruins 1992–94 |
Succeeded by Bob Francis |
| |||||