John Gruden
| John Gruden | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
June 4, 1970 Virginia, MN, USA | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Boston Bruins Ottawa Senators Washington Capitals Eisbären Berlin (DEL) | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
168th overall, 1990 Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 1994–2004 | ||
John Daniel Gruden (born June 4, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs. He previously served as the inaugural head coach of the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Playing career
Drafted 168th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins, Gruden played for the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals playing a total of 92 regular season games, scoring one goal and eight assists for nine points and collecting 46 penalty minutes. He also had a spell in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany for Eisbären Berlin. He played high school hockey in Hastings, Minnesota in the late 1980s.
Coaching career
He has worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Little Caesars AAA hockey club, coaching for their Squirt 2000 squad. Coached a short stint for the storied Brother Rice JV Prep Squad (1-16), training the fists of forward Patrick VanDusen. He also spends time doing work on behalf of the Red Wings Alumni Association. Gruden coached the Stoney Creek High School Cougars hockey team in Rochester, Michigan along with fellow NHL alumnus Greg Johnson.
Most recently Gruden served as an assistant coach for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, helping lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships.[1]
On March 26, 2015, it was announced that Gruden would serve as the inaugural head coach for the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League during the 2015–16 season.[1] In a highly publicized incident, he was fired a month into the season. Reports claim the firing was due to refusing to increase the playing time of defenseman Håkon Nilsen, the team owner's son, however team president Costa Papista denied the reports.[2][3] Following a successful player walkout, Gruden was reinstated as the Firebirds head coach and given a three-year contract extension.[4][5] On February 17, 2016, Gruden was again fired by the Firebirds.[6] On June 3, 2016, Gruden was named head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs.[7]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989-90 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 47 | 7 | 39 | 46 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Ferris State University | CCHA | 39 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Ferris State University | CCHA | 37 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Ferris State University | CCHA | 41 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Ferris State University | CCHA | 38 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 38 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 39 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 78 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 76 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 74 | 23 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 16 | ||
| 1998–99 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 59 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 52 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1999–00 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Grand Rapids Griffins | IHL | 50 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Grand Rapids Griffins | IHL | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2001–02 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 57 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Berlin Polar Bears | DEL | 38 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 92 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-CCHA First Team | 1993–94 |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 1993–94 |
References
- 1 2 "Flint Firebirds name hockey staff". Ontario Hockey League. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ↑ Joyce, Gare (November 9, 2015). "How Flint Firebirds firestorm came about". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Sipple, George (November 9, 2015). "Flint Firebirds re-hire coaches after players protest". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Seravalli, Frank (November 9, 2015). "Flint Firebirds re-hire coaches after player protest". TSN.ca. TSN. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Woodyard, Eric (November 9, 2015). "Report: Flint Firebirds players walk out after coach is fired". MLive. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Sipple, George (February 17, 2016). "Flint Firebirds fire coaches for second time this season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ↑ http://hamiltonbulldogs.com/article/bulldogs-name-john-gruden-new-head-coach
External links
- John Gruden biography at Legends of Hockey
- John Gruden career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joe Cook |
CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman 1993–94 |
Succeeded by Kelly Perrault |