Derek King

Derek King (born February 11, 1967 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former professional left wing who is the interim head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1986–87 until 1999–00.

Playing career
King was drafted 13th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.

On March 18, 1997, he was traded from the Islanders to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for a 5th-round pick (Adam Edinger) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

King signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 4, 1997. He scored the last Maple Leafs goal in Maple Leaf Gardens in 1999.

On October 20, 1999, King was traded to to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations and Tyler Harlton. He signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators on August 10, 2000.

On July 13, 2001, he signed as a free agent with the München Barons in Germany where he played in 60 games.

On July 24, 2002, King signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings where he spent two seasons in the AHL with the Grand Rapid Griffins and retired from professional hockey in 2004. He played 830 career NHL games, scoring 261 goals and 351 assists for 612 points. He was a three-time 30-goal scorer, including one 40-goal season.

Coaching career
On August 21, 2009, King was named the assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In 2014, he was promoted to associate coach.

On July 28, 2015, he was named the assistant coach of the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League. However, he left the Attack on October 28, 2015.

On July 7, 2016, King was named an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.

On November 6, 2018, he was named the interim head coach of the IceHogs when head coach Jeremy Colliton was promoted to the Blackhawks. He was named the permanent head coach of the IceHogs at the end of the 2018–19 season.

On November 6, 2021, King was named the interim head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League to replace the dismissed Colliton, who led the team to a 1–9–2 start to the 2021–22 season.

On November 7, 2021, he earned his first win as an NHL head coach as the Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 2-1 in overtime in his head coaching debut.