Dave Tippett

David G. Tippett (born August 25, 1961) is a National Hockey League head coach, currently of the Phoenix Coyotes. He is the 6th person to be the head coach of the Coyotes, and the 21st coach in the Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise. He is the former head coach of the Dallas Stars. He was the fourth head coach of the Stars (19th in the history of the franchise), since accepting the job on May 21, 2002 and being released on June 10, 2009. He is also a former left winger who played in the NHL for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals. As head coach of the Coyotes, Tippett won the Jack Adams Award in 2010.

Prince Albert Raiders
Tippett began playing with the Prince Albert Raiders of the SJHL in 1979–80. In his first year with the team, Tippett scored 53 goals and 125 points in 60 games. In the playoffs, Tippett continued with the very strong offensive numbers, scoring 19 goals and 40 points in 25 games.

He returned to the Raiders for the 1980–81 season, and once again had an excellent season, scoring 42 goals and 110 points in 60 games. In 24 playoff games, Tippett had 20 goals and 45 points.

University of North Dakota
After two seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders, Tippett joined the North Dakota Fighting Sioux of the WCHA. In his first season with the team in 1981–82, Tippett 13 goals and 41 points in 43 games. Tippett was the captain of the team, as they won the Frozen Four championship.

He played a second season with the Fighting Sioux in 1982–83, improving his offensive numbers to 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games with North Dakota.

Canadian National Team
Tippett spent the 1983–84 hockey season with the Canada men's national ice hockey team, where he appeared in 66 games, scoring 14 goals and 33 points. Tippett played for Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, scoring a goal and two points in seven games. After the Olympics, on February 29, 1984, Tippett left the National Team and signed as a free agent with the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League.

Hartford Whalers
Tippett finished the 1983–84 season with the Hartford Whalers, playing in 17 games, as he registered four goals and six points.

He spent the entire 1984–85 season in Hartford, appearing in all 80 games, scoring seven goals and 19 points, however, the Whalers failed to qualify for the playoffs.

The 1985–86 season saw Tippett once again appaer in all 80 games with the Whalers, as he improved his offensive totals to 14 goals and 34 points, helping the team into the playoffs. In his first playoff experience in the NHL, Tippett had two goals and four points in ten games, as Hartford lost in the second round of the playoffs.

The Whalers won the Adams Division in 1986–87, as Tippett chipped in with nine goals and 31 points, while playing in all 80 games again. In the playoffs, the Whalers were upset in six games in the first round to the Quebec Nordiques, as Tippett was held to two assists in the series.

In 1987–88, Tippett improved his numbers from the previous season, scoring 16 goals and 37 points, playing in all 80 games for the club. In six playoff games, Tippett was held pointless.

Tippett had his best offensive season in 1988–89, as he scored a career high 17 goals and 41 points, appearing in all 80 games again for Hartford, helping them into the playoffs. In four playoff games, Tippett had an assist.

In 1989–90, Tippett saw his offensive totals fall to only eight goals and 27 points, his lowest totals since his first full NHL season, while appearing in 66 games, the first time in his career that he missed any games due to injuries. In seven playoff games, Tippett had a goal and four points.

On September 30, 1990, the Whalers traded Tippett to the Washington Capitals for the Capitals sixth round draft choice in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.

Washington Capitals
In Tippett's first season with the Washington Capitals in 1990–91, he played in 61 games, scoring only six goals and 15 points, his lowest totals since 1983–84. Tippett had a solid playoff performance, scoring two goals and five points in ten games, helping the Capitals to the second round of the playoffs.

In 1991–92, Tippett appeared in only 30 games, scoring two goals and 12 points. He left the team to join the Canada men's national ice hockey team for the 1992 Winter Olympics held in Albertville, France. In seven games with Canada, Tippett had a goal and three points, as the Canadians won the silver medal. Tippett returned to the Capitals for the rest of the regular season, and in seven playoff games, Tippett had an assist.

After the season, Tippett became a free agent, and on August 25, 1992, he signed a contract with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins
In 1992–93, Tippett had his best offensive season since 1989–90, as he scored six goals and 25 points in 74 games, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the President's Trophy. In the playoffs, Tippett had a goal and five points in 12 games, as the Penguins lost to the New York Islanders in the second round.

Tippett became a free agent after the season, and on August 30, 1993, he was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Philadelphia Flyers
Tippett appeared in 73 games with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1993–94 season, scoring four goals and 15 points, however, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Tippett once again became a free agent, and signed with the Houston Aeros of the IHL as a player and an assistant coach.

Houston Aeros
In the 1994–95 season, Tippett, as a player-assistant coach, played in 75 games with the Aeros, scoring 18 goals and 66 points. In four playoff games, he had a goal and three points.

After the season, Tippett announced his retirement from hockey. In 721 career NHL games, Tippett scored 93 goals and 262 points from 1983–1994.

Houston Aeros
Tippett was a player-assistant coach with the Houston Aeros of the IHL during the 1994–95 season, however, he decided to retire from playing, and began the 1995–96 season as just an assistant coach. After the Aeros started off the season with a 12–27–3 record, the team fired head coach Terry Ruskowski, and named Tippett as his replacement. Tippett guided the Aeros to a 17–18–5 record, however, the team failed to make the playoffs.

In 1996–97, Tippett began his first full season as head coach of the club, as the Aeros improved to a 44–30–8 record, earning 94 points, which was a 28 point improvement over the previous season. In the playoffs, the Aeros quickly swept the Las Vegas Thunder in three games, followed by a five game series win over the San Antonio Dragons in the second round. Houston then lost to the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the Western Conference finals in five games.

The Aeros had a very solid season in 1997–98, as the team went 50–22–10, earning 110 points, which was a 16 point improvement over the previous seaon. In the playoffs, Houston was upset by the Milwaukee Admirals in four games.

Tippett returned to Houston for the 1998–99, and the team finished with the best record in the league, going 54–15–13, getting 121 points. In the playoffs, the heavily favoured Aeros had a bye in the first round, followed by a close best of five series against the Long Beach Ice Dogs, in which Houston prevailed with a win in the decisive fifth game. In the Western Conference finals, the Chicago Wolves took the Aeros to seven games, with Houston winning the seventh game 4–1 to advance the team to the 1999 Turner Cup finals. In the final round, the Aeros faced the Orlando Solar Bears, and in a series that once again went the limit, the Aeros defeated Orlando in the seventh game by a 5–3 score to capture the championship. Tippett was named the IHL Coach of the Year, while the Aeros won the Fred A. Huber Jr. Memorial Trophy for having the best record in the league during the regular season.

Los Angeles Kings
After spending five years as an assistant coach and head coach of the Houston Aeros of the IHL, Tippett was hired as an assistant coach of the Los Angeles Kings by their new head coach, Andy Murray. In the 1999–2000 season, the Kings saw a 25 point improvement, as the team went 39–27–12–4, helping the club make the playoffs, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round.

The Kings had another successful season in 2000–01, as they went 38–28–13–3, getting 92 points, and a playoff position for the second straight season. In the post-season, the Kings defeated the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings in six games in the first round, however, Los Angeles lost a seven game series against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.

Los Angeles improved in the 2001–02 season, reaching 40 wins with a 40–27–11–4 record, earning 95 points. In a rematch against the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs, the Kings once again lost in seven games, this time in the first round.

Dallas Stars
On May 16, 2002, the Dallas Stars named Tippett as the new head coach of the team. The Stars were coming off a disappointing 2001–02, as the club failed to make the playoffs.

In his first season with the club in 2002–03, Tippett led the Stars to a 46–17–15–4 record, finishing in first place in the Pacific Division with 111 points, which represented a 21 point improvement over the previous year. In the first round of the playoffs, Dallas eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in six games, before losing in six games to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the second round.

The Stars point total slipped in the 2003–04 season, as Dallas went 41–26–13–2, earning 97 points, and a fifth place finish in the Western Conference. In the first round of the post-season, the Stars lost in five games to the Colorado Avalanche.

The 2004-05 NHL lockout cancelled the season, however, when NHL play resumed in 2005–06, Tippett led the Stars to a 53–23–6 record, earning 112 points, the second high total in the Conference, and a 15 point increase over the last season. Dallas' playoff run ended quickly, as they were upset by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the first round.

Tippett joined an exclusive club during the 2006–07, as he led the Stars to a 50–25–7 record, earning 107 points. He joined Mike Babcock (Detroit Red Wings), Scotty Bowman (Montreal), Tom Johnson (Boston), Mike Keenan (Philadelphia), Glen Sather (Edmonton), and Fred Shero (Philadelphia) as head coaches who led their teams to back-to-back 50-win seasons. In the playoffs, the Stars fell to the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the first round.

In 2007–08, the Stars once again had a great regular season, going 45–30–7, earning 97 points, finishing in fifth place in the Conference. In the playoffs, Dallas defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round, followed by another six game series victory over the San Jose Sharks in the second round. In the Western Conference finals, the Stars faced the Detroit Red Wings, however, the Red Wings ended the Stars season, winning the series in six games.

Dallas had a tough season in 2008–09, as the team finished with a 36–35–11 record, earning 83 points, as they failed to make the playoffs. On June 10, 2009, the Stars fired Tippett as head coach, and replaced him with Marc Crawford.

Phoenix Coyotes
On September 24, 2009, Tippett took over the coaching duties of the Phoenix Coyotes after Wayne Gretzky resigned from the position earlier that day. In his first season with the Coyotes in 2009–10, the team finished with a club record 50 wins, as they went 50–25–7, earning 107 points, which was a 28 point improvement over the 2008–09 season and helping the Coyotes to their first playoff berth since the 2001–02 season. Phoenix faced the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs, however, it was the Red Wings who came out victorius, defeating the Coyotes in seven games. After the season, Tippett won the Jack Adams Award given to the NHL Coach of the Year.

In 2010–11, Tippett led the Coyotes to the playoffs once again, as they had a 43–26–13 record, earning 99 points and sixth place in the Western Conference. Phoenix once again faced the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, however, the Red Wings quickly ended the Coyotes season with a four game sweep.

Awards and records

 * 1999 – IHL Coach of the Year
 * 2010– Jack Adams Award