Hockey’s Al MacNeil dead at 89

A hockey icon from Cape Breton has passed away.

Al MacNeil, who was born in Sydney, died Sunday in Calgary. He was 89.

One of the Original Six, the defenceman played in more than 520 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1955 to 1968.

MacNeil was voted AHL Coach of the Year twice. As a GM and head coach, he guided the Habs’ farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, to three Calder Cups in the 1970s. MacNeil also won the 1976 Canada Cup tournament as an assistant coach under Scotty Bowman.

He went on to become the first Atlantic Canadian to coach an NHL team.

In his executive role, MacNeil’s name is on the Stanley Cup four times, including for the Flames 1989 championship.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says in a release, “For the last 70 years, Al MacNeil’s impact on our game has been profound, both on and off the ice. First as a player, then as a coach, and finally as an executive, Al was the consummate professional who conducted himself with humility and grace.”

Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation Chairman Murray Edwards states “Al was a great man who will be dearly missed by our organization. He was a long-term loyal member of our Flames family ever since the team’s arrival in Calgary in 1980. He played, coached, and managed in both the NHL and AHL, and had ultimate success while doing so. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Norma, son Allister, daughter Allison, son-in-law Paul Sparkes and grandsons Jack and Ben.”

MacNeil is a member of the American Hockey Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame and the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame. He also had an honorary doctorate degree from Cape Breton University.