The Calgary Flames are mourning the passing of Al MacNeil, their original head coach, a longtime executive and a staple around the Saddledome into his late 80s.
MacNeil, whose name is engraved four times on the Stanley Cup, died on Sunday, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 89.
“The hockey world lost an icon with the passing of Al MacNeil,” said Don Maloney, the Flames’ president of hockey operations, in a statement. “Chopper was a Stanley Cup champion and a Calder Cup champion, but most importantly he was our friend and mentor. We will sincerely miss his company and our conversations.”
Robert Hayes, the president and CEO for Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corporation, echoed those sentiments.
“Having positively impacted every aspect of Flames hockey operations over the 44-year history of the franchise, Al will be remembered as a legend within the Flames family,” he said. “His reputation and experience allowed him to command the room with his advice and guidance. Al’s contributions will never be replaced.”
Originally from Nova Scotia, MacNeil started his NHL career as an Original Six era defenceman. He totalled 524 appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins.
MacNeil won his first Stanley Cup ring as the rookie head coach for the Canadiens in 1971 and then captured a second and third as the director of player personnel for the Habs in 1978 and 1979. He was bench boss when the Flames franchise moved north from Atlanta, continuing in that role for the first two seasons in Calgary. He’d transitioned to assistant general manager when the Flames knocked off the Canadians in the Stanley Cup Final in 1989.
Always willing to lend a hand around the Saddledome, MacNeil returned to the bench as the Flames’ interim head coach for 13 games during the 2002-03 campaign. In recent years, he was regularly spotted chatting with management during morning skates and practices and he was always welcome in the coaches’ offices.
His son, Allister, is now on the Flames scouting staff.
“Al was a great man who will be dearly missed by our organization,” said CSEC chairman Murray Edwards in Monday’s announcement. “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.”