Background and career
Randolph Robert Carlyle (born April 19, 1956) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim / Anaheim Ducks. As a player, Carlyle dressed for over 1,000 games between the Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. As a defenseman, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in the 1980–81 season and served as a captain of both the Penguins and Jets. After his playing days ended, Carlyle worked for the Jets, rising to assistant coach in 1995. After the team moved to Phoenix the following year, he stayed in Winnipeg to serve as assistant coach with the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League. He was promoted to head coach in the middle of the 1996 season and ultimately served as head coach in two separate stints (1996–2002, 2004–2005). He became an assistant coach with NHL again with the Washington Capitals, where he served from 2002 to 2004. He was hired as head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2005. In his first tenure with the team of seven seasons, the team won the Stanley Cup once in 2007. He was fired by the Ducks early in the 2011–12 season and was later hired to serve as interim coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs that same year. He coached three more seasons with the team from 2012 to 2015 and made the playoffs once before being fired in 2015. In 2016, he was hired to coach the Ducks again, where he led them to the Conference Finals in his first season and a playoff appearance the following year before being let go midway through the 2018–19 season. In fourteen seasons as a head coach, Carlyle won the Stanley Cup once and reached the playoffs eight times. Carlyle is partially of Finnish descent, and was raised in Azilda, just northwest of Sudbury, Ontario.
Carlyle appeared in 12 games with the Sudbury Wolves in the 1973–74 OHA season, earning eight assists. He played in four playoff games with Sudbury, going pointless, as the Wolves were swept by the Kitchener Rangers in the first round. Carlyle became a regular on the Wolves' blueline in 1974–75, as he scored 17 goals and 64 points in 67 games to finish tied with Dave Farrish in points among defencemen on the Wolves. In the playoffs, Carlyle scored 3 goals and 9 points in 15 games as Sudbury were eliminated by the Toronto Marlboros in the second round. Carlyle continued to improve offensively: during the 1975–76 season, he scored 15 goals and 79 points in 60 games to lead the Wolves defence, and finish fourth in team scoring. Carlyle also had an impressive playoff, scoring 6 goals and 19 points in 17 games as the Wolves were eliminated by the Hamilton Fincups in the final round. He later had his #6 jersey retired by the Wolves.
Carlyle was drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, 30th overall, of the 1976 NHL entry draft, on June 1, 1976. In his first professional season, 1976–77, he spent the majority of the year with the Maple Leafs in the NHL, scoring 5 assists in 45 games in his rookie season. In nine Stanley Cup playoff games with the Leafs, Carlyle had one assist as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarter-finals. Carlyle had also spent some time of the 1976–77 season with the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central Hockey League (CHL), scoring 2 goals and 9 points in 27 games with the club. Carlyle split the 1977–78 season between the Dallas Black Hawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 21 games with Dallas, he scored 3 goals and 17 points. With Toronto, he scored 2 goals and 13 points in 47 games, helping the Leafs into the 1978 playoffs. In seven playoff games, he recorded one assist as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals. On June 14, 1978, Carlyle (alongside George Ferguson) was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Dave Burrows.
Carlyle joined the Penguins for the 1978–79 season, where in 70 games he had significant improvement offensively, scoring 13 goals and 47 points to lead all Penguins defencemen in scoring. However, in seven playoff games, Carlyle went pointless as the Penguins were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the quarter-finals. Carlyle saw his offensive production slip in the 1979–80 season, when he scored 8 goals and 36 points in 67 games, although he still led the Penguins defence in scoring. In five playoff games, Carlyle scored one goal as the Penguins were again eliminated by Boston, this time in the preliminary round. Carlyle had the best season of his career in the 1980–81 season: in 76 games, he scored 16 goals and 83 points to lead all NHL defencemen in scoring. In the 1981 playoffs, Carlyle scored four goals and nine points in five games as the Penguins were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the preliminary round. After the season, Carlyle was awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the NHL's best defenceman in the regular season; he was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team and finished 11th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the NHL's most valuable player during the regular season. Carlyle had another very successful season in 1981–82, when he scored 11 goals and 75 points in 73 games, helping Pittsburgh into the 1982 playoffs. In five playoff games, he scored a goal and four points, as the Penguins were eliminated by the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division semi-finals. Carlyle ran into injuries in the 1982–83 season, as he appeared in only 61 games. However, his offensive production remained impressive, as he scored 15 goals and 56 points to lead the Penguins blue line. The Penguins struggled during the season, and missed the playoffs. Carlyle struggled in the 1983–84 season, scoring only 3 goals and 26 points in 50 games, his lowest totals since joining the club in 1978. With the Penguins rebuilding, on March 5, Carlyle was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for the Jets' first-round draft pick in the 1984 NHL entry draft (which the Penguins used to select Doug Bodger) and future considerations, which was completed on May 1 when the Jets sent Moe Mantha to the Penguins.
Carlyle finished the 1983–84 season with the Jets. However, due to injuries, he appeared in only five games with the club, earning three assists. In three 1984 playoff games, Carlyle recorded two assists as the Jets were swept by the Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division semi-final. In his first full season with the Jets, in 1984–85, Carlyle's offensive production went up, as he scored 13 goals and 51 points in 71 games. In eight playoff games, Carlyle had one goal and six points as the Jets were eliminated by Edmonton in the division final. After the season, Carlyle finished seventh in voting for the Norris Trophy. In the 1985–86 season, Carlyle tied his career-high with 16 goals, matching his total from 1980 to 1981, and added 33 assists for 49 points in 68 games to lead the Jets defence in scoring. However, due to a late season injury, Carlyle did not appear in any playoff games, as the Jets were swept by the Calgary Flames in the division semi-final. Carlyle once again tied his career-high in goals with 16 in 1986–87, as well as added 26 assists for 42 points in 71 games, helping the team reach the 1987 playoffs. In ten playoff games, he scored one goal and six points as Winnipeg would lose to Edmonton in the division final. Carlyle had his best season as a Jet in 1987–88, as he scored 15 goals and 59 points in 78 games for his highest point total in a season since 1981–82. Carlyle also set a career-high with 210 penalty minutes, and would be the only season of his Jets career that he would have over 100 penalty minutes. In the 1988 playoffs, Carlyle had two assists in five games as the Jets were again eliminated by Edmonton Oilers, this time in five games in the division semi-final. In the 1988–89 season, Carlyle struggled offensively, scoring only six goals, his lowest total since 1983–84, and 44 points in 78 games. The Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since Carlyle joined the team. Injuries plagued Carlyle in the 1989–90 season, as in 53 games, he scored 3 goals and 18 points, his lowest point total since his 1977–78 season with Toronto. Carlyle did not appear in any playoff games as Winnipeg were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the division semi-final. Injuries limited Carlyle to only 52 games in the 1990–91 season, as he scored 9 goals and 28 points. The struggling Jets missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Carlyle's offense struggled greatly in the 1991–92 season, as in 66 games, he scored 1 goal and 10 points, his lowest totals since his rookie season in 1976–77. The Jets made the 1992 playoffs, and in five games, Carlyle scored one goal as the Jets were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the division semi-final. Carlyle saw limited action with the Jets in the 1992–93 season, playing in 22 games, scoring 1 goal and 2 points. On March 6, 1993, Carlyle played his final NHL game, scoring a goal against Félix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4–2 Jets loss. He retired as a player on August 25, 1993. He was one of the last players in the league to not wear a helmet. He was inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2020.
Following his retirement as a player, Carlyle remained with the Jets and eventually became an assistant coach with the club in the 1995–96 season under head coach Terry Simpson. The Jets finished the year with a 36–40–6 record to earn the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. Winnipeg faced the Detroit Red Wings and lost to them in six games. Following the season, the Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes. Carlyle did not follow the team south.
