Caps' Laviolette wins 723rd career game, 8th most in NHL history originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — With the Capitals’ 5-4 decision over the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Laviolette claimed his 723rd career win to move into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time leaderboard for the most regular-season wins by a head coach in NHL history.
“I’ll be honest, the win tonight after losing four in a row feels better,” Laviolette said in his postgame press conference. “It feels good. I’ve worked with some amazing people along the way. I’ve certainly worked with some amazing staff, coaches and players and just throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to do that. I think the thing I’ll remember the most about tonight is the win for the team.”
Laviolette, 57, is coaching in his third season with Washington as part of a 21-year career that has included stints with the New York Islanders (2001-03), Hurricanes (2003-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-14), Nashville Predators (2014-20) and Capitals (2020-present). He broke a tie with Alain Vigneault to bring his career record to 723-472-25-142 behind the bench.
- Scotty Bowman – 1,244
- Joel Quenneville – 969
- Barry Trotz – 914
- Ken Hitchcock – 849
- Lindy Ruff* – 791
- Al Arbour – 782
- Paul Maurice* – 782
- Peter Laviolette* – 723
*indicates active coach in the NHL
Laviolette is in the final season of the three-year contract he signed with the Capitals ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. With Arbour sitting 59 wins ahead of him and Maurice coaching the Florida Panthers, he will likely have to sign an extension with Washington to move further up the leaderboard in D.C.