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Kelly McCrimmon

Kelly McCrimmon (born October 13, 1960) is a Canadian ice hockey executive who is general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Kelly McCrimmon played for the Prince Albert Raiders of the SJHL before suiting up with the Wheat Kings for two seasons, winning his first championship there as a player in his rookie season. After his WHL career, he played hockey for the University of Michigan Wolverines for four seasons, and was named captain his final season.

Post-playing career

Brandon Wheat Kings

McCrimmon spent his first years of coaching junior hockey in the SJHL, starting with the North Battleford North Stars for two seasons, then one with the Lloydminster Lancers.

In 1988 he re-joined the Brandon Wheat Kings as an assistant coach, then later became general manager in 1989, as well as a few stints as head coach on the way replacing Doug Sauter and Kevin Maxwell respectively. In 1992, he became the minority owner of the Wheat Kings, purchasing one-third of the franchise. In 2001, he became the sole owner of the franchise after he bought the remaining shares from Bob Cornell.

In 1995–96, McCrimmon won his first championship as a WHL general manager and his second championship with the Wheat Kings.

In 2004, he took over the coaching duties for the Brandon Wheat Kings. In his third stint as head coach of Brandon Wheat Kings, he made an appearance in the finals as head coach and general manager. In 2011, he stepped down from his coaching duties handing them to former Ottawa Senators head coach Cory Clouston.

McCrimmon returned to the bench in the 2013–14 season for the Wheat Kings for the next three seasons. During the 2014–15 season, he coached the Wheat Kings to the Western Hockey League finals, losing to the Kelowna Rockets. The next season he was brought on as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. The Wheat Kings had a second stint at the finals that year winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup that year against the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games.

Vegas Golden Knights

After twenty-six seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, on August 2, 2016, McCrimmon was named the first-ever assistant general manager of the new NHL expansion team Vegas Golden Knights. This came after he turned down an offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs to join their front office.

In McCrimmon's first year as assistant general manager, the Vegas Golden Knights became the second expansion team ever, after the St. Louis Blues, to make the Stanley Cup Finals.

On May 2, 2019, he was promoted to general manager as former general manager George McPhee took on the role of president.

On January 26, 2021, McCrimmon acted as head coach of the Golden Knights in a 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Vegas Golden Knights coaching staff.

On June 13, 2023, the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9 - 3 to win the Stanley Cup. By winning the Cup after six seasons, they become the fastest team to win the Stanley Cup from the time of expansion beating the 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers who won the Cup in their seventh season.