Al MacNeil, long-time Flames coach, executive, dies at 89

Longtime Calgary Flames employee Al MacNeil waves as his wife Norma looks on during a ceremony before the start of NHL hockey action against the Montreal Canadiens in Calgary, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006. (CP PHOTO/Jeff McIntosh)

Al MacNeil, a former Calgary Flames executive and head coach, has died at the age of 89.

MacNeil, the Calgary Flames’ first coach, died on Jan. 5, 2025, surrounded by his family in Calgary, the team announced on Monday.

MacNeil won four Stanley Cups over the course of his career on the bench and in NHL front offices.

He won his first as the rookie head coach of the Montreal Canadiens in 1971, his second and third cups as the director of player personnel for the Canadiens in 1978 and 1979 and finally his fourth as the assistant general manager of the Flames in 1989.

“Al was a great man who will be dearly missed by our organization,” said Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation chairman Murray Edwards.

“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.”

MacNeil was the last head coach of the Atlanta Flames and manned the bench for the Flames’ first two seasons in Calgary.

He spent many years as a member of the Flames hockey operations team and returned to the bench as an interim head coach for 13 games in the 2002-03 season.

MacNeil also won two Canada Cups, serving as an assistant coach on the 1976 and 1981 teams.

In his playing days, MacNeil was a rugged defenceman in the Original Six era. He played 524 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

“The hockey world lost an icon today with the passing of Al MacNeil,” said Flames president of hockey operations Don Maloney.

“‘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.”

MacNeil is survived by his wife of 58 years, Norma, son Allister, daughter Allison, son-in-law Paul Sparkes, and grandsons Jack and Ben Sparkes.