The Calgary Flames sadly announce the passing of long-time Flames executive and former head coach Al MacNeil.
Al, a Stanley Cup winning Head Coach, National Hockey League player and Calgary Flames executive and consultant whose name is engraved on the Stanley Cup four times, including the Flames 1989 championship, passed away at the age of 89 years, on January 5, 2025, surrounded by his family in Calgary.
“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. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Norma, son Allister, daughter Allison, son-in-law Paul Sparkes and grandsons Jack and Ben.”
“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,” said CSEC President and CEO Robert Hayes. “His reputation and experience allowed him to command the room with his advice and guidance. Al’s contributions will never be replaced.”
“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.”
An Original Six player, Al was a rugged defenceman and open-ice hitter who played 524 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, later concluding his NHL playing career as a Pittsburgh Penguin following his selection in the 1967 expansion draft.
Recognizing Al’s potential as a Head Coach, legendary Montreal Canadiens General Manger Sam Pollock acquired his rights from the Penguins and Al subsequently spent the last two seasons of his professional hockey career mentoring young players as a Player Coach, first for the Houston Apollos of the CHL in 1968-69 and in his final year for the Canadiens then top farm team, the Montreal Voyageurs of the AHL in 1969-70.
Al won his first Stanley Cup 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 their 1978 and 1979 Stanley Cup victories, and his fourth as the Assistant General Manager of the Calgary Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup winning team.
As a long-time NHL player, coach and executive, Al took tremendous pride in developing and coaching hundreds of NHL hockey players over many decades.
As the General Manager and Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, he guided the team to three Calder Cup Championships in 1972, 1976 and 1977. He was named American Hockey League Coach of the Year two times, in 1972 and 1977 and was inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2014.
