John MacLean

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

As a youth, MacLean played in the 1977 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Oshawa. Selected 6th overall in the 1983 NHL entry draft as the 1st choice of the New Jersey Devils, MacLean made his Devils debut on October 5, 1983 against the New York Rangers. His most memorable moment as a Devil came on April 3, 1988, when he scored a goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Devils to the playoffs for the first time. Following this breakthrough year, MacLean notched three straight 40-goal seasons before he was forced to miss the 1991–92 season due to a serious knee injury sustained during a preseason game. During his tenure with the Devils, MacLean won the Stanley Cup in 1995 while serving as the team's alternate captain. He remained with the Devils until December 7, 1997 when he was traded to the San Jose Sharks. After finishing the 1997–98 season with the Sharks, MacLean signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers on July 9, 1998. The Rangers traded MacLean to the Dallas Stars in February 2001. On June 7, 2002, MacLean retired from hockey after 18 seasons. He played a total 1,194 games, scoring 413 goals, adding 429 assists for 842 career points, and was the all-time leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils until March 17, 2009, when his record was surpassed by Patrik Eliáš. MacLean has been a resident of Verona, New Jersey since 1991. In September 2002, MacLean joined the coaching staff of the New Jersey Devils, and served as an assistant coach until July 2009. He earned his second Stanley Cup, as an assistant coach, in 2003. In 2007, he was a candidate for the head coach position but the job was given to Brent Sutter, and MacLean remained as assistant coach. On June 9, 2009, Brent Sutter resigned as head coach of the Devils and remarked that MacLean was ready to be head coach. On July 13, 2009, MacLean was named head coach of the Lowell Devils. On June 17, 2010, MacLean was named head coach of the New Jersey Devils. On December 23, 2010, the Devils were sporting a 9–22–2 record and sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference. MacLean was fired from his coaching position and was replaced by Jacques Lemaire. On December 1, 2011, the Carolina Hurricanes, after hiring Kirk Muller as their new head coach, hired MacLean as an assistant coach. MacLean, along with fellow assistant coach Dave Lewis, was relieved of his duties on May 5, 2014. On July 27, 2017, MacLean joined the Arizona Coyotes as an assistant coach. On September 8, 2021, the San Jose Sharks hired MacLean as an assistant coach. He was relieved of his duties on July 1, 2022. On July 28, 2022, MacLean was hired as an assistant coach by the New York Islanders. On May 29, 2025, MacLean was relieved of his duties.

In Their Own Story

The puck dropped on October 5, 1983, and John MacLean made his Devils debut against the New York Rangers. Five years later, on April 3, 1988, he scored a goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Devils to the playoffs for the first time. That moment defined his early career. He followed with three straight 40-goal seasons, then missed the entire 1991–92 season due to a serious knee injury sustained during a preseason game. He returned to serve as alternate captain and won the Stanley Cup in 1995. Traded to the San Jose Sharks on December 7, 1997, he finished that season there, then signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers on July 9, 1998. The Rangers traded him to the Dallas Stars in February 2001. On June 7, 2002, after 1,194 games, 413 goals, 429 assists, and 842 career points, MacLean retired. He was the all-time leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils until March 17, 2009, when Patrik Eliáš surpassed him. In September 2002, he joined the Devils coaching staff as an assistant, winning his second Stanley Cup in 2003. He became head coach of the Lowell Devils on July 13, 2009, then head coach of the New Jersey Devils on June 17, 2010. On December 23, 2010, with a 9–22–2 record and last place in the Eastern Conference, he was fired and replaced by Jacques Lemaire. He later served as assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes (hired December 1, 2011, relieved May 5, 2014), Arizona Coyotes (hired July 27, 2017), San Jose Sharks (hired September 8, 2021, relieved July 1, 2022), and New York Islanders (hired July 28, 2022, relieved May 29, 2025).

Reader's Guide

John MacLean's career spans player and coach. As a player, he was selected 6th overall in the 1983 NHL entry draft as the 1st choice of the New Jersey Devils. He made his Devils debut on October 5, 1983 against the New York Rangers. His most memorable moment as a Devil came on April 3, 1988, when he scored a goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Devils to the playoffs for the first time. He notched three straight 40-goal seasons before missing the 1991–92 season due to a serious knee injury sustained during a preseason game. He won the Stanley Cup in 1995 as the team's alternate captain. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks on December 7, 1997, signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers on July 9, 1998, and traded to the Dallas Stars in February 2001. He retired on June 7, 2002 after 1,194 games, 413 goals, 429 assists, and 842 career points. He was the all-time leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils until March 17, 2009, when Patrik Eliáš surpassed him. As a coach, he joined the Devils as an assistant in September 2002 and won the Stanley Cup in 2003. He was a candidate for head coach in 2007 but the job went to Brent Sutter. On July 13, 2009, he was named head coach of the Lowell Devils. On June 17, 2010, he was named head coach of the New Jersey Devils. On December 23, 2010, with a 9–22–2 record and last place in the Eastern Conference, he was fired and replaced by Jacques Lemaire. He later served as assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes (hired December 1, 2011, relieved May 5, 2014), Arizona Coyotes (hired July 27, 2017), San Jose Sharks (hired September 8, 2021, relieved July 1, 2022), and New York Islanders (hired July 28, 2022, relieved May 29, 2025). He also worked as an analyst on NHL Network and as a hockey analyst for MSG Networks, including pre- and post-game coverage for the Devils.

Did You Know?

• MacLean scored an overtime goal on April 3, 1988 against the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Devils to the playoffs for the first time.
• He was the all-time leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils until March 17, 2009, when Patrik Eliáš surpassed him.
• MacLean missed the entire 1991–92 season due to a serious knee injury sustained during a preseason game.
• He won the Stanley Cup as a player in 1995 and as an assistant coach in 2003.
• MacLean has been a resident of Verona, New Jersey since 1991.