List of NHL head coaches

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 32 teams, founded in 1917. Each team is entitled to one head coach who handles the directing of games and team practices, while providing direction and strategy for their players and deciding which players will play in games and the lines they will play on. In some cases, a coach will only serve on an interim basis, while some teams may have more than one coach who serve as co-coaches. Outside the team management, the coach also addresses the media.