Ducks’ Quenneville Notches 1,000th NHL Coaching Victory, Becomes 2nd to Reach Milestone

The first game back after the NHL season paused for the Olympic break on Wednesday was historic for Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville: 1,000 victories as an NHL head coach over 26 seasons behind the bench.

This is now the lead on Quenneville’s hockey resume. In the 100-plus years of the league, only Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman can claim more coaching victories than the Ducks’ coach. Thirty years of coaching NHL teams, and Bowman’s players produced 1,244 wins for the man who won nine Stanley Cup championships.

Anaheim’s 6–5 triumph at home on Wednesday over the Edmonton Oilers is their 31st of the season.

Quenneville’s overall record coaching is now 1,000–595–77. As impressive as the individual accomplishment the coach reached at the Oilers’ expense, perhaps more impressive is the difference Quenneville is making with the team this season.

Anaheim welcomed the Winnipeg Jets to the Honda Center on Friday. The Jets were led by Team USA gold medal-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The Ducks and their fans are excited about the possibility of playoff hockey this spring, something they haven’t seen in Anaheim in many seasons.

Currently in third place in the Pacific Division with 65 points, the Ducks are a manageable five points behind first-place Vegas Golden Knights.

Ironically, when taking over the St. Louis Blues’ head coaching job in January 1997, Quenneville’s first NHL win as the bench boss was registered at the expense of the Oilers.

After notching his 1,000th victory, when addressing questions pitched by the media, Quenneville made a gallant attempt to deflect personal accolades and bring the conversation back to how well the team is performing this season. Having missed seven consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs, the last time the Ducks were in the postseason in 2018, they were swept in the first round.

“[Bowman’s] in a different league when I look at his company,” Quenneville told The Athletic.

“He’s lonesome up there, the number he’s at. Scotty and [former Blackhawks GM] Stan Bowman were in Chicago together. We had some great wins. He’s got a lot of Cups, and he’s been very successful in the game.”

As much as Quenneville would like to deflect personal attention from his 1,000th coaching win in favor of focusing on the remainder of the Ducks’ season, when you’re around the NHL as long as he is, records are bound to add up.

Next up, making his way up to the most games coached in the NHL. Quenneville currently sits in fourth place with 1,825 games coached. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that at the top of the list is Bowman at 2,141 games. Second place belongs to Paul Maurice, with 1,988 games coached, and Buffalo Sabres’ Lindy Ruff, with 1,914 games behind the bench, comes in third.

Quenneville’s coaching success no doubt can be traced back to his 13-season NHL playing career.

Fans may have forgotten who Quenneville skated with and was tutored by. Much of his 803 games playing defense were for teams that struggled to succeed in Stanley Cup postseason play. However, playing with the Colorado Rockies in 1979–1980 for coach Don Cherry seemed to jump-start the remainder of his playing career.

Playing for one of the game’s greatest coaches of all time, Cherry, has had its rewards for the Ducks’ coach. Still, Quenneville puts the team ahead of himself in an Associated Press report appearing at ESPN.com.

“I wasn’t prioritizing the number,” Quenneville said after joining just Scotty Bowman in the most exclusive hockey coaching club.

“I just wanted to play well tonight and find a way to win. That was the motivation, and it turned out to be a very special one as well.”

The Ducks have 24 regular-season games to play. From the start of March 2025 through the final game of the season on Sunday, April 12, against the Vancouver Canucks at the Honda Center, more attention from fans and the media will shift from Quenneville’s coaching numbers to the team’s position in the NHL.

As of now, Anaheim makes the postseason. However, the Utah Mammoth is nipping at their skates, just one point behind them.

Qualifying for the postseason and advancing to at least the second round for the Ducks, along with their coach’s individual accomplishments, promises to stamp the organization with a thumbs-up; a successful season by all accounts.