Glen A. Hanlon, born on February 20, 1957, is a Canadian ice hockey expert whose career spans both playing and coaching roles in various leagues and international competitions. Glen Hanlon started his professional hockey journey when he was picked by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft.
Alexander Ovechkin, a prominent player during Hanlon's coaching tenure with the Washington Capitals.
Early Career
Hanlon began his hockey journey in his hometown of Brandon, Manitoba, playing three seasons with the Western Canada Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings before turning professional. He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round (40th overall) of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft and also selected by the Houston Aeros in the WHA Amateur Draft that year, he debuted in the NHL with Vancouver during the 1977-78 season.
Prior to his NHL career, Hanlon excelled in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), particularly in the 1976-77 season with the Brandon Wheat Kings, where he played 65 games, won 49, lost 7, tied 7, recorded 4 shutouts, and achieved a 3.09 GAA and .906 SV%, earning league goaltender of the year honors. His earlier WCHL seasons included 43 games in 1974-75 (4.22 GAA, .892 SV%) and 64 games in 1975-76 (3.99 GAA, .891 SV%, 4 shutouts).
NHL Playing Career
Hanlon played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several famous teams including the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings. Over his playing career from 1977 to 1991, Hanlon appeared in 476 regular-season games for the Canucks (1977-1982), St.
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Hanlon spent the bulk of his early professional career with the Canucks, serving as their primary goaltender from 1978-79 through the 1981-82 season, appearing in 132 games during that span. During the 1981-82 season with the Vancouver Canucks, Hanlon served as a key backup goaltender in the regular season before being traded to the St. Louis Blues in March 1982; he then played three games in the playoffs for St. Louis.
On March 9, 1982, Vancouver traded him to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forwards Tony Currie, Rick Heinz, and Jim Nill, along with St.
Glen Hanlon's goaltending career in the NHL spanned 14 seasons from 1977 to 1991, during which he appeared in 476 regular-season games, posting a record of 167 wins, 202 losses, and 61 ties, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.56 and a save percentage (SV%) of .885, including 13 shutouts. His performance varied by team, with his strongest statistical output coming during stints with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the mid-1980s, where he achieved winning records and sub-3.50 GAAs in multiple seasons.
A famous moment in his playing career happened on October 14, 1979. Glen Hanlon was the goalie who allowed the very first NHL goal scored by Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky later became the highest-scoring player in NHL history.
Gretzky Scores First NHL Goal on October 14, 1979
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Glen Hanlon became a hockey coach. Hanlon began his coaching career with the Belarus men's national ice hockey team, where he served as head coach from 2005 to 2009, guiding the team to its best-ever finish of sixth place at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Under his leadership, Belarus also reached the quarterfinals at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, defeating Norway and Ukraine in preliminary rounds before falling to Russia.
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Hanlon's international coaching career began with the Belarus men's national ice hockey team, where he served as head coach from 2005 to 2009, guiding the team to its best-ever finish of sixth place at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Under his leadership, Belarus also reached the quarterfinals at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, defeating Norway and Ukraine in preliminary rounds before falling to Russia.
Hanlon's tenure extended through the 2010 Winter Olympics qualification, where Belarus secured its spot by winning the pre-Olympic tournament in Weihai, China, in February 2009, finishing with a 3-0-0 record against Austria, Japan, and Ukraine. He briefly stepped down in late 2009 amid club commitments but returned for the Vancouver Olympics, where Belarus achieved a notable upset victory over host Canada before exiting in the quarterfinals.
NHL and AHL Coaching
In 1999, Hanlon was appointed head coach of the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates, the primary affiliate of the Washington Capitals, a role he held through the 2000-01 season. During the 1999-2000 season, he led the Pirates to 46 wins in 80 games, earning the Louis A. R. His role with the Capitals' affiliate facilitated his move to Washington as an assistant coach from 2001 to 2003 under head coaches Ron Wilson and Bruce Cassidy.
Hanlon became the head coach of the Washington Capitals in the middle of the 2003-04 season. After a miserable start to the 2003-04 season, Capitals general manager George McPhee fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and promoted assistant Hanlon to head coaching duties. The Capitals went 15-30-9 under Hanlon to finish the year.
In the 2005-06 season, the Capitals had a young team. They had a new star player named Alexander Ovechkin. Despite this, Hanlon was guaranteed one more year as coach of the Capitals. In 2005, he was assigned to coach the Belarus hockey team.
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Over the 2007 offseason, McPhee signed many talented players including Michael Nylander, Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov and young Swedish star Nicklas Bäckström, elevating expectations in Washington. In the season's first week, the Capitals jumped to a 3-0 record but went on to lose 15 of the next 18 games (3-14-1), which lead to Hanlon's dismissal.
McPhee stated that Hanlon had lost control of the team, so he elected to replace Hanlon with Bruce Boudreau, the head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears. Immediately after Hanlon's exit, the Capitals won against the high-flying Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. The team finished 37-17-7 the rest of the way in 2007-2008, notching their first division title since 2000-01.
Following his dismissal, Hanlon accepted an offer by the Capitals to act as a scout based in the Washington, D.C. area.
International Coaching Roles
He also coached the Belarusian national ice hockey team during this time. He led them to a very high sixth-place finish at the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. This was a historic achievement for Belarus.
On March 24, 2010, Glen Hanlon was announced as a new head coach of the Slovak national ice hockey team. He replaced Jan Filc and signed a four-year contract from April 1, 2010, to the next Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Slovakia under his conduct has finished in 12th place on World Championship in Germany 2010.
In 2013, he returned to coach the Belarusian national ice hockey team again. He replaced Andrei Skabelka. Then, in 2014, he signed a contract to coach the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team. Hanlon and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation parted company in October 2015.
Later Coaching and Management Roles
In 2016, Glen Hanlon took on a new role. He became the general manager for the Vancouver Giants, the same team he had coached as an assistant earlier. Later, in 2018, he became the coach of a Hungarian team called DVTK Jegesmedvék.
Since May 2022, Hanlon has served as head coach of HC Bolzano in Italy's ICE Hockey League, leading the team to the league finals in the 2022-23 season, where they pushed the series to a decisive Game 7 before falling to Fehérvár AV19. He briefly departed in June 2023 but returned later that year, guiding Bolzano to a strong mid-season recovery with ten consecutive wins in 2023-24 before parting ways again in April 2025.
Coaching Statistics
Glen Hanlon's coaching career spans multiple leagues, including the NHL, AHL, SM-Liiga, international competitions with Belarus, and the ICEHL, where his records reflect varying levels of success depending on team resources and competition. His win percentages highlight stronger performances in minor and European leagues compared to the NHL, with a focus on developing defensive systems and goaltending.
Hanlon served as head coach for the Washington Capitals in four partial and full seasons, compiling a regular-season record of 78 wins, 123 losses, 9 ties, and 29 overtime losses in 239 games, for a points percentage of .406.
As head coach of the Portland Pirates, Hanlon led the team for three seasons, achieving a combined regular-season record of 110 wins, 94 losses, 29 ties, and 7 overtime losses in 240 games, with a points percentage of .533.
Hanlon's tenure in Finland's SM-Liiga was limited to one season as head coach of Jokerit, where he posted a regular-season record of 28 wins, 20 losses, 4 overtime wins, and 6 overtime losses in 58 games, earning 98 points for a .595 points percentage and a fifth-place finish.
Hanlon coached Belarus at four IIHF World Championships (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014), compiling an overall tournament record of 14 wins, 3 ties, and 15 losses in 32 games, for a .438 win percentage.
Hanlon served as head coach for Dynamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the 2009-10 season, taking over midseason but posting a 10-17-3 record in 30 games before being replaced.
Hanlon coached HC Bolzano for three seasons in Austria's ICEHL, achieving a regular-season record of 98 wins and 39 losses in 137 games (excluding overtime details where not uniformly reported), for an approximate .715 win percentage. The team reached the playoffs each year, including a finals appearance in 2022-23, before Hanlon's departure in April 2025 for personal reasons.
Awards and Achievements
During his junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Glen Hanlon earned recognition as one of the top goaltenders in the league. In 1977, Hanlon received the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL's top goaltender, an award named after former league executive Del Wilson and given annually to the most outstanding player at the position.
Transitioning to professional hockey, Hanlon won the Central Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year award, known as the Ken McKenzie Trophy, in 1978 while playing for the Tulsa Oilers in the Central Hockey League (CHL). He was also named to the CHL First All-Star Team in 1978.
Hanlon contributed significantly to the Vancouver Canucks' memorable 1981-82 playoff run, serving as a key backup goaltender during their journey to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they represented the Smythe Division as Campbell Conference champions.
In 2000, Hanlon was awarded the Louis A. R.
Hanlon's coaching with the Belarus national team included participation in the IIHF World Championships.
Table of Coaching Statistics
The table below summarizes Glen Hanlon's coaching statistics across various leagues and international competitions:
| League/Team | Seasons | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties/OT Losses | Points Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals (NHL) | 4 | 239 | 78 | 123 | 9/29 | .406 |
| Portland Pirates (AHL) | 3 | 240 | 110 | 94 | 29/7 | .533 |
| Jokerit (SM-Liiga) | 1 | 58 | 28 | 20 | 4/6 | .595 |
| Belarus (IIHF) | 4 | 32 | 14 | 15 | 3 | .438 |
| Dynamo Minsk (KHL) | 1 | 30 | 10 | 17 | 3 | N/A |
| HC Bolzano (ICEHL) | 3 | 137 | 98 | 39 | N/A | .715 (approx.) |