Randolph Robert Carlyle (born April 19, 1956) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player.
He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks.
Following his retirement from coaching in 2019, Randy Carlyle has focused on philanthropic initiatives tied to health causes and his hockey roots.
Carlyle has been married to Corey Stack since the early 1980s, and the couple has three children: sons Craig and Derek, and daughter Alexis. Their son Craig has followed in his father's footsteps, coaching youth hockey.
Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle on Trying Andrew Cogliano at LW
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Early Career
Carlyle appeared in 12 games with the Sudbury Wolves in the 1973-74 OHA season, earning eight assists.
Carlyle became a regular on the Wolves' blueline in 1974-75, as he scored 17 goals and 64 points in 67 games to finish tied with Dave Farrish in points among defencemen on the Wolves.
Carlyle continued to improve offensively: during the 1975-76 season, he scored 15 goals and 79 points in 60 games to lead the Wolves defence, and finish fourth in team scoring.
During Carlyle's tenure, the Sudbury Wolves achieved notable success, particularly in the 1975-76 season when the team posted a franchise-record 47 wins and 102 points, securing a strong playoff position. That year, the high-scoring squad advanced to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals but fell to the Hamilton Fincups.
NHL Playing Career
Carlyle was drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, 30th overall, of the 1976 NHL Entry Draft, on June 1, 1976.
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Carlyle made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs on October 5, 1976, against the Colorado Rockies, marking the start of his transition from junior hockey to the professional level.
In his rookie 1976-77 season, he appeared in 45 games for Toronto, recording no goals and five assists for five points while accumulating 51 penalty minutes and posting a minus-19 rating, reflecting the challenges of adjusting to NHL competition as a 20-year-old defenseman.
He split time with the Maple Leafs' minor-league affiliate, the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central Hockey League (CHL), where he played 26 games and tallied two goals and seven assists for nine points.
In his first professional season, 1976-77, he spent the majority of the year with the Maple Leafs in the NHL, scoring 5 assists in 45 games in his rookie season.
In nine Stanley Cup playoff games with the Leafs, Carlyle had one assist as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarter-finals.
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Carlyle split the 1977-78 season between the Dallas Black Hawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 21 games with Dallas, he scored 3 goals and 17 points. With Toronto, he scored 2 goals and 13 points in 47 games, helping the Leafs into the 1978 playoffs.
On June 14, 1978, the Maple Leafs traded Carlyle, along with forward George Ferguson, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for veteran defenseman Dave Burrows, a move aimed at immediately strengthening Toronto's defensive depth amid playoff aspirations.
Carlyle joined the Penguins for the 1978-79 season, where in 70 games he had significant improvement offensively, scoring 13 goals and 47 points to lead all Penguins defencemen in scoring.
Carlyle saw his offensive production slip in the 1979-80 season, when he scored 8 goals and 36 points in 67 games, although he still led the Penguins defence in scoring.
Carlyle's performance continued to elevate in subsequent seasons, peaking in 1980-81 when he emerged as one of the league's premier defensemen.
Carlyle had the best season of his career in the 1980-81 season: in 76 games, he scored 16 goals and 83 points to lead all NHL defencemen in scoring. Over 76 games, he tallied 16 goals and a league-leading 67 assists among blueliners for 83 points, earning selection to the NHL First All-Star Team and the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the top defenseman.
This standout year highlighted his offensive prowess and two-way reliability, as Pittsburgh advanced to the preliminary round before falling to the St. Louis Blues 2-3 in five games, where Carlyle contributed one goal in five appearances.
In the 1981 playoffs, Carlyle scored four goals and nine points in five games as the Penguins were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the preliminary round.
Carlyle had another very successful season in 1981-82, when he scored 11 goals and 75 points in 73 games, helping Pittsburgh into the 1982 playoffs.
Carlyle ran into injuries in the 1982-83 season, as he appeared in only 61 games. However, his offensive production remained impressive, as he scored 15 goals and 56 points to lead the Penguins blue line.
Carlyle struggled in the 1983-84 season, scoring only 3 goals and 26 points in 50 games, his lowest totals since joining the club in 1978.
Carlyle finished the 1983-84 season with the Jets. However, due to injuries, he appeared in only five games with the club, earning three assists.
In his first full season with the Jets, in 1984-85, Carlyle's offensive production went up, as he scored 13 goals and 51 points in 71 games.
In eight playoff games, Carlyle had one goal and six points as the Jets were eliminated by Edmonton in the division final.
In the 1985-86 season, Carlyle tied his career-high with 16 goals, matching his total from 1980 to 1981, and added 33 assists for 49 points in 68 games to lead the Jets defence in scoring.
Carlyle once again tied his career-high in goals with 16 in 1986-87, as well as added 26 assists for 42 points in 71 games, helping the team reach the 1987 playoffs.
Carlyle had his best season as a Jet in 1987-88, as he scored 15 goals and 59 points in 78 games for his highest point total in a season since 1981-82.
Carlyle also set a career-high with 210 penalty minutes, and would be the only season of his Jets career that he would have over 100 penalty minutes.
In the 1988-89 season, Carlyle struggled offensively, scoring only six goals, his lowest total since 1983-84, and 44 points in 78 games.
Injuries plagued Carlyle in the 1989-90 season, as in 53 games, he scored 3 goals and 18 points, his lowest point total since his 1977-78 season with Toronto.
Injuries limited Carlyle to only 52 games in the 1990-91 season, as he scored 9 goals and 28 points.
Carlyle's offense struggled greatly in the 1991-92 season, as in 66 games, he scored 1 goal and 10 points, his lowest totals since his rookie season in 1976-77.
Carlyle saw limited action with the Jets in the 1992-93 season, playing in 22 games, scoring 1 goal and 2 points.
On March 6, 1993, Carlyle played his final NHL game, scoring a goal against Félix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-2 Jets loss.
In his tenure with Winnipeg, Carlyle maintained consistent defensive contributions despite declining offensive output in his later years, often logging heavy minutes in all situations.
Randy Carlyle's international career with Team Canada was limited to a single appearance late in his playing tenure.
Randy Carlyle during his coaching tenure. Source: Wikipedia
Transition to Coaching
Following his retirement as a player after the 1992-93 season, Randy Carlyle transitioned into the Winnipeg Jets' front office, beginning his coaching career trajectory within the organization.
Following his retirement as a player, Carlyle remained with the Jets and eventually became an assistant coach with the club in the 1995-96 season under head coach Terry Simpson. The Jets finished the year with a 36-40-6 record to earn the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. Winnipeg faced the Detroit Red Wings and lost to them in six games. Following the season, the Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes.
Carlyle remained in Winnipeg and became an assistant coach with their new International Hockey League (IHL) team, the Manitoba Moose, under head coach Jean Perron.
The Moose got off to a rough start in 1996-97, going 16-26-8 in their first 50 games. Hoping to save the season, the Moose then fired Perron and promoted Carlyle to become head coach and general manager.
Carlyle retained the head coaching role for the Moose through the IHL's final seasons, guiding the team to consistent playoff contention.
In his first full season as head coach of the Moose in 1997-98, Carlyle led the team to a 39-36-7 record, as the team reached the playoffs.
Manitoba improved to a 47-21-14 record in the 1998-99 season, finishing second in the Midwest Division and reaching the playoffs.
In the 1999-2000 season, the Moose slumped to a 37-36-9 record, however they once again made the playoffs in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Manitoba improved in the 2000-01 season to a 42-33-7 record, finishing third in the Western Conference and in the playoffs.