Terrance Arthur "Terry" Crisp, born on May 28, 1943, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. Forever known to his friends as “Crispy”, Terry Crisp would go on to become the first Parry Sound born player in the NHL.
Crisp has been inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2020 class) and the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame for his contributions as the first NHL player from Parry Sound, Ontario, and his lasting impact on the sport.
Early Career
After graduating from the Parry Sound minor hockey system, Terry joined the St. Mary’s Junior B squad and posted a 49-goal season. Crisp got his start playing Jr. 'B' hockey with the St. Marys Lincolns of the Western Jr. 'B' Hockey League. In 1961 he edged out Phil Esposito of the Sarnia Legionnaires for the league scoring title.
At 17, he had pondered quitting hockey due to homesickness and become a school teacher. However, Stan Moore, who coached the B team, followed him when Crisp travelled four hours to his home at Parry Sound.
Noticed immediately by NHL scouts, Terry signed with the Boston Bruins in 1961 and reported for junior duty with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the OHA. Crisp's time in Niagara Falls was marked by the rigorous coaching of Bill Long, who emphasized disciplined play, and the overarching influence of Hap Emms, a legendary figure in junior hockey known for developing NHL talent through high-stakes rivalries against teams like the Toronto Marlboros and St.
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NHL Playing Career
Terry got his first taste of NHL life in 1965-66 during a three-game try-out with the Bruins. Terry Crisp began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, making his debut in the 1965-66 season where he appeared in just three games without recording a point.
In the expansion draft of 1967, he was plucked from the Bruins by St. Louis where he played five seasons with the Blues. After spending the 1966-67 season in the minor leagues, Crisp was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, marking the start of a five-season stint with the expansion franchise.
With the Blues, he went to the finals three straight seasons. Then in the 1972 expansion, Terry was claimed by the New York Islanders. During his first season on Long Island, Crisp was traded to Philadelphia. Late in the 1972-73 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jean Potvin.
Crisp played on the notorious Philadelphia Flyers teams of the 1970s when they were also known as the Broad Street Bullies. In 1973-74, Terry’s first full season with the Flyers, Crisp and his teammates won the Stanley Cup - the first time in franchise history. In his first full NHL season with St. Terry Crisp played a supporting role in the Philadelphia Flyers' inaugural Stanley Cup victory during the 1973-74 playoffs, appearing in all 16 games as a depth center for the Broad Street Bullies.
He contributed 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points, including the opening goal in a 5-1 Game 1 quarterfinal win over the Atlanta Flames on April 11, 1974. The Flyers repeated the championship in 1974-75, but just two games into the 1976-77 season, Crisp retired and turned to coaching. In the 1974-75 postseason, Crisp aided the Flyers' repeat championship-the first back-to-back titles since the 1960s-by playing in 9 of their 15 playoff games en route to a 4-2 Finals victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
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He tallied 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points, highlighted by the second goal in a 3-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the quarterfinals on April 15, 1975, assisted by Jim Watson and Don Saleski. On the ice, his career spanned 11 seasons in the NHL! Crisp retired following the 1976-77 season at the age of 34 to become the Flyers assistant coach under Fred Shero.
Terry Crisp's NHL playing career, which spanned from 1965 to 1977, saw him accumulate 536 games played, 67 goals, 134 assists, and 201 points, along with a plus/minus rating of +37 and 135 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he appeared in 110 games across nine postseasons, recording 15 goals, 28 assists, and 43 points, with a +15 plus/minus and 40 penalty minutes, contributing to five Stanley Cup Final appearances with the St.
Terry Crisp - NHL Career Stats:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Games Played | 536 |
| Goals | 67 |
| Assists | 134 |
| Points | 201 |
| Plus/Minus | +37 |
| Penalty Minutes | 135 |
Coaching Career
In the 1980s, he coached in the junior ranks and led the 1985 Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds to an undefeated season at home, going 33-0. Crisp was named Coach of the Year in the OHA in 1982-83 and 1984-85 while with the Soo Greyhounds.
During his tenure as head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Terry Crisp earned the Matt Leyden Trophy, awarded annually to the OHL Coach of the Year, on two occasions. He first received the honor in the 1982-83 season after guiding the Greyhounds to a strong regular-season performance and a deep playoff run, culminating in a finals appearance.
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Crisp won the award again in the 1984-85 season, during which the Greyhounds achieved a league-best record of 54 wins in 66 games and captured the J. The club finished first in the Ontario Hockey League with 54 wins, eleven losses, and one tie. The club set a Canadian junior record by winning 33 games in a row at home. The Sault also took the OHL playoff championship, losing just two games, both at home.
In 1979, Crisp advanced to a head coaching position with the Sault Ste. Moving back to the NHL, Terry joined the Calgary Flames in 1987-88, and in his second NHL season as a head coach, he guided the Flames to the Stanley Cup.
Following his OHL success, Crisp was named head coach of the Moncton Golden Flames, the Calgary Flames' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons. In his first year, he led the team to a 40-32-8 record and the division semifinals. The following season, Moncton improved to 47-23-8, winning the division title and reaching the Calder Cup Finals, where they lost to the Sherbrooke Canadiens.
Terry Crisp entered the 1988-89 season as head coach of the Calgary Flames, building on the foundation established during his inaugural year with the team, which had finished first overall in the league with 105 points the previous season. Under Crisp's defensively oriented system, the Flames posted an NHL-best 54-17-9 regular-season record, earning 117 points and clinching the Presidents' Trophy for the second straight year while allowing the fewest goals in the league (250).
In the playoffs, Crisp guided the Flames through a grueling first-round Smythe Division semifinal against the Vancouver Canucks, overcoming an early 0-2 deficit to win the series 4-3 in seven games, highlighted by Joel Otto's overtime goal in Game 7. The Flames then swept the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 in the division finals, with Crisp's adjustments to power-play matchups neutralizing Wayne Gretzky's offense.
Advancing to the Clarence Campbell Conference Finals, Calgary defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1, where Crisp's line shuffling-pairing Gary Roberts with Nieuwendyk for added forechecking pressure-proved decisive in a series that featured overtime drama in Game 4. The Stanley Cup Finals pitted the Flames against the Montreal Canadiens, resulting in a 4-2 series victory for Calgary, clinched on May 25, 1989, with a 4-2 win in Game 6 at the Montreal Forum.
Crisp's coaching decisions were pivotal, including scratching veteran captain Lanny McDonald for the first three games to favor younger legs amid the intense pressure of facing the storied Canadiens, only to reinstate him for Game 6, where McDonald scored the eventual game-winner to cap his career. Crisp later reflected on the emotional weight of the series, noting the challenge of lineup selections in high-stakes moments and the relief of winning on the road in Montreal, a feat not achieved in a decisive Cup game since the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 1989 championship represented the Calgary Flames' first and only Stanley Cup victory, solidifying Crisp's legacy as the coach who delivered the franchise's pinnacle achievement after years of near-misses, including a heartbreaking seven-game loss to Edmonton in 1986. As the first Canadian-based team to win the Cup since Edmonton's 1988 triumph, it marked a significant moment in post-merger NHL history, ending a streak of American dominance in the Finals and becoming the last all-Canadian matchup as of 2025.
After three seasons in Calgary, Crisp was replaced behind the bench. On May 7, 1990, three weeks after the defeat, Crisp was fired. He had received attention in the city due to criticizing his players in public, and he was told to tone down his fiery temper behind the bench due to the complaints from fans of his foul language.
After a brief stint as an assistant for the Canadian Olympic team, Crisp was named the inaugural head coach of the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning on April 23, 1992, by general manager Phil Esposito. In 1992-93, he was hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was hired due to his "pizzazz, some jump, some color" by general manager Phil Esposito in order to help sell tickets along with coach.
Facing the challenges of building a franchise from scratch in a non-traditional hockey market, Crisp guided the Lightning through their early years with a focus on defensive structure to compensate for limited talent. The 1992-93 season resulted in a 23-54-7 record for 53 points, placing sixth in the Norris Division. Progress came gradually; in 1993-94, they improved to 30-43-11 for 71 points, and the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign saw 17-28-3 in 48 games.
The 1995-96 season marked a breakthrough with 38-32-12 for 88 points, earning the franchise's first playoff berth, though they lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers. Crisp adapted his player management to the roster's strengths, incorporating dump-and-chase tactics and a neutral-zone trap to frustrate opponents, as he noted, "I'd love to let my team loose... The Lightning regressed in 1996-97 to 32-40-10 for 74 points, missing the playoffs.
He was head coach from the franchise’s inception through October of 1997, coaching 391 games - the most ever by an expansion coach. They lost plenty of games in the first few years (125 in the first three seasons) before the 1995-96 Tampa Bay Lightning season saw them make the postseason on the final day of the season. They had a record of 38-32-12 and made it as the 8th seed by two points. In the playoffs, they faced the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Lightning won Game 2 in overtime before returning to Tampa to host their first ever playoff games. They won Game 3 in overtime, but the Flyers won the next three games to win the series. They finished 32-40-10 the following year, finishing three points out of a playoff spot. The bottom fell out the next year. They were 2-6-2 going into a matchup against the New York Rangers. They led 3-1 in the third period before the Rangers scored three straight goals to win 4-3. Subsequently, he was fired two days after the game on October 26, and he was replaced by Rick Paterson on an interim basis for six games before Jacques Demers was brought in to coach the rest of the season, which saw them win 17 games for the second time in four seasons.
NHLCA Alumni Coach Panel w/ Scotty Bowman, Darryl Sutter, and Terry Crisp
Broadcasting Career
For a time, Crisp served as a studio analyst/color commentator for NHL on Fox. After coaching, Crisp entered broadcasting as a color analyst for the Nashville Predators starting in their inaugural 1998-99 season, partnering with play-by-play announcer Pete Weber for 16 years before shifting to pre- and postgame shows and announcing his retirement in October 2021, concluding his duties after the 2021-22 season at age 79 and capping a 60-plus-year hockey career.
In 1997, Crisp was hired to serve as the color commentator for the Nashville Predators, working for Fox Sports Tennessee and its successor Bally Sports South alongside play-by-play man Pete Weber. He moved from the broadcasting booth to analyst after the 2013-2014 season. More recently, his career has taken him upstairs to the broadcast booth as a colour analyst where the three-time Stanley Cup winner is currently in his sixth season as the broadcast colour analyst for the Nashville Predators. In addition to working Predators games, Terry has worked as a studio analyst for TSN during the 2000 and 2002 World Championships.
Crisp's commentary chronicled the Predators' evolution from an expansion team struggling for relevance to a perennial contender, with a pinnacle in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Notable broadcasts included his passionate playoff calls during the team's deep runs, such as the 2017 Western Conference Final victory over the Anaheim Ducks, where he highlighted key moments like Filip Forsberg's overtime goal.
Crisp's tenure significantly shaped the Predators' identity in Nashville, fostering a passionate community by making complex hockey concepts accessible and entertaining. Crisp always brings the honesty and unfiltered opinions to the game and how the team is performing. When Crisp is breaking down a play, I listen with full attention because most of the time, I’m going to learn something.
What a decorated and incredible career in hockey for Crisp, and the fact that he landed with the Predators as a broadcaster and analyst is so fortunate for this market. We still get to enjoy the rest of this season with Crisp covering the intermission reports for the Predators’ regional coverage on Bally Sports South. Much like we had Pekka Rinne’s farewell tour last season, this will be another farewell tour for Crisp throughout the rest of the season.
His Predators work earned three regional Emmy Awards in 2003, 2008, and 2010 for outstanding sports broadcasts.
Crisp has been with the Nashville Predators broadcast team from the start in 1998, and quickly became beloved by everyone in area as we learned this complex sport called hockey. And it seems like Crisp has accomplished everything he could’ve wanted to in this sport in so many different ways. We were able to start with a new franchise and watch it grow, all while having a lot of fun in a wonderful city.” -Terry Crisp on his retirement decision
