 Michael Keenan, born Oct. 21, 1949, in Whitby, Ontario, has carved out one of the most interesting coaching careers in NHL history, marked equally by success and controversy. He is a demanding, old-school type of coach whose style has alienated players and administrators at various stops in his career, but he has also piled up more victories than all but four other coaches in history, as well as a Stanley Cup championship, four Finals appearances, three Presidents' Trophies and six divisional titles. As well, Keenan is in the top five among coaches in all-time games coached and playoff wins. The Florida Panthers are the seventh team Keenan has coached, and he is ther sixth coach. He arrived with 539-406-124 record, a career winning percentage of .562. In a career that began in 1984, Keenan's l seasons he has never missed the playoffs and had only two teams finish below the .500 mark. Keenan ranks among the league's all-time leaders in coaching victories. He has also led teams to a first-place overall finish in three seasons (1985, 1991 and 1994), captured six division titles and coached in three NHL All-Star Games. Only three coaches have coached or won more playoff games than Keenan. Keenan's greatest accomplishment is easy to identify: Leading the New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup in his lone year with the team. It was one of the toughest coaching assignments in professional sports, and Keenan rose to the occasion in grand style. A remarkable 1993-94 season saw the Rangers finish first overall in the NHL and snap a 54-year-old Stanley Cup drought. Under Keenan, New York set franchise records with 52 victories and 112 points. New York was Keenan's third stop in the NHL, a full decade into a career that began with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984. His coaching roots go farther back than that, as he honed his craft at several levels before getting the big NHL break at age 34. Keenan moved on to Vancouver where he was named coach two months into the 1997-98 season, but the Canucks never reached .500 under him. Keenan was fired in January, 1999, and become a television analyst until the Bruins tabbed him to replace Pat Burns in October, 2000. He was not rehired by Boston after the season and returned to broadcasting until the Panthers named him coach on December 3, 2001.
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