Pascal Vincent
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Pascal Vincent (born September 22, 1971) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who currently serves as the head coach for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). He is a two-time recipient of the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as outstanding AHL coach, having won the award for the 2017–18 and 2024–25 seasons.
After success in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he was named both general manager of the year and coach of the year while overseeing the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Vincent joined the NHL's Winnipeg Jets organization as an assistant coach in 2011, before taking over their AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose from 2016 to 2021. After two years as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he was named their head coach prior to the start of the 2023–24 season when coach Mike Babcock resigned, but was subsequently fired at season's end, having finished last in the Metropolitan Division.
Playing career
Vincent made his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) debut as a centre in the 1988–89 season with the St. Jean Castors. He played three additional seasons in the QMJHL between St. Jean, the Laval Titan, Verdun Collège Français, and the Granby Bisons before completing his junior career in 1992. Vincent then played a single season in the ECHL with the Knoxville Cherokees before retiring from active play following the 1992–93 ECHL season.
Coaching and executive career
Vincent began his coaching career as an assistant coach of the Saint-Jean Lynx of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and then as the head coach of the Laval-Laurentides-Lanaudiere (LLL) Regents of the Quebec AAA Midget Hockey League (QMAAA). Vincent originally joined the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as an assistant coach for the 1999–2000 QMJHL season before becoming head coach shortly thereafter. He then assumed the role as the team's general manager in 2001.
Vincent was the recipient of the 2007 Maurice Filion Trophy as the QMJHL's top general manager, and the 2008 Ron Lapointe Trophy as the league's top coach. Following the 2007–08 QMJHL season, he joined the recently relocated Montreal Junior Hockey Club as head coach and general manager.
On July 22, 2011, Vincent was named an assistant coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). After five years in that role, the Jets promoted him to head coach of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose in 2016. At the conclusion of the 2017–18 AHL season, he won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as Most Outstanding Coach. Vincent stepped down from his position with the Moose to join the coaching staff of the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 24, 2021.
On September 17, 2023, Vincent was named head coach of the Blue Jackets, following the preseason resignation of Mike Babcock. After only one season as head coach, he was fired on June 17, 2024.
On July 16, 2024, Vincent was named head coach of his hometown Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. His impact on the team was instantaneous, with the Rocket posting a franchise record seven consecutive wins to begin the 2024–25 season. He was inducted into the Laval Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2024. The Rocket would have the best season in franchise history to date, winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions for the first time. In recognition of his work, Vincent received his second Pieri Award as AHL coach of the year.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1988–89 | St. Jean Castors | QMJHL | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | St. Jean Lynx | QMJHL | 70 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 64 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 1991–92 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 53 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Verdun College-Francais | QMJHL | 17 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| 1992–93 | Granby Bisons | QMJHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Knoxville Cherokees | ECHL | 57 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| QMJHL totals | 254 | 16 | 42 | 58 | 105 | 32 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 22 | ||
| ECHL totals | 57 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| CBJ | 2023–24 | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | 66 | 8th in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Total | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | — | — | — |
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from , or
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byTed Nolan | Maurice Filion Trophy 2006–07 | Succeeded byJacques Beaulieu |
| Preceded byClément Jodoin | Ron Lapointe Trophy 2007–08 | Succeeded byDanny Flynn |
| Preceded byRoy Sommer Todd Nelson | Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award 2017–18 2024–25 | Succeeded byMike Vellucci Most recent |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded byKeith McCambridge | Head coach of the Manitoba Moose 2016–2021 | Succeeded byMark Morrison |
| Preceded byMike Babcock | Head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets 2023–2024 | Succeeded byDean Evason |
| Preceded byJean-François Houle | Head coach of the Laval Rocket 2024–present | Succeeded byIncumbent |