Kevin Constantine

Kevin Lars Constantine (born December 27, 1958) has coached teams in the NHL, IHL, and several major junior hockey leagues. He is currently coach of the Houston Aeros in the AHL.
==Playing career==
Born in International Falls, Minnesota, Constantine was drafted as a goaltender by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 NHL Draft, and played six games of collegiate hockey for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He left RPI as a junior and finished his degree at the University of Nevada, Reno.
==Coaching career==
Constantine made a name for himself as a head coach in the late 1980s and early 1990s by guiding the Rochester Mustangs of the USHL and the Kansas City Blades of the IHL to winning records, as well as coaching the 1991 U.S. National Junior team to its (then) best-ever record at the World Junior Championships. Having found success at lower levels, he was hired as head coach of the San Jose Sharks for the 1993-1994 season: under his guidance, the team set an NHL record for largest improvement by finishing 58 points higher in the standings than it had the previous season. Between 1993 and 2002, Constantine would coach the Sharks, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils, earning a record of 159–153–66. He is the only coach in NHL history to take two eighth-seeded teams to first-round Stanley Cup playoff upsets (San Jose over the Detroit Red Wings in 1994 and Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 1999).
In 2001, he founded the Pittsburgh Forge, a new entry in the NAHL. In two seasons as the team's general manager and co-coach, Constantine amassed a record of 80–24–8 -- the Forge won the NAHL regular season championship in 2002. After the 2002-2003 season, Constantine left Pittsburgh to be hired by the WHL expansion team, the Everett Silvertips. In their first year, the Silvertips broke the record for best season ever by a first-year team in the major junior hockey leagues (the WHL, OHL and QMJHL), winning the U.S. Division Championship—they continued to set records, winning three straight playoff rounds to claim the Western Conference Championship and advance to the WHL Final against the Medicine Hat Tigers, where they lost 4–0.
On May 29, 2007, Constantine was named the head coach of the AHL's Houston Aeros.
==NHL Coaching Record==
Team 	Year 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season 	Post season	Post season	Post season	Post season
Team 	Year 	G 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	Pts 	Finish 	W 	L 	Win % 	Result
SJ 	1993-94 	84 	33 	35 	16 	- 	82 	3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Pacific 	7 	7 	.500 	Lost in Second Round
SJ 	1994-95 	48 	19 	25 	4 	- 	42 	3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Pacific 	4 	7 	.364 	Lost in Second Round
SJ 	1995-96 	25 	3 	18 	4 	- 	4 	7<SUP>th</SUP> in Pacific 	- 	- 	- 	(fired)
PIT 	1997-98 	82 	40 	24 	18 	- 	98 	1<SUP>st</SUP> in Northeast	2 	4 	.333 	Lost in First Round
PIT 	1998-99 	82 	38 	30 	4 	- 	90 	3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Northeast	6 	7 	.462 	Lost in Second Round
PIT 	1999-00 	25 	8 	10 	3 	4 	(88) 	3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Northeast	— 	— 	— 	(fired)
NJ 	2001-02 	31 	20 	8 	2 	1 	(95) 	3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Atlantic 	2 	4 	.333 	Lost in First Round
Career Total	Career Total	377 	161 	150 	61 	5 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Awards==
Constantine has been the recipient of USA Hockey's Distinguished Achievement Award: USA Hockey is the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States, and the award recognizes a U.S. citizen who has made a major contribution to hockey in the United States.
He was a finalist for the 1994 Jack Adams Award for top NHL coach.
 
He won the 1991–1992 Commissioner's Trophy.
Constantine also was awarded the Coach of the Year award by the WHL in 2004.
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1958
Category:Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Category:San Jose Sharks coaches
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins coaches
Category:New Jersey Devils coaches
Category:R.P.I. Engineers players
Category:Kansas City Blades coaches
Category:American ice hockey coaches