Phil Housley

**Phil Housley** (born on March 9, 1964 in Saint Paul, Minnesota) is an American professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was also the head coach for the Sabres from 2017 to 2019.

Housley was drafted 6th overall by Buffalo in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

Phil is the second leading scorer amongst American-born players, with 1,232 points (338–894). He held the record for most points by an American-born NHL player until Mike Modano surpassed it on November 7, 2007.

He never won the Stanley Cup, coming closest with the Capitals in 1998, where they were swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Detroit Red Wings. At the time of retirement, Phil had played more NHL games without winning the Stanley Cup than any other player in NHL history until the retirement of Shane Doan in 2017.

On January 21, 2000, he played in his 1,257th NHL game, the most ever at the time by an American, breaking the record held by Craig Ludwig.

He went on to play in 1,495 NHL games. He held the record for games played by an American-born player for nearly seven years, until it was broken on November 24, 2006 by Chris Chelios.

Phil was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2015.

On February 7, 2007, he was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame, commemorated in a pre-game ceremony with former head coach Scotty Bowman on hand.

## Coaching Career

From 2004 to 2013, Phil coached high school hockey at Stillwater Area High School in Stillwater, Minnesota, helping to rebuild the program to respectability. From 2013 to 2017, he was an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators, working primarily with defensemen.

On January 5, 2013, he coached Team USA to the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World U20 Championship in Ufa, Russia. He had served as an assistant coach on Team USA's 2007 and 2011 appearances in the World Juniors.

On June 15, 2017, it was announced that Phil was hired by the Buffalo Sabres as their new head coach. He led the Sabres to a 31st-place finish in his first season and saw the Sabres attain a 10-game winning streak early in his second season before the team collapsed down the stretch. he was fired by the Sabres after the 2018–19 season on April 7, 2019.

On June 26, 2019, it was announced that Phil signed a multi-year contract as assistant coach for the Arizona Coyotes. For the Coyotes, he serves as defensive coordinator and power play coach.

## International Play

* 1984 Canada Cup (fourth place)
* 1987 Canada Cup (fifth place)
* 1996 World Cup of Hockey (first place)
* Ice Hockey World Championships: 1982 (eight place), 1986 (sixth place), 1989 (sixth place), 2000 (fifth place), 2001 (fourth place), 2003 (13th place)
* IIHF World U20 Championship: 2013 (Head Coach - Gold Medal)
* 2013 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships (Assistant Coach- Bronze Medal)

## Accolades

* Member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (2004)
* NHL All-Rookie Team (1983)
* NHL Second All-Star Team (1992)
* Played in NHL All-Star Game (1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000)
* Second runner-up Norris Trophy (1992)
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2015)

## Personal Life

Phil grew up in South St. Paul, Minnesota. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Karin Housley, a Minnesota state senator and Republican nominee for the 2018 special election for United States Senate in Minnesota.

The Housleys have four grown children and reside in St. Marys Point, Minnesota.