Mike Keenan’s first seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers were a huge success, as the team reached the Stanley Cup Final twice. But after being fired in 1988, he learned just how sneaky the NHL business can be.
Mike Keenan is one of the most successful coaches in NHL history, with 672 regular-season wins and one Stanley Cup championship, which he won with the New York Rangers in 1994. He also made a name for himself as one of the toughest coaches the league has ever seen, earning the nickname “Iron Mike.”
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Reached two Stanley Cup finals
Keenan began his NHL coaching career with the Flyers, leading them all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season, 1984–85. The Flyers fell 4–1 to the Edmonton Oilers. During Keenan’s four seasons in Philadelphia, the team reached the Final once more, in 1987, again losing to the Oilers. Following the 1987–88 season, Keenan was fired.
How Mike Keenan got fired
In his book Iron Mike: My Life Behind the Bench, Keenan recalls how it all unfolded when he lost his job.
“Twenty-five days after the season ended, GM Bobby Clarke called me and asked to meet the next day. I walked into my office, and he was sitting in my chair behind my desk. He said, ‘Mike, we gotta fire you.’ I started to cry. F*ck. As much as I knew it could happen, I sure wasn’t ready for it. We’d had a tough season, but we’d also gone to two Stanley Cup Finals, won three division titles, finished first overall once, and dealt with Pelle’s death,” Keenan writes.
Wanted the car back
Heartbroken after being fired, Keenan also learned a thing or two about how the NHL business really works.
“Mr. Snider (club owner)R didn’t say a word to me, but he did tell Eagleson that he wanted back the Mercedes he had given me after I took the team to the Finals in my first season. Eagleson said, ‘Do you realize how bad you’re going to look when I tell the media you’re taking the car back?’ Turns out he had leased the car,” Keenan writes.
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