Al Sims

Allan Eugene Sims (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian former professional hockey player and head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played ten seasons in the NHL between 1973 and 1983 with the Boston Bruins, Hartford Whalers, Los Angeles Kings. He featured in three Stanley Cup Finals with the Bruins (1974, 1977, 1978).

Al Sims
Born	(1953-04-18) April 18, 1953 (age 71) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins Hartford Whalers Los Angeles Kings
NHL draft	47th overall, 1973 Boston Bruins
WHA draft	16th overall, 1973 New York Golden Blades
Playing career	1973–1989

After retiring he turned to coaching, and remained in this role from 1988 to 2016 in various minor leagues. Sims also served as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks in the NHL during the 1996-97 season.

Playing career

In 1972, Sims was the second-round (and first-ever) draft pick of the New York Raiders of the World Hockey Association, but chose to sign with the Boston Bruins who had drafted him in the third round. At Cornwall, Ontario, in Junior Hockey he had played with Bob Murray, a rushing defenceman. When he played for Boston he was paired for two years with the greatest rushing defenceman of all time, Bobby Orr. He played for Boston and its American Hockey League affiliate for six seasons, and then for the Hartford Whalers for the next two.

 

Sims with the Boston Bruins

Coaching career

After Sims' retirement from the NHL, he played and coached hockey with Fife Flyers in Scotland. Later he coached in the International League and won the Turner Cup with the Fort Wayne Komets in 1993. Sims was named assistant coach under Ron Wilson with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1993-1996^[1] before he became head coach of the San Jose Sharks for the 1996–97 NHL season.

Sims then became head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL for three years, from 1998 to 2000, moved on to the Central Hockey League for four years and to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as an assistant coach for a year. In 2007–2008, Sims coached the Fort Wayne Komets of the new IHL to his second Turner Cup championship, beating the Port Huron Icehawks 4 games to 3 after a triple-OT seventh and deciding game. After that, he led them to another Turner Cup in the 2008–09 season. In the following year (2009–10), Sims led the Komets to their third straight (and his personal fourth straight, counting the 1992–93 season) Turner Cup. With the team returning to the CHL after the IHL dissolved, it was eliminated in the second round of the 2010-11 postseason before winning the league in 2011–12. However, the Komets failed to make the postseason in 2012–13, with the team in the ECHL, his final season as their head coach. Sims' final minor league head coaching job came with the Evansville IceMen of the ECHL; he took over during the 2014–15 season and coached them in 2015–16, failing to make the postseason either year. The team was declared dormant in 2016–17 in preparation for moving elsewhere, which turned out to be Jacksonville, Florida in 2017–18, and a new head coach took over.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	Cornwall Royals	QMJHL		58	6	24	30	65		16	2	9	11	15
1971–72	Cornwall Royals	MC		—	—	—	—	—		3	0	0	0	2
1972–73	Cornwall Royals	QMJHL		62	13	62	75	54		12	2	5	7	8
1973–74	Boston Bruins	NHL		76	3	9	12	22		16	0	0	0	12
1974–75	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	4	8	12	73		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	4	3	7	43		1	0	0	0	0
1975–76	Rochester Americans	AHL		21	4	5	9	12		7	1	4	5	11
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		2	0	0	0	0
1976–77	Rochester Americans	AHL		80	10	32	42	42		12	2	9	11	12
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		43	2	8	10	6		8	0	0	0	0
1977–78	Rochester Americans	AHL		31	6	13	19	12		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		67	9	20	29	28		11	0	2	2	0
1978–79	Rochester Americans	AHL		3	0	1	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Hartford Whalers	NHL		76	10	31	41	30		3	0	0	0	2
1980–81	Hartford Whalers	NHL		80	16	36	52	68		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		8	1	1	2	16		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		51	4	27	31	53		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		76	18	50	68	46		12	3	3	6	10
1984–85	Genève–Servette HC	SUI–2		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	EV Landshut	GER		16	8	12	20	28		4	0	4	4	10
1984–85	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		13	3	6	9	2		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	BSC Preussen	GER–2		45	27	47	74	106		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Fife Flyers	GBR		36	52	86	138	95		5	6	11	17	0
1987–88	Fife Flyers	GBR		30	33	42	75	51		6	5	11	16	2
1988–89	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		61	7	30	37	32		6	2	2	4	2
NHL totals				475	49	116	165	286		41	0	2	2	14
AHL totals				275	45	134	179	171		31	6	16	22	33

NHL coaching statistics

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
SJ	1996-97	82	27	47	8	62	7th in Pacific	Missed Playoffs

Personal

Sims' son Tyler was the starting goaltender of the Providence College Friars in Hockey East (2004 to 2008), and a reserve goalie for several minor league teams (2007 to 2011).

References

1. Robyn Norwood (June 7, 2012). "Sims Hopes to Add Heat to Rivalry With Ducks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2012.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Jim Wiley

Head coach of the San Jose Sharks 1996-97

Succeeded by Darryl Sutter