Jim Playfair

James Playfair (born May 22, 1964) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. He is a former NHL ice hockey player and a former head coach of the Calgary Flames. He served as an associate coach for the Arizona Coyotes from 2011 to 2017, and for the Edmonton Oilers from 2019 to 2022.

Jim Playfair
Born (1964-05-22) May 22, 1964
Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks
Coached for Calgary Flames
NHL Draft 20th overall, 1982
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1983–1992
Coaching career 1993–2022

Playing career

Before making the NHL, Playfair played for the Fort Saskatchewan Traders located just north of Edmonton. He played for the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks over the course of his career. His older brother Larry Playfair shares a lot of the same characteristics - both were drafted in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft (Larry in 1978 and Jim in 1982), and both played junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. However, Larry played in 688 career NHL games; Jim for 21.

Coaching career

Jim Playfair became the head coach of the Calgary Flames on July 12, 2006, a promotion from his role as an assistant coach and replacing Darryl Sutter who previously had been both head coach and general manager.[1] Sutter continued as general manager of the Flames. Playfair was also previously the head coach of the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League, where he coached the "Baby Flames" to a Calder Cup championship in 2001. He previously lived in Calgary, Alberta with his wife Roxane, and their three sons Dylan, Jackson, and Austyn.

On June 14, 2007, Playfair was replaced as head coach of the Calgary Flames by Mike Keenan, formerly of the Florida Panthers. In his first and only season as head coach of the Flames, the team went 43–29–10 which was good enough for the eighth and final playoff spot. The team went on to be eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round 4–2.

On June 5, 2009, Playfair began his second stint as a head coach in the American Hockey League after being named the head coach of the Abbotsford Heat (Calgary Flames affiliate). In his two seasons at the helm, Playfair led the Heat to a 77–61–9–13 record (176 points). In 2009–10, he guided the Heat to the North Division finals, falling to the Hamilton Bulldogs in six games. On March 27, 2010, during one of the division final games against the Bulldogs, Playfair lost his temper and broke two hockey sticks due to penalty calls; an incident which received a half million views on YouTube in three days and for which Playfair has apologized.[2]

He was hired as the associate coach of the Arizona Coyotes on June 13, 2011. On June 27, 2017 the Coyotes and Playfair mutually parted ways. In June 2019, he was hired as an associate coach for the Edmonton Oilers. Playfair was fired by the Oilers in February 2022, along with head coach Dave Tippett.[3]


Personal life

He is the father of actor Dylan Playfair,[4] known for his role as Reilly in Letterkenny as well as Gil the Pirate in The Descendants trilogy on The Disney Channel.

Career statistics

Playing career
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1980–81 Fort Saskatchewan Traders AJHL 31 2 17 19 105 — — — — —
1981–82 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 70 4 13 17 121 15 1 2 3 21
1982–83 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 63 8 27 35 218 14 0 5 5 16
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 2 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
1983–84 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 16 5 6 11 38 — — — — —
1983–84 Calgary Wranglers WHL 46 6 9 15 96 4 0 1 1 2
1984–85 Nova Scotia Oilers AHL 41 0 4 4 107 — — — — —
1985–86 Nova Scotia Oilers AHL 73 2 12 14 160 — — — — —
1986–87 Nova Scotia Oilers AHL 60 1 21 22 82 — — — — —
1987–88 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 12 1 3 4 21 — — — — —
1987–88 Saginaw Hawks IHL 50 5 21 26 133 — — — — —
1988–89 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 7 0 0 0 28 — — — — —
1988–89 Saginaw Hawks IHL 23 3 6 9 73 6 0 2 2 20
1989–90 Indianapolis Ice IHL 67 7 24 31 137 14 1 5 6 24
1990–91 Indianapolis Ice IHL 23 3 4 7 31 — — — — —
1991–92 Indianapolis Ice IHL 23 1 1 2 53 — — — — —
NHL totals 21 2 4 6 51 — — — — —
AHL totals 174 3 37 40 349 — — — — —
IHL totals 186 19 56 75 427 20 1 7 8 44

NHL
YearTeamLeagueRegular seasonPost season
GWLOTLPtsFinishResult
2006–07CalgaryNHL 82432910963rd in NorthwestLost in First Round (DET)

Minor leagues
YearTeamLeagueRegular seasonPost season
GWLTOTLPtsFinishResult
1993–94DaytonECHL 682931—8665th in NorthLost in First Round (TOL)
1994–95DaytonECHL 684217—9932nd in NorthLost in Second Round (GBM)
1995–96DaytonECHL 703528—7775th in NorthLost in First Round (TOL)
2000–01Saint JohnAHL 804424751001st in CanadianWon Calder Cup (WBS)
2001–02Saint JohnAHL 802934134755th in CanadianMissed Playoffs
2002–03Saint JohnAHL 32101921(71)Promoted to NHL midseason

4 playoff appearances, 1 Calder Cup title

See also

References
  1. Archived March 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. The Province Story(Vancouver Newspaper
  3. "Jay Woodcroft takes over as Oilers head coach, replacing Dave Tippett". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  4. "What it's really like to grow up the child of a pro hockey player or coach".
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