Jack C. Capuano Jr. (born July 7, 1966) is an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach and former player. He is a former head coach of the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He is currently an associate coach for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

of the

(NHL). Capuano played as a

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

and spent parts of three seasons in the NHL in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is the older brother of former NHL hockey player Dave Capuano.

Playing career

Capuano played high school hockey at the

Kent School Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12. Kent was one of the first schools ...

in Kent, Connecticut and was a 5th round selection (88th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played his college hockey at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

. At Maine, he was a teammate of his younger brother Dave Capuano and played on the same blueline as future NHLers Eric Weinrich and Bob Beers along with future

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

General Manager, Dave Nonis. He enjoyed a decorated college career, earning First-Team All-American honors in his junior year. His 32 goals remains the most ever by a Black Bear defenseman. Capuano turned pro in 1988 following his junior year and signed with the Maple Leafs. He spent his first season with the

Newmarket Saints The Newmarket Saints were a minor league hockey team in Newmarket, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1986 to 1991 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ray Twinney Complex. After the 1985–86 season, the Toront ...

of the AHL recording 21 points in 74 games. He would crack the Leafs' NHL roster for the 1989–90 season, but played in only 1 game before Tom Kurvers returned from a holdout, forcing his demotion. Shortly after his demotion, he walked out on the Saints and demanded a trade, feeling he belonged in the NHL. Toronto would deal Capuano to the

mid-season, but they too assigned him to the AHL. He played only 17 games in the Islanders' system before being dealt again, this time to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

. Capuano would have his finest professional season in 1990–91, recording 20 goals and 50 points and earning 2nd-team All-Star honors in the IHL playing for the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

, Vancouver's minor-pro affiliate. He received a three-game callup to the Canucks, where he received the opportunity to play with his brother Dave. The two became the first pair of brothers in Canucks history to suit up for the team at the same time. Capuano signed as a free agent with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

for the 1991–92 season. He enjoyed another solid season in the AHL, and another two games of NHL action with the Bruins, but chose to retire at the end of the season. He finished his career having appeared in 6 NHL games without recording a point.

Coaching career

Following his career as a player, Capuano moved into coaching. He served as an assistant coach with the

Tallahassee Tiger Sharks The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played in Tallahassee, Florida, from 1994 to 2001 as members of the East Coast Hockey League. The Tiger Sharks home rink was the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Cent ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

before being hired as head coach of the ECHL's Pee Dee Pride in 1997 and added the GM title to his responsibilities a year later. He left the bench in 1999 but continued as GM until 2005, when the franchise folded. Capuano then signed on to be an assistant coach for the

in the 2005–06 season. The team played fairly well, despite a midseason coaching change, but failed to make the playoffs. The following season, 2006–07, Capuano became an assistant coach for the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

. On April 30, 2007, Capuano was named head coach of the Sound Tigers for the 2007–2008 season. On November 15, 2010, Capuano was named interim head coach of the Islanders after head coach Scott Gordon was fired from that position by GM Garth Snow amidst a 10-game losing streak by the team. The Islanders retained Capuano as the full-time coach for the 2011–12 season. Capuano led the Islanders to a playoff spot in 2013, their first appearance in six years. On April 27, 2016, Capuano was hit by a puck during a

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

game between the New York Islanders and

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. On January 17, 2017, Capuano was relieved from his duties as the head coach by the Islanders. In 2017-18 and 2018–19, Capuano served as associate coach for Florida Panthers On June 6, 2019, Capuano was named associate coach of the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

and remained in this role through the 2023-24 season. On July 1, 2024, Capuano was named associate coach of the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

NHL coaching statistics

Awards and honours

* Holds Maine Black Bears record for career goals by a defenseman (32, 1985–88) * IHL Second All-Star Team (1990–91) * Coached Team USA/World in

ECHL All-Star Game The ECHL All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that traditionally marks the midway point of the ECHL's regular season, with many of the league's star players playing against each other. The starting lineup for the teams, including the star ...

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capuano, Jack 1966 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American expatriate ice hockey people in Canada American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen Boston Bruins players Florida Panthers coaches Ice hockey coaches from Rhode Island Kent School alumni Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey players Maine Mariners (AHL) players Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players Newmarket Saints players New York Islanders coaches Sportspeople from Cranston, Rhode Island Ice hockey people from Providence County, Rhode Island Springfield Indians players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players United States men's national ice hockey team coaches Vancouver Canucks players Ice hockey players from Rhode Island 20th-century American sportsmen