Lane Douglas Lambert (born November 18, 1964) is a Canadian professional

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 who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

for the

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

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). Drafted 25th overall in the second round of the

1983 NHL Entry Draft The 1983 NHL entry draft was the 21st NHL entry draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983. The NHL entry draft is the primary means by which players arrive in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis Blues ...

, Lambert played 283 games in the NHL for the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, and

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

between 1983 and 1989.

Coaching career

Lambert was hired as the head coach of 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 ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) in July 2007, a position he held until he was promoted as an assistant coach for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

on June 9, 2011. He was also an assistant coach with the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

during their 2018 Stanley Cup run, however he signed with 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 ...

after head coach

Barry Trotz Barry Trotz (born July 15, 1962) is a Canadian ice hockey executive, former player and coach. He is the general manager for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to that, he served as an advisor to General Manager Da ...

signed with the team in 2018. After Trotz's firing following the 2021–22 season, on May 16, 2022, Lambert was promoted to head coach of the Islanders. The Islanders fired Lambert on January 20, 2024, after the team started the 2023–24 season with a 19–15–11 record and were out of playoff contention at that time. On June 5, 2024, the

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 ...

announced that Lambert had been hired as an associate coach. On May 29, 2025, the

named Lambert the third head coach in the franchise's history.

Awards

* WHL Second All-Star Team – 1983

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Head coaching record

Personal life

Lambert was born in

Melfort, Saskatchewan Melfort ( 2016 population 5,992) is a city in Saskatchewan, Canada, located approximately southeast of Prince Albert, northeast of Saskatoon and north of Regina. Melfort became Saskatchewan's 12th city in 1980. Melfort was formerly called ...

. His wife died on September 16, 2015, from breast cancer. They had one daughter together and Lambert has another daughter from a previous marriage. Lambert has two brothers, Dale and Ross, who also played ice hockey. His nephew Jimmy played for the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, while his other nephew,

Brad Brad may refer to: * Brad (given name), a masculine given name Places * Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania * Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania * Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania * ...

, was selected 30th overall by the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Lane 1964 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey forwards Cleveland Lumberjacks players Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Düsseldorfer EG players Halifax Citadels players HC Ajoie players HC La Chaux-de-Fonds players Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Milwaukee Admirals coaches Nashville Predators coaches New Haven Nighthawks players New York Islanders coaches New York Rangers players Sportspeople from Melfort, Saskatchewan Prince George Cougars coaches Quebec Nordiques players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Saskatoon Blades players SC Langnau players Seattle Kraken coaches Stanley Cup champions Swift Current Broncos players Washington Capitals coaches