‘What the hell did I get myself into here?’: Doug MacLean on ‘Game Day,’ being an NHL GM and hockey’s evolution

Nov 1, 2026, 12:27 PM ET|Comments (0)

from Daily Faceoff, by Hunter Crowther,

TORONTO — Doug MacLean has worked nearly every job you can in the game of hockey, but he carries one accomplishment no one else has: the first employee in Columbus Blue Jackets history.

The Ohio city was awarded an NHL franchise in June 1997, just over a year after MacLean, then the head coach of another recent expansion team in the Florida Panthers , led the team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He was fired by the Panthers 23 games into the 1997-98 season. But three months later, he was the Blue Jackets’ first-ever hire, being named general manager in February 1998.

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