Joel Quenneville reaches 1,000 wins, becomes second Nhl coach to hit milestone
Cutter Gauthier’s late backdoor goal with 1: 14 remaining lifted the Anaheim Ducks to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Honda Center on Wednesday, handing coach Joel Quenneville his 1, 000th nhl regular-season win. The result matters because it puts Quenneville alongside Scotty Bowman in an exclusive position in league history and marks a milestone in his first season with Anaheim.
Quenneville's Nhl 1, 000th win
Quenneville’s career mark now stands at 1, 000-595-153, with 77 ties included in that total; he reached the milestone when Gauthier scored late to complete the 6-5 comeback. He joins Scotty Bowman, who compiled 1, 244 wins (listed in records as 1, 244-573-10 with 314 ties), as the only NHL coaches to reach four digits in victories. Quenneville is 67 years old and has accumulated his record over 26 seasons; he coached 77 tie games before the league adopted the shootout in 2005-06.
Cutter Gauthier's late goal at Honda Center
Gauthier’s go-ahead tally came after Leo Carlsson set him up, and it broke a back-and-forth game that had seen Anaheim erase two separate two-goal deficits. The goal came with 1: 14 left on the clock and produced the final margin in a contest decided inside Honda Center. Quenneville said he wasn’t prioritizing the number and had been focused on finding a way to win the night, calling the game “very special. ”
Leo Carlsson's return and contributions
Leo Carlsson, making his first appearance after missing 11 games while recovering from a procedure to treat a left thigh injury, had a goal and two assists for Anaheim and set up the go-ahead goal. His return coincided with the Ducks’ late rally and contributed directly to the victory; his scoring and playmaking provided a tangible boost to a club that is 10-2-0 over its past 12 games.
Edmonton Oilers' fast start and season skid
The Oilers opened the scoring 13 seconds into the game when Matt Savoie made a stretch pass to Jack Roslovic, who snapped a goal from the left circle. Connor McDavid recovered a loose puck behind the Anaheim net and fed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a 2-0 lead at 9: 03, and Matt Savoie finished with three points (a goal and two assists). Yet Edmonton surrendered the lead and fell 6-5, dropping to a 28-23-8 record and suffering a season-high four-game losing streak. Savoie characterized the game as hard-fought and said both sides traded chances.
Goalies, special teams and comeback details
Lukas Dostal made 22 saves for Anaheim. Tristan Jarry started for Edmonton and made 20 saves before being replaced in the third period by Connor Ingram, who recorded three saves. Anaheim produced its NHL-leading eighth multigoal comeback victory and pushed its home streak to six straight wins. Alex Killorn tied the game 2-2 at 3: 01 of the second period after stopping a short-handed rush and converting a rebound while still on the power play, and Ian Moore cut the deficit to 2-1 at 10: 30 of the first by stepping into a puck that banked off the boards and firing a one-timer from the right circle.
Quenneville's career arc and team context
Quenneville is in his first season with the Ducks after being hired on May 8, 2025, a hiring that came 10 months after he was reinstated by the NHL. He had been out of the league since 2021, when the NHL determined he had provided an “inadequate response” to allegations of sexual assault within the Chicago Blackhawks during his tenure there. His coaching career includes early head-coaching stints with the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche, a highly successful run with the Chicago Blackhawks that included three Stanley Cup championships, and a later tenure with the Florida Panthers that ended in his 2021 resignation.
Teammates and players who have worked under him praised his impact: Jacob Trouba called Quenneville a breath of fresh air and said he was happy for the coach, while Radko Gudas — who played for Quenneville in Florida — said the coach’s understanding of the game and ability to balance moment-to-moment needs with long-term management are rare and invaluable qualities.
Bowman’s 1, 244-win benchmark will likely remain difficult to reach; it would take Quenneville at least five more seasons to match that total at his current pace. Paul Maurice, with 945 wins, is the active coach nearest behind Quenneville on the all-time list. What makes this notable is that the milestone came in a tightly contested, post-Olympic game: it was the first matchup for both teams after the break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and the timing underscored the Ducks’ resilience and Quenneville’s return to the bench as a pivotal factor in his career resurgence.
Unclear in the provided context: the fragment "Detroit Red Wings" appears in records but lacks surrounding detail and is unclear in the provided context.
