Bill Gilligan
Encyclopedia
Bill Gilligan is an American professional ice hockey
coach
. He is also a former professional ice hockey winger
who played in 128 World Hockey Association
regular season games with the Cincinnati Stingers
between 1977 and 1979 before moving to Europe.
(NCAA), Hampton Gulls
(AHL
), Vienna EV
and Klagenfurt AC
in Austria
and EHC Chur
in Switzerland
. He was also a member of Team USA in the 1978 and 1983 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments.
, where he won 4 Championships in a row right away. From season 1988/89 to season 1991/1992 Gilligan was head coach of Swiss
ice hockey team SC Bern
. He won 3 NLA Championships and was one time runners up in 4 years. He later was head coach of the Swiss U-20 national ice hockey team and together with John Sletvoll also of the Swiss national team
. From 1994 - 1998, Gilligan was Sports Director
of SC Bern and then returned to the US to work as assistant coach for the hockey team of University of Massachusetts Amherst
, the Massachusetts Minutemen and as a scout
for NHL
team Los Angeles Kings
.
For season 2005/06 he came back to Switzerland as head coach for NLA team Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
. He is also the team's head coach for 2006/07 season.
In 2008 was named as Head Coach from Graz 99ers
, in the 2009/2010 season Graz won the playoff qualification for the first time. Since autumn 2009 Gilligan coaches as well the Austrian national team.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach
Coach (ice hockey)
Coach in ice hockey is the person responsible for directing the team during games and practices, prepares strategy and decides which players will participate in games....
. He is also a former professional ice hockey winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played in 128 World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
regular season games with the Cincinnati Stingers
Cincinnati Stingers
The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in...
between 1977 and 1979 before moving to Europe.
Playing career
In addition to the WHA Stingers, Bill Gilligan played for Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
(NCAA), Hampton Gulls
Hampton Gulls
The Hampton Gulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Hampton, Virginia and were a farm team for the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA. The Gulls were a member of the Southern Hockey League for three seasons from 1974–75 to 1976–77, and the American Hockey League for one season in 1977–78...
(AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
), Vienna EV
Wiener EV
Wiener EV is an ice hockey team in Vienna, Austria. They were founded in 1914 , and have won fourteen national titles.-Achievements:*Austrian champion : 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1948, 1962...
and Klagenfurt AC
EC KAC
EC KAC is a professional ice hockey team in the Austrian Erste Bank Hockey League. The team plays their home games in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria at Stadthalle Klagenfurt...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and EHC Chur
EHC Chur
Eishockey Club Chur is a Swiss professional ice hockey team.-Not to be Forgotten:* Ken Baumgartner* Renato Tosio* Fausto Mazzoleni* Dino Kessler* Thomas Vrabec* Harijs Vitolinsh-External links:*...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He was also a member of Team USA in the 1978 and 1983 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments.
Coaching career
He first became coach in 1984 in Klagenfurt, AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where he won 4 Championships in a row right away. From season 1988/89 to season 1991/1992 Gilligan was head coach of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
ice hockey team SC Bern
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. The club was the most attended team in Europe for the 2010-11 season, averaging 15,856 spectators....
. He won 3 NLA Championships and was one time runners up in 4 years. He later was head coach of the Swiss U-20 national ice hockey team and together with John Sletvoll also of the Swiss national team
Swiss national ice hockey team
The Swiss men's national ice hockey team is a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and is controlled by the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband. As of 2010 the Swiss team was ranked 7th in the world by the IIHF...
. From 1994 - 1998, Gilligan was Sports Director
Sports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
of SC Bern and then returned to the US to work as assistant coach for the hockey team of University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
, the Massachusetts Minutemen and as a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
team Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
For season 2005/06 he came back to Switzerland as head coach for NLA team Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
The Rapperswil-Jona Lakers are a professional ice hockey club from Rapperswil, Switzerland and are members of the Swiss National League A. The Lakers were founded in 1945 and were known as SC Rapperswil-Jona until 2005, when the club changed to its present name...
. He is also the team's head coach for 2006/07 season.
In 2008 was named as Head Coach from Graz 99ers
Graz 99ers
-Current roster: Roster Updated as of: December 30, 2010 -Former players:...
, in the 2009/2010 season Graz won the playoff qualification for the first time. Since autumn 2009 Gilligan coaches as well the Austrian national team.
Achievements (as coach)
- 1985 - Austrian Champion with Klagenfurt ACEC KACEC KAC is a professional ice hockey team in the Austrian Erste Bank Hockey League. The team plays their home games in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria at Stadthalle Klagenfurt...
- 1986 - Austrian Champion with Klagenfurt AC
- 1987 - Austrian Champion with Klagenfurt AC
- 1988 - Austrian Champion with Klagenfurt AC
- 1989 - NLA Champion with SC BernSC BernSchlittschuh Club Bern is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. The club was the most attended team in Europe for the 2010-11 season, averaging 15,856 spectators....
- 1991 - NLA Champion with SC Bern
- 1992 - NLA Champion with SC Bern