Dave Tippett
A master of structured, defensive hockey, he carved out a four-decade career in the NHL as a diligent player and a consistently effective, no-frills coach.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Canadian ice hockey player and coach·Birthday: August 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dave Tippett's hockey life is a study in applied intelligence and grinding consistency. As a player, he was the definition of a reliable two-way forward, not a star but a valuable piece for several NHL teams who understood systems and excelled at the less-glamorous parts of the game. This identity formed the bedrock of his coaching philosophy. When he moved behind the bench, first with the Dallas Stars and then the Arizona Coyotes, he became known for extracting maximum results from rosters often short on superstar talent. His teams were meticulously prepared, defensively structured, and notoriously difficult to play against, often punching above their weight. While a Stanley Cup championship eluded him, his career—spanning over 1,000 games as a player and another 1,000 as a coach—stands as a testament to the enduring value of hockey sense, hard work, and a clear, systematic vision of how the game should be played.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Coached over 1,000 regular season games in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, and Edmonton Oilers.
- Won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 2010 after leading the Phoenix Coyotes to a franchise-record 107-point season.
- As head coach, led the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Final in 2008.
- Played 721 NHL games as a forward for the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Did You Know?
He won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 1989 IIHF World Championship as a player.
He served as a head coach in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for one season with Frölunda HC before returning to the NHL.
He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 1982 while playing college hockey at the University of North Dakota.
His coaching mentor was legendary defensive-minded coach Ken Hitchcock.
“The game is won in the details everyone else wants to skip.”
