Marc Crawford
A fiery competitor who transitioned from player to a Stanley Cup-winning coach known for his intense, demanding style behind the bench.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Canadian professional ice hockey coach·Birthday: February 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Marc Crawford's hockey life has been defined by a relentless drive. As a player, he was a hard-nosed forward for the Vancouver Canucks, known more for his grit than his scoring sheet. That same combative energy fueled his coaching career, which began remarkably early. Taking over the Quebec Nordiques in his mid-thirties, he quickly established himself as a sharp, if volcanic, tactical mind. His crowning moment came in 1996, steering a powerhouse Colorado Avalanche team featuring Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy to a Stanley Cup championship. Crawford's journey took him across the NHL and to Europe, where he won championships in Switzerland, demonstrating an ability to adapt his high-octane approach to different leagues and generations of players.
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.
Marc 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 Marc Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Marc'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
- Won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
- Coached Team Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
- Led the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League to a championship in 2012.
- Is one of the youngest head coaches in NHL history, taking over the Quebec Nordiques at age 33.
Did You Know?
He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 1995.
His brother, Eric Crawford, was also a professional hockey player.
He served as an interim head coach for the Ottawa Senators decades after beginning his NHL coaching career.
“You have to be demanding, but you also have to be fair.”
