Paul MacLean (ice hockey)
A mustachioed power forward turned Jack Adams-winning coach who brought a hard-nosed, defensive identity to the Ottawa Senators.
Born 1958 (age 68)·French-born Canadian ice hockey player and coach·Birthday: March 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Paul MacLean's hockey life is split into two distinct, successful chapters, both defined by a direct, physical style. Born in France to a military family but raised in Canada, he carved out an 11-year NHL career as a relentless right winger with a knack for finding the net, topping 40 goals three times. His bushy mustache and blue-collar play made him a fan favorite in Winnipeg and St. Louis. After hanging up his skates, he embarked on a long coaching apprenticeship, learning under Mike Babcock in Anaheim and Detroit, contributing to a Stanley Cup win in 2008. His own head coaching breakthrough came in Ottawa, where he instilled a disciplined, defensive structure that maximized a transitioning roster. In 2013, his work was recognized with the Jack Adams Award, honoring the league's top coach. MacLean's voice—a blend of old-school grit and tactical insight—remained a fixture behind NHL benches for years as a trusted assistant.
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.
Paul was born in 1958, 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 Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
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
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
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
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in 2013 with the Ottawa Senators.
- Scored 324 goals and 673 points over 719 regular-season NHL games as a player.
- Won a Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008.
- Served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators for four seasons.
Did You Know?
His distinctive mustache was so famous it was featured in a fan-made music video titled 'The Paul MacLean Mustache Song.'
He was drafted 109th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1978 NHL Draft.
He scored five goals in a single game for the Winnipeg Jets against the Chicago Blackhawks in 1985.
“You play the game hard and straight up, or you don't belong on the ice.”
