Davis Payne

Davis Payne (born September 24, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, and is the former head coach of the St. Louis Blues. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, but was fired on April 11, 2017. He was an associate coach under D. J. Smith with the Ottawa Senators. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets.

Playing career Payne was drafted 140th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1989 NHL entry draft. He turned pro in 1992 and joined the Greensboro Monarchs of the East Coast Hockey League. He then had spells in the International Hockey League with the Phoenix Roadrunners and the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans before returning to the Monarchs for a second spell. After playing two games with the Providence Bruins, Payne signed with the Boston Bruins. While spending most of his time playing in Providence, he managed to play 22 games for Boston over two seasons, scoring an assist while collecting 14 penalty minutes. He moved to the San Antonio Dragons before returning to the ECHL to spend his final two seasons with the Greenville Grrrowl. Payne also played for Michigan Technological University in his collegiate career.

Coaching career ECHL: Pee Dee and Alaska In 2000, Payne became the head coach of the Pee Dee Pride in the ECHL. Payne coached there through the 2003 season, attaining a regular season record of 104–67–17. The team also made the playoffs all three seasons, advancing to the second round each year. After the 2002–2003 season, Payne began coaching the Alaska Aces (ECHL). Payne coached in Alaska from 2003 to 2007, leading the team to the playoffs every year, including a Kelly Cup Championship in 2005–2006 season. He ended his tenure at the Aces with a regular season record of 185–75–28 and a playoff record of 38–21.

On April 14, 2010, the St. Louis Blues removed the interim tag from Davis' title, and he became the full-time head coach of the team. He was fired on November 6, 2011, after his team got off to a 6–7 start and was replaced by former Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock.

NHL assistant coaching career

On July 26, 2012, Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi announced that Davis Payne was hired as assistant coach to Darryl Sutter. Payne won his first Stanley Cup in 2014.

On July 5, 2017, the Buffalo Sabres announced Payne was hired as associate coach to Phil Housley, a position Payne held for two seasons.

In June 2019, it was announced that Payne had become an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators. When head coach D. J. Smith was dismissed in December 2023, Payne was also dismissed.

On June 17, 2024, the Winnipeg Jets announced that Payne was hired as an assistant coach to Scott Arniel.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1988–89 Michigan Tech WCHA 35 5 3 8 38 — — — — — 1989–90 Michigan Tech WCHA 30 11 10 21 81 — — — — — 1990–91 Michigan Tech WCHA 41 15 20 35 82 — — — — — 1991–92 Michigan Tech WCHA 24 6 1 7 71 — — — — — 1992–93 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 57 15 20 35 178 1 0 0 0 4 1993–94 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 36 17 17 34 139 8 2 1 3 27 1993–94 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 22 6 3 9 51 — — — — — 1993–94 Rochester Americans AHL 2 0 0 0 5 3 0 2 2 0 1994–95 Greensboro Monarchs ECHL 62 25 36 61 195 17 7 10 17 38 1994–95 Providence Bruins AHL 2 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1995–96 Providence Bruins AHL 51 17 22 39 72 4 1 4 5 2 1995–96 Boston Bruins NHL 7 0 0 0 7 — — — — — 1996–97 Providence Bruins AHL 57 18 15 33 104 — — — — — 1996–97 Boston Bruins NHL 15 0 1 1 7 — — — — — 1997–98 San Antonio Dragons IHL 59 15 10 25 117 — — — — — 1997–98 Providence Bruins AHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1998–99 Greenville Grrrowl ECHL 43 19 20 39 96 — — — — — 1999–00 Greenville Grrrowl ECHL 48 22 25 47 104 5 0 0 0 6 ECHL totals 246 98 118 216 712 31 9 11 20 75 AHL totals 115 36 37 73 181 7 1 6 7 2 NHL totals 22 0 1 1 14 — — — — —

NHL coaching record Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish Result St. Louis Blues 2009–10 42 23 15 4 50 4th, Central Missed Playoffs St. Louis Blues 2010–11 82 38 33 11 87 4th, Central Missed Playoffs St. Louis Blues 2011–12 13 6 7 0 12 1st, Central FiredTotal 137 67 55 15 149 P%: .544 –

Personal life Payne is married to Jane, and has two daughters, Allison and Lydia.