Mark Lamb

Mark William Lamb (born August 3, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, and current general manager and head coach of the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Lamb was previously the head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. Lamb was born in Ponteix, Saskatchewan but grew up in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. As an ice hockey player, he played for the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the NHL's Stanley Cup in 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers, and co-captained the Ottawa Senators in 1993–94. Lamb also won the International Hockey League's Turner Cup with the Houston Aeros in 1999.

Playing career Junior career Lamb split his first season in junior hockey with the Swift Current Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Billings Bighorns of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Lamb scored 13 goals and 58 points in 40 games with Swift Current and one goal and nine points in 24 games with Billings. The Bighorns made the playoffs but were eliminated by the Calgary Wranglers in the first round. Lamb registered one point (an assist) in three playoff games. Lamb began the season in Nanaimo, scoring 14 goals and 51 points in 30 games. There, he rejoined Russ Farwell, the general manager of the Tigers, who had been Lamb's coach in Billings the previous season. Lamb registered three goals and five points in the five games. Medicine Hat made it to the Eastern Division final where they lost to the Regina Pats. Lamb added 12 goals and 23 points in the Tigers' 14-game playoffs. He was also named to the East Division First All-Star Team. Though he spent the majority of the 1984–85 WHL season playing professionally, Lamb was still eligible to play in the WHL. He was added to the Tigers' roster on February 10 and played in their playoff series against Prince Albert. The Tigers were eliminated by the Raiders, and Lamb scored three goals and five points in six games.

Professional career Calgary and Detroit Lamb was drafted by the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fourth round, 72nd overall, in the 1982 NHL entry draft. Lamb made his professional debut with Calgary's affiliate, the Colorado Flames of the Central Hockey League, during their playoff run in April 1983. Lamb appeared in six playoff games with Colorado, registering two points (both assists). He played in 79 games, scoring 26 goals and 76 points. Lamb was returned to Moncton on January 10 after the one appearance. The Golden Flames made the AHL playoffs and got to the second round. However, Lamb broke his toe blocking a shot in the final game of the series that they lost to the Adirondack Red Wings. In ten playoff games, Lamb scored two goals and eight points. Lamb began the 1986–87 season with Adirondack and played in 49 games with them, registering 14 goals and 50 points. He made his Red Wings debut on January 17 in a 3–2 win over the Quebec Nordiques. He centred a line between Bob Probert and Ric Seiling. He scored his first NHL goal in the next game on February 1 on Tom Barrasso in the third period of a 6–1 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres. He was returned to Adirondack on March 16 but recalled again by Detroit on April 2 after injuries to Ric Seiling and Billy Carroll. He finished the season with two goals and three points in 22 games with Detroit. He remained with Detroit into the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs and appeared in 11 playoff games, going scoreless. He was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers on October 5, 1987, with the 19th, and last transaction, in the draft. He began the season in Edmonton and made his Oilers debut on October 16 in a 5–2 victory over the Calgary Flames. He played in the following game against the Boston Bruins which the Oilers won 4–3. He played only the two games, going scoreless, in the first month of the season before being sent down to the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Nova Scotia Oilers, on November 5. He remained with Nova Scotia for the remainder of the season, scoring 27 goals and 88 points in 69 games. He added five points (all assists) in Nova Scotia's five-game playoff run. Lamb began the season in Cape Breton and bounced back and forth to Edmonton beginning in January 1989. He was recalled for the first time on January 18 and played that night against the Winnipeg Jets, scoring his first goal for the Oilers in the third period of the 9–4 victory. He played in 20 games with Edmonton, scoring two goals and 10 points and 54 games with Cape Breton, scoring 33 goals and 82 points. Lamb also appeared in six playoff games with Edmonton, registering two points. Lamb had his first multi-point game of his NHL career on October 18, 1989, registering a goal and an assist in a 7–2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He marked his first multi-goal game in the NHL with two goals against Brian Hayward in a 5–4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on October 29. Beginning in January 1990, Vladimír Růžička joined the Oilers from Europe, taking Lamb's spot between Tikkanen and Kurri and keeping Lamb out of the lineup. Lamb played 58 games with the Oilers, scoring 12 goals and 28 points. He then scored the game-winning goal in a 4–1 win over the Jets in game seven to win the series. Lamb and the Oilers then beat the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks, before winning the Stanley Cup four-games-to one over the Boston Bruins. Lamb registered six goals and 17 points in 22 games during the playoffs. However, Lamb was in and out of the lineup for most of the season. He appeared in 37 games with the Oilers, scoring four goals and 12 points. He played in the first game of the third round series versus the Minnesota North Stars, but was taken out of the lineup starting in game two due to the injury, replaced by Ken Linseman. He returned to the lineup for game 4 but was scratched again for the fifth game in which the North Stars eliminated the Oilers. He finished the playoffs with 15 games played, registering just five points (all assists). but eventually saw more consistent time, enough to play in 59 games with the Oilers, scoring six goals and 28 points. Lamb had one goal and two points in 16 games in the playoffs. On December 17, Lamb injured a nerve in his neck in a game versus the New York Islanders. Lamb returned to the lineup on January 12, 1993, and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He played in 71 games for the Senators, scoring seven goals and 26 points. He served as the team's co-captain alongside Brad Shaw to start the season. He was regarded as the team's best defensive player. However, Lamb grew frustrated with his uncertain future in Ottawa and with Senators' general manager Randy Sexton. By March 1994 Lamb grew so frustrated, his agent, Don Meehan, issued an ultimatum demanding a trade and refused to consider any return to Ottawa for the next season. He played in 66 games with the Senators, registering 11 goals and 29 points. The Flyers were in a playoff battle and sought reinforcement. The Flyers' general manager, Russ Farwell, knew Lamb from junior. Lamb made his Flyers' debut on March 6 in a 3–1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored his first goal as a Flyer in the game in the third period on Darren Puppa. Despite Lamb's addition, the Flyers missed the playoffs. Lamb finished the season with the Flyers, playing 19 games, scoring the one goal and seven points. He was even reported to have been part of the trade by some outlets. Lamb was in fact, traded to Montreal for cash on February 11, with the transaction coinciding with the Flyers claiming Jim Montgomery off waivers from the Canadiens on the same day,

Lamb made his Canadiens' debut on February 11 in a 3–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins playing on a line with Turner Stevenson and Donald Brashear. He scored his first goal with Montreal against Mike Richter on February 18 in a 5–2 victory over the New York Rangers. He finished the season playing in 39 games for Montreal, scoring one goal. In total, Lamb played 403 regular season games in the NHL, scoring 46 goals and 100 assists for 146 points. However, he never played a game for Fredericton and instead was loaned to the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League (IHL) in November for the remainder of the season. He played in 67 games with Houston, scoring 17 goals and 77 points. and played in 81 games, scoring 25 goals and 78 points. He appeared in 13 games in the playoffs, adding three goals and 15 points. He spent one season there, scoring seven goals and 28 points in 41 games. but failed to make the team. He returned to Houston where he was a player-coach. Lamb returned for one more season with Houston in the 1999–2000 season, scoring 15 goals and 61 points in 79 games. He added two goals and nine points in 11 playoff games.

Coaching and manager career In 2000 Lamb returned to Edmonton as a player development coach under head coach Craig MacTavish. but following the 2008–09 season which saw the Stars finish out of the playoffs, Tippett and Lamb were fired. Lamb then became the head coach and general manager of the WHL's Swift Current Broncos from 2009 to 2016. In his only season with Tucson, Lamb had a record of 29 wins, 39 losses and 8 overtime losses, collecting 66 points. He was fired along with Roadrunners' general manager Doug Soetaert at the end of the season.

In 2018, he was hired as the general manager of the Prince George Cougars in the WHL, and was elevated to the head coaching position a year later. In 2024, Lamb was named the WHL coach and executive of the year.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM1980–81 Swift Current Broncos SJHL — — — — — — — — — — 1980–81 Billings Bighorns WHL 24 1 8 9 12 3 0 1 1 01981–82 Billings Bighorns WHL 72 45 56 101 46 5 4 6 10 41982–83 Colorado Flames CHL — — — — — 6 0 2 2 01982–83 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 46 22 43 65 33 5 3 2 5 41982–83 Nanaimo Islanders WHL 30 14 37 51 16 — — — — — 1983–84 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 72 59 77 136 30 14 12 11 23 61984–85 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 80 23 49 72 53 — — — — — 1984–85 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL — — — — — 6 3 2 5 21985–86 Calgary Flames NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —1985–86 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 79 26 50 76 51 10 2 6 8 171986–87 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 49 14 36 50 45 — — — — — 1986–87 Detroit Red Wings NHL 22 2 1 3 8 11 0 0 0 111987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1987–88 Nova Scotia Oilers AHL 69 27 61 88 45 5 0 5 5 61988–89 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 54 33 49 82 29 — — — — — 1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 20 2 8 10 14 6 0 2 2 81989–90 Edmonton Oilers NHL 58 12 16 28 42 22 6 11 17 21990–91 Edmonton Oilers NHL 37 4 8 12 25 15 0 5 5 201991–92 Edmonton Oilers NHL 59 6 22 28 46 16 1 1 2 101992–93 Ottawa Senators NHL 71 7 19 26 64 — — — — — 1993–94 Ottawa Senators NHL 66 11 18 29 56 — — — — — 1993–94 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 19 1 6 7 16 — — — — — 1994–95 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 8 0 2 2 2 — — — — — 1994–95 Montreal Canadiens NHL 39 1 0 1 18 — — — — —1995–96 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1995–96 Houston Aeros IHL 67 17 60 77 65 — — — — — 1996–97 Houston Aeros IHL 81 25 53 78 83 13 3 12 15 101997–98 Landshut EV DEL 46 7 21 28 36 6 3 1 4 81998–99 Houston Aeros IHL 79 21 49 70 72 19 1 10 11 121999–2000 Houston Aeros IHL 79 15 46 61 58 11 2 7 9 6 AHL totals 331 123 245 368 223 15 2 11 13 23 NHL totals 403 46 100 146 291 70 7 19 26 51 IHL totals 306 78 208 286 278 43 6 29 35 28

Coaching statistics

Awards and honours Award Year Western Hockey League East First All-Star Team 1984 Frank Boucher Memorial Trophy 1984 Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy (Executive of the Year) 2024 National Hockey League Stanley Cup championship 1990 International Hockey League Turner Cup championship 1999