Former Los Angeles Kings head coach Tom Webster of Kirkland Lake, Ontario passed away on Friday at age 71 according to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. Webster was the head coach of the Kings from 1989 to 1992. He also was the head coach for the New York Rangers from 1986-87 and played five National Hockey League seasons with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and California Golden Seals from 1968 to 1972 and again from 1979 to 1980.
As a NHL head coach, Webster coached 255 regular season games. He had a record of 119 wins, 101 losses and 35 ties.
Webster made the playoffs in each of the four seasons he was a coach in the NHL and won two playoff series. He guided the Kings to an upset 4-2 series win over the Calgary Flames in the 1990 Smythe Division Semifinals and then beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 in the 1991 Smythe Division Semifinals.
Webster’s other head coaching duties were with the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League from 1979-81, the Springfield Indians of the AHL from 1981-82, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League from 1982 to 1984, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League from 1984 to 1985, the Windsor Compuware Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League from 1985 to 1989, the Detroit Junior Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey League from 1992 to 1993, and the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League from 1999 to 2003. Webster won a Calder Cup with the Adirondack Red Wings in 1981, an Adams Cup championship with the Tulsa Oilers in 1984 and reached the Memorial Cup Final with the Spitfires in 1988.
As an assistant coach, Webster spent five seasons in that capacity in the NHL from 1994 to 1999. In that time he was with the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes. Then from 2003 to 2014, Webster was a scout for the Calgary Flames.
As a player, Webster had 33 goals and 42 assists for 75 points in 102 NHL regular season games. He also played six seasons with the New England Whalers of the former World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978. In 352 WHA games, Webster had 220 goals and 205 assists for 425 points. Webster’s finest WHA season was his first as he was tied for fourth in the WHA in scoring with 103 points (53 goals and 50 assists) in 1972-73.
