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NHL Saturday: Top Five
By
CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency
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  Mike Babcock also has a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. (MIKE HENSEN/QMI Agency)
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The top five coaches in wins since the 2002-03 season:
1. Mike Babcock (Anaheim, Detroit), 382. He also has a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal.
2. Dave Tippett (Dallas, Phoenix), 373. Turned the Coyotes' fortunes around after 2009 arrival.
3. Joel Quenneville (St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago), 350. He's 10th in career coaching wins with 579.
4. Lindy Ruff (Buffalo), 347. Longest tenure among active coaches. Started with Sabres in 1997.
4. Barry Trotz (Nashville), 347. Coached his 1,000th game last weekend.
It might be a surprise to see Tippett's name second on this list, but he has done a great job since taking over from Wayne Gretzky in the desert. Tippett got his 100th victory behind the Coyotes bench in just 177 games, the fastest to that mark in franchise history. He has never had a losing season as an NHL coach. A key? Few teams play as well in close games. The Coyotes have lost in regulation just 14 times in 89 one-goal games under Tippett.
