Eastern Conference Coaches
JOHN PADDOCK, OTTAWA SENATORS
Head Coach, Eastern Conference
Coaching in his first NHL All-Star Game... at the time of selection (01/05/08), his Senators ranked first in the Eastern Conference with a 26-10-4 record in 40 games for 56 points and a .700 points percentage... Ottawa started the season with 13 wins and one loss for the best record in NHL history through 14 games... joined the Senators in 2002 as coach of the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton... he is one of the most successful coaches in AHL history with a record of 542-382-103 and Calder Cup championships with three different franchises (Maine in 1984, Hershey in 1988 and Hartford in 2000)... nine players he coached in Binghamton were part of the 2006-07 Senators team that reached the Stanley Cup Final... his NHL coaching experience includes 3+ seasons as coach of the Winnipeg Jets (1991-92 to 1994-95)... he was also general manger of the Jets/Phoenix Coyotes between 1993-94 and 1996-97.
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DON WADDELL, ATLANTA THRASHERS
Assistant Coach, Eastern Conference
Selected to participate in his first NHL All-Star Game... as Thrashers general manager, he took over behind the bench with the team 0-6-0 to start the season and guided the club to a 23-19-4 mark through the All-Star break... only other NHL coaching experience came when he also took over behind the bench in 2003-04 and posted a 4-5-1 record in 10 games... he is the only g.m. in Thrashers history, building a steadily improving club that reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 2006-07... won the Stanley Cup as an assistant general manager with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1997-98 season... playing career includes nine years as a pro, mostly in the International Hockey League... was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings (111th overall) in 1978.
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Western Conference Coaches
MIKE BABCOCK, DETROIT RED WINGS
Head Coach, Western Conference
Participating in his first NHL All-Star Game... at the time of selection (01/05/08), his Red Wings ranked first in the Western Conference with a 30-8-3 record in 41 games for 63 points and a .768 points percentage... in his first season with Detroit in 2005-06, the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy for finishing first overall in the regular-season standings... had the best regular-season record in the Western Conference in 2006-07... in his first season as an NHL coach in 2002-03, he led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Final... his Ducks swept the Red Wings in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, becoming the first team to sweep a defending Stanley Cup champion since 1952... before beginning his NHL coaching career, he coached for eight seasons in the Western Hockey League and also led the University of Lethbridge to the Canadian university title in 1994... he is the only man to coach Team Canada to victory at the World Championship (2004) and the World Junior Championship (1997).
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RON WILSON, SAN JOSE SHARKS
Assistant Coach, Western Conference
Serving behind the bench for the first time at the NHL All-Star Game...at the time of selection (01/05/08), his Sharks had a record of 22-13-5 record in 40 games for 49 points and a .613 points percentage, second best in the Western Conference... led Sharks to a franchise best 51 wins and 107 points in 2006-07... in his first full season behind the San Jose bench in 2003-04, he guided the team to the Pacific Division title and to the Western Conference Final for the first time in history... Began his NHL coaching career in 1993-94 as the first head coach of the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, guiding the team into the playoffs for the first time in 1996-97... A year later, as coach of the Washington Capitals, he led that team to its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final... as a player, he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs (132nd overall) in 1975 and made his NHL debut in 1977-78... Played 177 games in the NHL with Toronto and the Minnesota North Stars.
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