Mike Yeo
Michael "Mike" Yeo (born July 31, 1973 in Scarborough, Ontario) is the current head coach of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. He was formerly an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach of the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros.
Career
Yeo spent 5 seasons with the Houston Aeros while they were members of the International Hockey League (IHL). In 1998-1999, he captained the team to the Turner Cup Championship.
Yeo was brought in as a minor league veteran by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, at the onset of their inaugural season. This was to be the beginning of what would eventually become eleven years of service with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. After just 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Yeo suffered a career ending knee injury. He accepted an offer to become Glenn Patrick's assistant with the American Hockey League Penguins, and remained in that position when Michel Therrien replaced Patrick in 2003. Yeo was promoted with Therrien in 2005 to the Pittsburgh Penguins as Therrien's assistant after the firing of Eddie Olczyk and his coaching staff.[1] With his primary responsibilities focused towards special teams, Therrien and Yeo helped lay the groundwork for the Penguins rebuild towards future success, ending the franchise's six year playoff absence in the 2006-07 season, and leading the Penguins to their second-highest points total in franchise history in 2007-08. Continuing to work as an assistant under Therrien's successor, Dan Bylsma, Yeo helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2009.
On June 16, 2010, Yeo left the Penguins to take up the vacant head coach position at the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, replacing Kevin Constantine. Yeo lead the Aeros to the Western Conference championship in his only year as their head coach. The season before Yeo's hiring, the Aeros finished in last place in the West Division.
Yeo was announced as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild on June 17, 2011. The Wild under Yeo won their first game at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. The Wild started the season 15-7-3, but failed to secure a winning record through each of the final five months of the season. Despite Yeo's early success that year, one of the major difficulties with his teams is their power play percentage, coming in at a paltry 27th in the league during the 2011-2012 season.
During the 2012-2013 season, the Wild reached the playoffs for the first time under Yeo, but fell the the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round.
Personal life
Yeo has two children: a daughter, Braeden, and a son, Kyler, and a wife named Tanya. He attended Widdifield Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario. Contrary to popular belief, Yeo is not of Asian ancestry despite having a Chinese-sounding surname.[1]
Career player statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990-91 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 58 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 73 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1991-92 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 43 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 60 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1992-93 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 24 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1993-94 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 65 | 34 | 32 | 66 | 53 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 1994-95 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 63 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1995-96 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 69 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 113 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996-97 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 56 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 105 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1997-98 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 72 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 128 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998-99 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 57 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 100 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | ||
| 1999-00 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| OHL Totals | 190 | 54 | 47 | 101 | 233 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 16 | ||||
| IHL Totals | 317 | 55 | 72 | 127 | 511 | 25 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 15 | ||||
| AHL Totals | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
NHL coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| MIN | 2011-12 | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 81 | 4th in Northwest | Missed Playoffs |
| MIN | 2012-13 | 48 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 55 | 2nd in Northwest | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1–4 (Blackhawks) |
References
- ^ a b Molinari, Dave (2006-03-13). "Q&A with Mike Yeo". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Todd Richards |
Head coach of the Minnesota Wild 2011–present |
Incumbent |
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