Islanders Coach MacLean To Share NHL Stage With Son Kyle; Not The First Father-Son NY Duo

John MacLean and Kyle MacLean will have a special moment in Chicago tonight.

It’s not every day that a father gets to coach his son at the NHL level, but that’s what’s going to take place Friday night at United Center in Chicago when the New York Islanders battle the Blackhawks at 8:30 PM ET. 

On Thursday, 24-year-old center Kyle MacLean was recalled from Bridgeport, hitting the ice alongside his father and Islanders assistant coach John MacLean as he will fill the Casey Cizikas (week to week, lower body) void. 

For those who grew up playing hockey, more often than not, the coach’s son was also on the team, which may or may not have had its flaws.

But the NHL brings about a different dynamic, a professional dynamic.

“I think it’s coach-player from that standpoint,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said following Thursday's practice in Chicago. “Clearly, it’s a proud moment, but John is extremely professional, so to me, it’s just a coach-player dynamic.”

This is a very rare situation for a coach and player to be related and be on the same team, but it’s something that we’ve already seen within the organization this year.

Lambert’s nephew, Jimmy Lambert, was signed to an ATO with the Bridgeport Islanders in April of 2022 before signing a contract ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Here’s what he had to say about being coached by his uncle during training camp:

“He’s always given me help. He continuously checked in on me when I was in college and wanted to know how I was doing and whether things were going good or bad. He always has some sort of advice for me,” Lambert told us in Dec. of 2022. “So it’s been a great relationship, and it’s always a good asset to have somebody like that, who has a lot of hockey knowledge and has been at the highest level for a long time.”

Regardless of the family ties, Lambert expected everyone to be professional and knew that would be the case between John and Kyle.

“I think it’s pretty easy. You're there to do a job, they are there to do their job and just go from there. I mean, it's not really that difficult,” Lambert said.

Lambert understands that it’s a special moment, and John MacLean knows how hard his son has worked to get to the NHL after being an undrafted free agent, before spending four years with Bridgeport.

"I was a first-round pick, and it worked out for me,” John MacLean said. “You get extra looks. Kyle didn't get extra looks. He had to keep working. He had to keep going, and he enjoyed it." (H/t Newsday's Andrew Gross)

Father-son combos date back almost to the beginnings of hockey. By far, the most famous in my book featured The Patrick Family.

Lester Patrick, a defenseman and Hall of Famer, emerged as the Rangers patriarch when he took control of the Blueshirts at their inception as manager and coach in 1926. He won a Stanley Cup a year later and again in 1933.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxpFCCJRXnA[/embed]

By that time, his older son, Lynn, had developed into a superior minor-league prospect at left wing.

"I thought Lynn was good enough for the NHL, but a lot of people told me not to promote him because it would be a case of nepotism," Lester recalled. "But I saw that my son had talent and decided to give him a chance."

Lester was right on both counts.

The issue of "nepotism" arrived with Lynn once he donned a Ranger blue shirt. "And I was well aware of it," said Lynn "But if Lester (that's what he called his father) thought I was good enough for the NHL, I was determined to give it my best shot."

And he did, and he proved his father correct. Once Lynn was placed on the left wing with center Phil Watson and right wing Bryan Hextall, the unit emerged as one of the best in the league and, in 1940, won another Stanley Cup with Lester still managing the team.

Lynn was not the only son to star under Lester. Younger brother Murray, a defenseman, followed a few years after Lynn. "I didn't get the same razzing as Lynn," Muzz pointed out, "because Lynn was already successful."

A more rambunctious personality than Lynn, Muzz had to be tamed every so often by his father, but that was not an easy chore. "I liked to have fun," said Muzz, "and there was plenty of fun to be had on Broadway, which was only a block away from The Garden."

As it happened, father Patrick teamed veteran Art Coulter on defense with Muzz, and the two combined to be among the best blueliners in Blueshirt history. They, too, enjoyed Stanley Cup champagne with Lester in the spring of 1940. 

Lynn's line helped create the Stanley Cup-winning goal against Toronto in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup Final at Maple Leaf Gardens.

For sure, the Patrick's Family would have continued to dominate had it not been for World War II. Both Lynn and Murray bade goodbye to Lester, who enlisted in the American Army and served throughout the conflict.

At war's end, they returned to the NHL, but their speed had diminished. Lester soon retired as boss of the Blueshiirts, while Lynn and Murray eventually wound up following in their dad's footsteps. 

First, Lynn became Rangers coach, leading the team to the seventh game of the 1950  Cup Final vs. Detroit before moving on to Boston. Muzz became Rangers coach in 1954 and eventually moved into his father's chair as general manager in 1955.

The Patrick Father-Son combo earned an admirable title: Hockey's Royal Family.

Stefen Rosner contributed to this story.