Pierre Pagé (pronounced [paʒe], sometimes erroneously spelled Pierre Page; born April 30, 1948) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and executive. He only played briefly while attending college at St. Francis Xavier University in 1970-71, then turned to coaching.
Pagé started coaching at the age of 24 with Dalhousie University as an assistant coach. He became the head coach the following year, a position he held for seven years.
Page received his first job in the National Hockey League as an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames, working under head coach Al MacNeil. In 1980–81, his first season in the NHL and the Flames first in Calgary following their relocation from Atlanta in the summer of 1980, the club finished the season with a 39–27–14 record, earning 92 points and third place in the Patrick Division. In the postseason, the Flames swept the Chicago Black Hawks to win their first-ever playoff series in team history. Calgary then defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games, however, they lost to the Minnesota North Stars in six games in the division semifinals.
The Flames struggled in the 1981–82 season, as their record fell to 29–34–17, earning 75 points. The club did finish in third place in the Smythe Division, qualifying for the postseason. In the first round, Calgary was swept by the Vancouver Canucks. Following the season, the Page was named as head coach of the Flames newly created CHL affiliate, the Colorado Flames.
In 1982–83, the Colorado Flames finished with the second best record in the six team league with a record of 41–36–3, earning 85 points. In the postseason, Colorado lost to the Birmingham South Stars in six games in the CHL semifinals.
Page remained with Colorado for the 1983–84 season, as the club finished with the best record in the league, going 48–25–3, earning 99 points. In the postseason, Colorado was upset by the Indianapolis Checkers in six games. Following the season, the CHL folded.
Page was named head coach of the Moncton Golden Flames of the American Hockey League for the 1984–85 season. The Golden Flames struggled to a 32–40–8 record, earning 72 points and finishing in last place in the North Division, failing to qualify for the postseason.
Page returned to the Calgary Flames as an assistant coach in 1985–86, working under head coach Bob Johnson. Calgary finished the regular season in second place in the Smythe Division, earning a record of 40–31–9 for 89 points. In the postseason, the Flames swept the Winnipeg Jets in the division semifinals. In the division finals, the Flames upset the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Edmonton Oilers, in a thrilling seven game series. Calgary won another seven game series in the Campbell Conference finals, defeating the St. Louis Blues, earning a berth into the 1986 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens. The Flames lost the final round in five games.
Calgary had another excellent regular season in 1986–87, as the club improved to 95 points, earning a record of 46–31–3. In the playoffs, the Flames were upset by the Winnipeg Jets in the division semifinals, losing in six games.
The Flames took another step forward in 1987–88, as the team finished with the best record in the National Hockey League, winning the Presidents' Trophy with a record of 48–23–9, earning 105 points. Calgary quickly defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the division semifinals in five games, however, the team lost to the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in four games in the division finals to end their season.
Following the season, Page left the Flames and was named head coach of the Minnesota North Stars.
Minnesota North Stars (1988–1990)
Pagé took over the Minnesota North Stars as head coach for the 1988–89 season, taking over the worst team in the National Hockey League, as the North Stars had a record of 19–48–13 in the 1987–88 season.
On October 6, 1988, Pagé coached his first career game, losing to the St. Louis Blues by a score of 8–3. After a 0–4–0 start to the season, Page won his first career game, defeating the Boston Bruins on October 15 by a score of 5–1.
Under Pagé, the North Stars saw an improvement of 18 points, as the team finished his first season with a 27–37–16 record, earning 70 points and third place in the Norris Division. In the postseason, Minnesota lost to the St. Louis Blues in five games in the division semifinals.
Minnesota saw some more improvement during the 1989–90, as the club improved by six points, registering a record of 36–40–4, earning 76 points. Despite the improvement, the North Stars dropped to fourth place in the Norris Division. In the playoffs, Minnesota nearly pulled off the upset against the top ranked Chicago Blackhawks in the division semifinals, however, the club lost in seven games.
Following the season, Pagé resigned as head coach of the North Stars to become the general manager of the Quebec Nordiques.
The Quebec Nordiques hired Pagé as general manager of the club on May 5, 1990. The Nordiques were the worst team in the NHL during the 1989–90 season, as they had a record of 12–61–7, earning 31 points. One of Pagé's first decisions was to not bring back head coach Michel Bergeron. Pagé hired Dave Chambers, who had been one of his assistant coaches with the Minnesota North Stars, to be the Nordiques' head coach.