Men's Hockey | 6/30/2024 12:01:00 AM

MONTREAL – Chris Armstrong, a McGill University graduate, has been appointed president of hockey operations of the Utah Hockey Club, joining a club that recently became the newest National Hockey League franchise. One of a dozen McGillians currently employed by an NHL team (see list below), he will also serve as an alternate governor for the team, formally known as the Arizona Coyotes.  

A bilingual native of Montreal, Que., Armstrong studied commerce at McGill's Desautels School of Management, graduating in 2003. He was recruited to work with the varsity men's hockey team by then head coach Martin Raymond. Armstrong eventually transitioned to video analysis and student assistant coach under Raymond. After graduating, he continued on as a part-time amateur scout for McGill in the Ontario Hockey League while also pursuing a degree in sport management from Brock University in 2005. He began his professional career at IMG in Toronto in 2004.

"I'm very excited for him," said Raymond, who left McGill in 2009 to serve as an assistant coach in the NHL with stops in both Tampa and Ottawa. "He is very grateful of his time at McGill. As an Ontario-based hockey recruiter for us, Chris told me that David Urquhart was the best defenceman we had on our Ontario list that year. So I listened to him and pursued Dave."

Urquhart went on to a Hall of Fame playing career at McGill and is about to embark on his fourth year as head coach of the hockey program.

Armstrong will work with business operations and Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) ownership. He brings nearly 14 years as an executive at Wasserman, a Los Angeles-based sports marketing and talent management company, where he was a key figure in advising an acquisition strategy that established the company's hockey practice in 2018. He also negotiated several contracts for prominent hockey executives within the NHL and managed the careers of top players and personalities in professional golf, including Utah native Tony Finau. 

In 2009, Armstrong became the youngest individual to make the National Post's list of Top 25 Most Influential People in Canadian Golf. Named a "Forty Under 40" honouree by the Sports Business Journal in 2021, Armstrong was instrumental in building up Wasserman's business in Canada, including through the opening of the firm's office in Toronto in 2011. In that capacity, he has assisted in the representation of several NHL players over the years.  Armstrong most recently represented Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas during his 2023 negotiations with his previous employer, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He will oversee a department run on a day-to-day basis by Bill Armstrong — no relation — who is going into his fifth season as GM of the franchise formerly known as the Coyotes.

"We are excited to welcome Chris to the SEG leadership team," said team owner Ryan Smith in a press release. "He has cultivated strong relationships with top players, agents and executives across the hockey world throughout his career, and his unique background and diverse skill set will be crucial as we establish the greatest possible hockey experience for our community, fans, players, coaches and front office."

McGillians in NHL Coaching & Management (44)

 

PLAYERS (9):
NAME	POSITION	NHL TEAM	NHL YEARS
Lester Patrick	Defence / Goaltender	NY Rangers	1926-1928
Sam Rothschild	Left Wing	MTL Maroons / Pittsburgh Pirates / NY Americans	1924-1928
Russ Blinco	Forward	Montreal Maroons / Chicago Blackhawks	1938-1939
Nels Crutchfield	Defence	Montreal Canadiens	1934-1935
Jack McGill	Left Wing	Montreal Canadiens	1934-1937
Reg Sinclair	Right Wing	NY Rangers / Detroit Red Wings	1950-1953
John Pierson	Forward	Boston Bruins	1946-1958
Jack Gelineau	Goaltender	Boston Bruins / Chicago Blackhawks	1948-1954
Mathieu Darche	Left Wing	Columbus / Nashville / San Jose / Tampa / Montreal	2000-2011
COACHING STAFF (10):
NAME	POSITION	NHL TEAM	NHL YEARS
Lester Patrick	Head Coach	NY Rangers	1924-1954
Bryan Murray	Head Coach	WASH / DET / FLA / ANA / OTT	1981-2008
Doug Carpenter	Head Coach	New Jersey  / Toronto	1984-1991
George Burnett	Head Coach / Asst. Coach	Edmonton / Anaheim	1994-2000
Jamie Kompon	Asst. Coach	St. Louis / LA Kings / Chicago / Winnipeg	1997-present
Jon Elkin	Goaltender Coach	Calgary / Arizona / Toronto / Pittsburgh	1999-present
Mike Babcock	Head Coach	Anaheim / Detroit / Toronto	2002-2019
Guy Boucher	Head Coach	Tampa / Ottawa / Toronto	2010-2024
Martin Raymond	Asst. Coach	Tampa / Ottawa	2010-2019
Todd Woodcroft	Asst. Coach	Winnipeg / Calgary / Los Angeles / Minnesota	2000-2020
MANAGEMENT & STAFF (25):
NAME	POSITION	NHL TEAMS	NHL YEARS
Philip D. Ross	Trustee, Stanley Cup	National Hockey League Office	1893-1949
Lester Patrick	General Manager	NY Rangers	1924-1954
Frank Patrick	General Manager	Boston Bruins	1934-1936
Brian O'Neill	Exec. VP / Trustee, Stanley Cup	National Hockey League Office	1966-1992
Gaetan Lefebvre	Athletic Therapist	Montreal Canadiens	1981-2000
Fred Steer	VP Finance / CFO / Exec. VP	Montreal Canadiens	1982-2017
Ken Sawyer	Exec. VP / CFO / CEO	National Hockey League Office / Pittsburgh	1985-2011
Ken Dryden	President / Vice Chairman	Toronto Maple Leafs	1997-2004
Martin Madden, Jr.	Asst. GM / Dir. of Amateur Scouting	Anaheim Ducks / Carolina Hurricanes / NY Rangers	1998-present
Ray Lalonde	VP Marketing & Sales	Montreal Canadiens	2001-2011
Matt Nichol	Strength & Conditioning Coordinator	Toronto Maple Leafs	2002-2009
Joseph Desousa	Sr. Exec. VP and CFO	National Hockey League Office	2005-present
Shauna Denis	VP Content Strategy & Commercial Marketing	Montreal Canadiens	2008-present
Ken Morin	Hockey Ops / Amateur Scout	Florida Panthers / Montreal Canadiens	2010-present
Murray Cobb	Director, Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy	Winnipeg Jets	2011-present
Real Paiement	Hockey Ops / Amateur Scout	Toronto Maple Leafs	2015-present
Dan Cote-Rosen	VP Marketing	Edmonton Oilers	2016-present
Patrick Delisle-Houde	Strength & Conditioning Coordinator	Montreal Canadiens	2017-2021
Jack Han	Player Development Analyst	Toronto Maple Leafs	2017-2019
Jerome Burke	Director of Hockey Administration	Florida Panthers	2018-present
Paul Wilson	Sr. VP Public Affairs & Communications	Montreal Canadiens	2018-present
Mathieu Darche	Dir. of Hockey Operations	Tampa Bay Lightning	2019-present
Thomas Barbeau	Strength & Conditioning Coordinator	Carolina Panthers	2020-present
Chris Armstrong	Dir. of Hockey Operations & Alt. Governor	Utah Hockey Club	2023-present
Jonathan Arsenault	Data Scientist	Carolina Panthers	2024-present

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca