Position Defense Role Football player TV shows Monday Night Football Name John Gruden Siblings Jay Gruden | Playing career Spouse Cindy Gruden (m. 1991) Shot Left Height 1.78 m | |
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Born June 4, 1970 (age 54) Virginia, MN, USA ( 1970-06-04 ) Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) Played for Boston BruinsOttawa SenatorsWashington CapitalsEisbaren Berlin (DEL) NHL Draft 168th overall, 1990Boston Bruins Children Deuce Gruden, Michael Gruden, Jayson Gruden Similar People Jay Gruden, Deuce Gruden, Mike Tirico, Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins | ||
John Daniel Gruden (born June 4, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs. He previously served as the inaugural head coach of the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
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Playing career
Drafted 168th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins, Gruden played for the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals playing a total of 92 regular season games, scoring one goal and eight assists for nine points and collecting 46 penalty minutes. He also had a spell in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany for Eisbären Berlin. He played high school hockey in Hastings, Minnesota in the late 1980s.
Coaching career
He has worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Little Caesars AAA hockey club, coaching for their Squirt 2000 squad. Coached a short stint for the storied Brother Rice JV Prep Squad (1-16), training the fists of forward Patrick VanDusen. He also spends time doing work on behalf of the Red Wings Alumni Association. Gruden coached the Stoney Creek High School Cougars hockey team in Rochester, Michigan along with fellow NHL alumnus Greg Johnson.
Most recently Gruden served as an assistant coach for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, helping lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships.
On March 26, 2015, it was announced that Gruden would serve as the inaugural head coach for the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League during the 2015–16 season. In a highly publicized incident, he was fired a month into the season. Reports claim the firing was due to refusing to increase the playing time of defenseman Håkon Nilsen, the team owner's son, however team president Costa Papista denied the reports. Following a successful player walkout, Gruden was reinstated as the Firebirds head coach and given a three-year contract extension. On February 17, 2016, Gruden was again fired by the Firebirds. On June 3, 2016, Gruden was named head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs.