An 18-year climb to the top is nearly complete.
San Jose Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer earned his 636th career victory on Saturday night, tying the legendary Fred "Bun" Cook for the most all-time by an American Hockey League coach. Sommer’s Barracuda defeated the San Antonio Rampage, 4-3, at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Sommer gets his first chance at breaking the record on Friday night when the Barracuda return from the AHL All-Star break with a visit to Ontario.
Sommer, 58, is in his 18th season as an AHL head coach, a tenure spent entirely in the San Jose Sharks organization. The Oakland, Calif., native was named to the position on May 28, 1998, and guided the Kentucky Thoroughblades (1998-2001), Cleveland Barons (2001-06) and Worcester Sharks (2006-15) to six 40-win seasons and three division championships before the Sharks moved their affiliate to San Jose this season.
Cook won 636 games over 19 AHL seasons with the Providence Reds and Cleveland Barons from 1937-56. His teams made 11 trips to the Calder Cup Finals and won seven league championships. Cook was a 1995 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and was enshrined in the AHL Hall of Fame as a member of its second class in 2007.
| Rank | Coach (x-active) | GP | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Fred "Bun" Cook | 1,171 | 636 |
| T-1 | x-Roy Sommer | 1,385 | 636 |
| 3 | Frank Mathers | 1,256 | 610 |
| 4 | John Paddock | 1,125 | 589 |
| 5 | x-John Anderson | 755 | 412 |
| 6 | x-Randy Cunneyworth | 765 | 371 |
| 7 | x-Mark Morris | 671 | 363 |
| 8 | Terry Reardon | 794 | 362 |
| 9 | Robbie Ftorek | 743 | 353 |
| 10 | x-Ken Gernander | 669 | 346 |
