Winnipeg Jets (1993–1996) Following his retirement as a player, Carlyle remained with the Jets and eventually became an assistant coach with the club in the
1995–96 season under head coach
Terry Simpson. The Jets finished the year with a 36–40–6 record to earn the eighth and final playoff position in the
Western Conference. Winnipeg faced the
Detroit Red Wings and lost to them in six games. Following the season, the Jets relocated to
Phoenix, Arizona, and were renamed the
Phoenix Coyotes. Carlyle did not follow the team south.
Manitoba Moose (1996–2002) Carlyle remained in Winnipeg and became an assistant coach with their new
International Hockey League (IHL) team, the
Manitoba Moose, under head coach
Jean Perron. The Moose got off to a rough start in
1996–97, going 16–26–8 in their first 50 games. Hoping to save the season, the Moose then fired Perron and promoted Carlyle to become head coach and general manager. Under Carlyle, the Moose improved and went 16–14–2, although the team failed to make the playoffs. In his first full season as head coach of the Moose in
1997–98, Carlyle led the team to a 39–36–7 record, as the team reached the playoffs. In the first round, the Moose were swept by the
Chicago Wolves. Manitoba improved to a 47–21–14 record in the
1998–99 season, finishing second in the Midwest Division and reaching the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Moose once again lost to Chicago, in the quarter-finals. In the
1999–2000 season, the Moose slumped to a 37–36–9 record, however they once again made the playoffs in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. In the pre-playoff round, the Moose lost to the
Long Beach Ice Dogs in two games. Manitoba improved in the
2000–01 season to a 42–33–7 record, finishing third in the Western Conference and in the playoffs. In the post-season, the Moose lost to the Chicago Wolves in the semi-finals. Following the season, the IHL folded and the Moose moved to the
American Hockey League (AHL) to become the top affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. Carlyle was promoted to team president, and
Stan Smyl replaced him as head coach in
2001–02.
Washington Capitals (2002–2004) Carlyle was hired as an assistant coach by the
Washington Capitals to work with newly hired head coach
Bruce Cassidy for the
2002–03 season. In his first season with the Capitals, the team went 39–29–14, reaching the
2003 playoffs as the sixth seed in the
Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Capitals were eliminated by the
Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Washington struggled badly in the
2003–04 season, with Cassidy being fired after an 8–16–1 start and replaced by
Glen Hanlon. Under Hanlon, the Capitals went 15–30–9 as the club finished in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Carlyle was not brought back after the season.
Manitoba Moose (2004–2005) Carlyle returned to the Manitoba Moose as head coach for the
2004–05 season. Under Carlyle, the Moose went 44–26–7–3 to finish third in the North Division. In the playoffs, the Moose upset the higher seeded
St. John's Maple Leafs and
Rochester Americans before losing to the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference final.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks (2005–2011) On August 1, 2005, Carlyle was hired as head coach of the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. On October 5, 2005, Carlyle coached his first career NHL game, as the Mighty Ducks defeated the
Chicago Blackhawks 5–3. In his first season with the Mighty Ducks in
2005–06, Carlyle led the team to a 43–27–12 record, earning a
2006 playoff berth. In the post-season, the Mighty Ducks would be eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final. The Mighty Ducks rebranded themselves as the Anaheim Ducks in
2006–07, and the club finished with a 48–20–14 record, winning their first division title in franchise history, and with it the second seed in the Western Conference. In the
2007 playoffs, the Ducks defeated the
Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings, earning a spot in the
2007 Stanley Cup Finals. In the final round against the
Ottawa Senators, the Ducks would defeat Ottawa in five games to win their first
Stanley Cup in team history. The Ducks had another successful season in
2007–08, going 47–27–8 to clinch a playoff spot. In the
playoffs, the Ducks were upset by the
Dallas Stars in the first round. Carlyle reached a milestone on February 8, 2008, as he won his 121st game with the Ducks, setting the franchise record for wins by a head coach. In
2008–09, Anaheim slumped to a 42–33–7 record, however they snuck into the
playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Ducks defeated the top-seeded
San Jose Sharks before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in the second round. The Ducks struggled in the
2009–10 season, going 39–32–11 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since Carlyle became head coach. Anaheim rebounded with a very successful regular season in
2010–11, going 47–30–5, their highest point total since the 2007–08 season, and returned to the playoffs. In the
post-season, the Ducks lost to the
Nashville Predators in the first round. The Ducks struggled badly to begin the
2011–12 season, as the club was 7–13–4 in their first 24 games. On November 30, 2011, the Ducks fired Carlyle and replaced him with former Washington Capitals head coach
Bruce Boudreau.
Toronto Maple Leafs (2012–2015) On March 2, 2012, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Carlyle as the head coach of the team. At the time of the hiring, the Maple Leafs had a 29–28–7 record. On March 3, Carlyle coached his first game with the Leafs, leading the team to a 3–1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Under Carlyle, the rebuilding club finished the
2011–12 season with a 6–9–3 record in 18 games, failing to reach the
playoffs. In his first full season with Toronto in
2012–13, the Leafs finished with a 26–17–5 record in the
lockout-shortened season to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004. In the
playoffs, the Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round. In Game 7, the Leafs held a 4–1 lead midway through the third period, however, the Bruins stormed back to tie the game and send it into overtime, in which Boston won the game, and series. In the
2013–14 season, the Leafs finished the season with a 38–36–8 record. With 14 games to play, the Leafs appeared to be comfortably in a spot in the
2014 playoffs. However, they went 2–12 the rest of the way and missed the playoffs. On January 6, 2015, Carlyle was fired after Toronto lost seven of their last ten games, going 2–7 since and including their first loss in that such stretch of games. Problems in the Leafs defensive and possession game, as well as the lack of advanced statistics progress despite personal additions and line-up changes, also played a role. He finished his tenure as Toronto head coach with a 91–78–19 record.
Return to Anaheim (2016–2019) On June 14, 2016, the Ducks announced Carlyle had returned to the team to become their head coach. On February 10, 2019, the Ducks terminated Carlyle's position as head coach after going 2–15–4 since December 18, with general manager
Bob Murray serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the
2018–19 season. ==NHL coaching record==