Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Nachbaur Sets WHL Record for Games Coached
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Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Nachbaur Sets WHL Record for Games Coached

Published on November 14, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League announced today Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Don Nachbaur has established a new WHL record for regular season games coached with 1,412, surpassing the previous mark of 1,411, set by Ken Hodge, former coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks.

Nachbaur, 66, established the new WHL record when he stood behind the bench Friday, November 14, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore., as the Wild visited the Portland Winterhawks.

Nachbaur tied the WHL record for regular season games coached Tuesday, November 11, when the Wild visited the Seattle Thunderbirds.

"On behalf of the WHL and our member Clubs, I extend our congratulations to Don Nachbaur on becoming the longest tenured coach in WHL history," commented WHL Commissioner Dan Near. "Setting a record of this kind represents a remarkable display of commitment, endurance, tenacity, and a passion for the WHL and the game of hockey. Don's commitment to the game and his longevity in the WHL speaks to the respect he has earned from his peers over more than three decades behind the bench."

Nachbaur accomplished the record in this his 21st season as a WHL head coach. For Hodge, he required 22 campaigns to hit 1,411 WHL regular season games.

A product of Kitimat, B.C., Nachbaur is in his second season as Head Coach of the Wenatchee Wild. In addition to his time in Wenatchee, he spent six seasons as Head Coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds (1994-95 to 1999-00), six seasons as Head Coach of the Tri-City Americans (2003-04 to 2008-09), and seven seasons as Head Coach of the Spokane Chiefs (2010-11 to 2016-17).

November 20, 2024, Nachbaur became only the third coach in WHL history to reach 700 wins, as his Wenatchee Wild edged the Kelowna Rockets by a 5-4 score. As of Friday, November 14, Nachbaur has 720 regular season wins to his credit, as he chases down Don Hay's WHL record of 752 career wins. Nachbaur's all-time coaching record stands at 720-567-124.

A three-time winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (1994-95, 2007-08, 2010-11), presented annually to the WHL Coach of the Year, Nachbaur's ties to the WHL run deep. His WHL journey began in 1977-78 as a centre for the Billings Bighorns. Nachbaur played two seasons in the WHL, appearing in 137 regular season games and registering 146 points (67G-79A). He went on to be selected by the Hartford Whalers in the third round of the 1979 NHL Draft and enjoyed a 15-season professional playing career, including 223 NHL games and 469 AHL games, followed by four seasons in Austria to conclude his playing days.

Retiring after the 1993-94 season, Nachbaur immediately stepped behind the bench, joining the Seattle Thunderbirds as Head Coach in 1994-95. He guided the Thunderbirds to a record of 42-28-2 in his first season and was named WHL Coach of the Year, setting a standard of success that has since defined his coaching career.

In 2007-08, he coached the Tri-City Americans to a Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy on the strength of a 52-16-2-2 record, resulting in Nachbaur's second WHL Coach of the Year honour.

In 2010-11, Nachbaur's Spokane Chiefs went 48-18-4-2, earning him his third Dun McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year.

Outside his time in the WHL, Nachbaur has spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, along with time in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms, Binghamton Senators, Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers. He also coached in Slovakia and Switzerland.

During his career, Nachbaur has represented Canada internationally at the U18 level and was a member of the coaching staff for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

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