NASHVILLE, June 21 (UPI) -- Hall of Famer Roger Neilson, who coached the most teams in NHL history, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer at age 69.
According to the Ottawa Senators, for whom he worked as an assistant coach the last three years, Neilson died peacefully at 1:15 p.m. EDT at his home in Peterborough, Ontario.
Nicknamed "Captain Video" for his trail-blazing use of videotape as a teaching tool, Neilson coached eight NHL teams - Toronto, Buffalo, Vancouver, Los Angeles, the New York Rangers, Florida, Philadelphia and Ottawa - during a 26-year span.
Late in the 2001-02 campaign, Ottawa's Jacques Martin stepped aside to allow his mentor to coach his 999th and 1,000th NHL games, becoming just the ninth man to reach the milestone.
Neilson lost his coaching job with Philadelphia in 2000 while battling multiple myeloma. He underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, but the cancer recurred.
