Backdraft: How High Were Today's NHL GMs and Coaches Drafted?

This post originally appeared on thehockeywriters.com. Since it's a straightforward list, I haven't added anything more to it.  

While preparing another post on the draft, I discovered that more of today's NHL General Managers and head coaches were selected at the 1978 Amateur Draft than any other draft to date.

In order to verify that fact, I had to go through the bios of every GM and head coach to find out when they were drafted. This research produced a fun (at least for someone who enjoys sifting through old records) byproduct: a list of where and when each GM and coach who used to play professional hockey was drafted. I thought that readers might enjoy skimming this list, so I've arranged it in terms of overall draft rankings (regardless of draft year) so that you can see which current behind-the-bench and manning-the-war-room personage was drafted highest.

NOTE: This list only includes former players who were drafted. If you'd like an overview of undrafted players who became part of an NHL team's hockey operations, please say so in the comments section and I'll work on something. Naturally, this list does not include anyone who was neither drafted by nor played in the NHL.

31. Ray Shero: 1982 (208th overall--Los Angeles Kings)

30. Dallas Eakins: 1985 (208^th overall—Washington Capitals)

29. Ken Holland: 1975 (188^th overall—Toronto Maple Leafs)

28. Darryl Sutter: 1978 (179^th overall—Chicago Blackhawks)

27. Alain Vigneault: 1981 (167th overall--St. Louis Blues)

26. Craig MacTavish: 1978 (153^rd overall –Boston Bruins)

25. Garth Snow: 1987 (114th overall--Quebec Nordiques)

24.  Paul MacLean: 1978 (109^th overall--St. Louis Blues)

23. Dan Bylsma: 1989 (109th overall--Winnipeg Jets)

22. Paul Holmgren: 1975 (108th overall--Philadelphia Flyers)

21. Todd McLellan: 1986 (104^th overall—New York Islanders) 

20. Jim Nill: 1978 (89^th overall—St. Louis Blues)

19. Jack Capuano: 1984 (88th overall--Toronto Maple Leafs)

18. Darcy Regier: 1976 (77th overall--California Golden Seals)

17. Marc Bergevin: 1983 (59th overall Chicago Blackhawks)

16. Kevin Dineen: 1982 (56^th—Hartford Whalers)

15. Bob Murray: 1974 (52^nd overall—Chicago Blackhawks)

14. Patrick Roy: 1984 (51^st overall—Montreal Canadiens)

13. Todd Richards: 1985 (33^rd overall—Montreal Canadiens)

12.Bruce Boudreau: 1975 (32^nd overall—Toronto Maple Leafs)

11. Lindy Ruff: 1979 (32^nd overall—Buffalo Sabres)

10. Randy Carlyle: 1976 (30^th overall--Toronto Maple Leafs)

9. Don Maloney: 1978 (26^th overall—New York Rangers)

8. Joel Quenneville: 1978 (21^st  overall—Toronto Maple Leafs)

7. Kevin Cheveldayoff: 1988 (16^th overall—New York Islanders)

6. Jim Rutherford: 1969 (10^th overall--Detroit Red Wings)

5. Doug Wilson: 1977 (6^th overall—Chicago Blackhawks)

4. Steve Yzerman: 1983 (4^th overall—Detroit Red Wings)

3. Mike Gillis: 1978 (5^th overall—Colorado Rockies)

2. Dale Tallon: 1970 (2^nd overall—Vancouver Canucks)

1. Kirk Muller: 1984 (2^nd overall--New Jersey Devils)