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Roger Paul Neilson, Order of Canada|CM (June 16,
1934-June 21, 2003) was a National Hockey League
coach, and was responsible for many innovations in
the game.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Neilson's coaching
career began when he became head coach of the
Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes in
1966.  He then moved on to the National Hockey
League, where he was head coach of the Toronto
Maple Leafs from 1977 to 1979, the Buffalo Sabres
from 1980 to 1981, the Vancouver Canucks from 1981
to 1984, the Los Angeles Kings in 1984, the New
York Rangers from 1989 to 1993, the Florida
Panthers from 1993 to 1995, the Philadelphia
Flyers from 1997 to 1998 and 1999 to 2000, and the
Ottawa Senators for two games in April 2002. 
Neilson had went on medical leave from the Flyers
just before the 2000 playoffs for cancer treatment
but was later informed that he had been
permanently replaced by Craig Ramsay. Neilson's
uncermonious dismissal by Flyers General Manager
Bobby Clarke was widely lamented by fans and media
as lacking class and respect. Neilson was hired as
an assistant coach of the Senators, but was
temporarily appointed as the head coach so he
could become the ninth man to coach 1000 games. 
His overall regular season record was 460 wins,
381 losses, and 159 ties.

Neilson dedicated his entire life to coaching and
to hockey and affected the careers of thousands. 
He had no family and would stay up late into the
night watching video and analysing games.

Among his most well-known innovations was the use
of Video cassette recorder|videotape to analyze
other teams, leading to the nickname "Captain
Video." He was also the first to use microphone
headsets to communicate with his assistant
coaches.  

Neilson was well known for closely reading the
rule book looking for loopholes.  During one
particular game in the OHL his team was up one
goal, but was down two men in a five on three
situation for the last minute of the game. 
Realizing that more penalties could not be called
under the existing rules, Neilson put too many men
on the ice every ten seconds.  The referees
stopped the play and a faceoff was held relieving
pressure on the defence.  After this display the
rule was changed so that a call for too many men
on the ice in a 5 on 3 situation now leads to a
Penalty shot (ice hockey)|penalty shot.

Neilson also discovered that if he put a
defenceman in net instead of a goalie during a
penalty shot, the defenceman could rush the
attacker and greatly reduce the chances of a goal.
 Today the rule states that a team must use a
goalie in net for a penalty shot. 

Neilson also broke the rules, in a sense, when he
didn't like what was going on on the ice. As the
Canucks coach during a 1982 playoff game against
the Chicago Blackhawks, he felt his team was
unfairly penalized on several occasions during the
third period. He took a white trainer's towel and
held it on a hockey stick, as if to wave a white
flag. Three other Canucks players did the same
thing, and all were ejected from the game.
(Neilson inadvertently started an NHL tradition by
doing so - Canucks fans waved white towels by the
thousands at the next game, and other teams have
copied the tradition.)

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a
builder in November 2002.
He was appointed as a Member of the Order of
Canada {CM} in 2002. 
In 1999, Neilson was diagnosed with bone cancer,
which spread to become skin cancer in 2001.  He
died at age 69 on June 21, 2003.  Shortly after
his passing, the Ottawa Senators Foundation
announced plans to build Roger's House
(www.rogershouse.ca), a pediatric palliative care
facility to be built in his memory on the grounds
of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in
Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

start box
succession box | before = Red Kelly | title = Head
Coaches of the Toronto Maple Leafs | years =
1977-1979 | after = Floyd Smith 
succession box | before = Scotty Bowman | title =
Head Coaches of the Buffalo Sabres | years =
1980-1981 | after = Scotty Bowman 
succession box | before = Harry Neale | title =
Head Coaches of the Vancouver Canucks | years =
1982-1984 | after = Harry Neale 
succession box | before = Rogie Vachon | title =
Head Coaches of the Los Angeles Kings | years =
1984 | after = Pat Quinn 
succession box | before = Phil Esposito | title =
Head Coaches of the New York Rangers | years =
1989-1993 | after = Ron Smith 
succession box | before = Wayne Cashman | title =
Head Coaches of the Philadelphia Flyers | years =
1998-2000 | after = Craig Ramsay 
end box