Claude Noël (born October 31, 1955) is a Canadian professional scout with the New Jersey Devils, former NHL player and head coach. Noël has close to 30 years experience coaching with his most recent coaching position being head coach of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League in the 2014–2015 season. Playing career Noël was undrafted after playing 1974–75 with the Kitchener Rangers, but he was signed as a professional with the Buffalo Norsemen of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), starting a long minor league playing career. The next season, he moved up to the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears. He stayed with the Bears until 1981, earning one call-up to the Washington Capitals in the 1979–80 season of seven games. After Hershey he played with several teams in the International Hockey League: Toledo Goaldiggers, Kalamazoo Wings and Milwaukee Admirals before retiring in 1988. While with the Buffalo Norsemen, his team ended up involved in what is now considered to be an infamous pre game brawl with the Johnstown Jets. The events of this brawl and subsequent forfeited game would form the basis of a memorable scene between the Charleston Chiefs and the Peterboro Patriots in the cult film Slap Shot. Claude Noel confirmed that he was on the ice for that event during a press conference on November 16, 2011. Coaching career After his professional playing career, Noël moved into coaching. He began in the East Coast Hockey League, spending one season as head coach of the Roanoke Valley Rebels then two seasons as head coach of the Dayton Bombers. Noël moved to the International Hockey League's Kalamazoo Wings (later the renamed the Michigan K-Wings), spending two seasons as assistant coach and two seasons as head coach. From there, Noël moved on to take an assistant coaching job with the Milwaukee Admirals also of the IHL and later the American Hockey League. After three seasons in Milwaukee, Noël went back to the ECHL for one season as the head coach of the Toledo Storm. In 2003, Noël returned to the Admirals as head coach. In his first season, the Admirals won the Calder Cup. Noël was awarded the Louis A. Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year. Noël spent three more seasons in Milwaukee, leading the team to winning record each season. In 2007, Noël was hired by Ken Hitchcock and the Columbus