How David Carle deals with constant NHL head coaching rumors

University of Denver head coach David Carle has established himself as one of the hottest names in the hockey coaching world, and for good reason.

Having won the 2026 NCAA championship with the Pioneers and establishing the program as a year-in, year-out contender, Carle has opted to stay in the collegiate ranks despite being a widely-rumored candidate for numerous NHL openings in recent years.

On a recent episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey, hosts Jonny Lazarus and co-host and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen were joined by Carle to discuss how he handles the NHL head coaching news cycles when his name is involved for vacancies.

Colby Cohen: “How do you deal with being a guy who every time there’s an opening, you are the ‘it’ guy? And how does the school deal with it? How do you deal with your players on it? How do you deal with your wife and your family on that? Because (fans) already got your stall ready in six different markets. The fan bases have already pronounced you the head coach.”

David Carle: “The noise is the noise. I think it’s a good thing that it’s there because it means that we’re doing some good things here at Denver. And I think it comes with the territory when you win to the level that we have over the last 5-8 years. My predecessor (Jim Montgomery) took that path as well.

“So I think there’s maybe a little bit of an assumption that that’s just going to be the path that I take, whether in the immediacy or the long term. And for me, it’s just trying to stay two feet where you are and learn about different opportunities that come your way.

“But I’m very happy. I’ve stated that many times with what we have going on here at Denver, what we’re trying to build. It’s more than just a hockey team or season to season. We’re trying to really build something for the long term. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last 4-5 years, but, we’re not done yet.”

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…