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I believe this question can be answered in two ways: who is the best all time head coach? and who is the best head coach currently coaching in the NHL?
First, the best coach all time is probably Scotty Bowman. This is a matter of opinion, but it is an opinion shared by most of the hockey world (I know this is a broad statement, but Bowman holds records listed below, and continues to help hockey teams today (he currently works with the Blackhawks)
Most wins all time (1,244)
Most stanley cup wins all time (223)
Coached record 9 stanley cup teams (Canadiens - 5, Penguins - 1, Red Wings - 3)
Most wins in a season (62) - he broke his own record twice in this statistic
Least losses in a season (Modern era - 8)
Most stanley cup appearances (13)
Most conference championship appearances (16)
It is less clear who the best coach is among active coaches in the NHL. Among coaches who have coached at least 500 games in their career (of which there are 13), only Mike Babcock, Dave Tippett, and Joel Quenneville have won 60% of their points or more, so they are certainly in the conversation. Ken Hitchcock, Lindy Ruff, and Barry Trotz also deserve (in my opinion) to be in the conversation. Hitchcock deserves it because of his wins (2nd among active coaches), and playoff history (1 stanley cup win, and has only missed the playoffs twice in his career), and Trotz and Ruff for their longevity (both have coached with their teams since 1997).
Overall my vote is for Babcock, who in a short time (738 games) has amassed 421 wins (6th, and all 5 coaches above him have coached at least 900 games, 4 of them over 1000), been to two stanley cups (winning one of them), and won a gold medal in 2010 coaching the Canadian mens team. But that's just my opinion.
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