He is the former head coach of the American Hockey League Norfolk Admirals and a former head coach of the National Hockey League New York Islanders, and a former Head Coach of the Iserlohn Roosters. Before coaching the Admirals to their worst finish in franchise history, he spent a season and a half as coach of the Islanders before his dismissal in January 2006. During his rookie campaign in the NHL, Stirling led the Islanders to a pretty impressive record of 38-29-11-4. In the NHL playoffs, Stirling's Islanders were beaten by the eventual Stalnley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.