Hanlon played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.

He played for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the NHL, as well as the WCHL, Central Hockey League, AHL and IHL.

Led by 2004 first-round pick Alexander Ovechkin, the Capitals were expected to improve; however the team was still young and compiled a record of 29–41–12.

[1] The 2006–07 Capitals compiled an 8–5–4 mark by the end of November, though long losing streaks eliminated the Caps' chances of making the post-season, as they finished 28–40–14.

Over the 2007 offseason, McPhee signed many talented players including Michael Nylander, Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov and young Swedish star Nicklas Bäckström, elevating expectations in Washington.

This contract ended prematurely on May 18, 2011, after the World Championship in Slovakia, where he led the Slovak national ice hockey team to the 10th place.

On May 27, 2014, it was announced that Glen Hanlon signed a two-year contract as new head coach for the Swiss men's national ice hockey team.

[5] On May 19, 2016, Hanlon was named general manager of Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants, the organization he had worked for as an assistant coach earlier in his career.