Former Oilers coach calls out a member of the team
A local reporter was singled out by former Edmonton Oilers coach Craig McTavish on Monday night.
In an interview with Bob Stauffer on OilersNow on 630 CHED, MacTavish discussed his time as an Oilers coach from 2000 to 2009.
MacTavish explained to Stauffer the pressure headcoaches feel while coaching the Edmonton Oilers. In his remarks, he mentioned how quickly Woodcroft's popularity declined among the local media.
«Everybody knows that the media has every right to criticize athletes and coaches,» MacTavish said. «The things that bother me about some of the criticism about coaches, and I'll speak to Mark Spector's article before Jay [Woodcroft] was fired.
«Mark is a bright guy; he's a talented writer, we all know that, but he is always the guy that is going to recommend, as he did for me a few times as well; he's always going to be the first guy to say the coach has to go.»
«Mark is a bright guy; he's a talented writer, we all know that, but he is always the guy that is going to recommend, as he did for me a few times as well; he's always going to be the first guy to say the coach has to go.»
When it came to the topic, MacTavish singled out Sportsnet's Mark Spector as a local reporter.
Immediately after Thursday's loss to the San Jose Sharks, Spector called for Woodcroft's termination. Despite the fact that MacTavish felt the media had a right to criticize coaches, he felt that Spector's call for the firing of Woodcroft crossed a line.
«It's fine that [Spector] has that opinion [of wanting the coach fired], but I think at times he goes overboard,» explained MacTavish. «When you say that if [the coach] is not fired tomorrow, the owner has absolutely quit on the season, to me, that is a ludicrous statement, and it goes over the boundaries of what's respectful for people and even humanity.
«The coach should be afforded a certain amount of dignity.»
«The coach should be afforded a certain amount of dignity.»
It's no secret that Edmonton players feel more pressure than their counterparts in California because, like Toronto, they're constantly in the midst of criticism.
Oilers are no strangers to local media battles, which are nothing new to them. In addition to the 2022 incident where he was framed as "pissy", Leon Draisaitl has also been challenged by the press many times.
It is an eternal struggle.
As Seen On: dailyhive.com
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Do you think Mark Spector crossed a line? | ||
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