Another Oilers Stanley Cup Champion could be in line to replace Paul Coffey as coach
When Paul Coffey joined the Oilers coaching staff in November last season, some fans may have been skeptical about hiring another former player. Then, Coffey blew all expectations out of the water.
The legendary Oilers defenceman became an integral piece of the coaching staff that was responsible for turning their season around from near last place to the Cup Final. Coffey was happily retired for years, and wasn't really thrilled to be looped back in through the coaching role. However, now it's confirmed that Coffey will be returning to finish the job he started last year.
Still, Coffey is 63 years old, and has no plans to continue coaching into the future - it was even heavily rumoured that he may not return at all after last year. This has led some fans to wonder about the next defence coach to work alongside coach Knoblauch if Coffey decides to step away after this upcoming season. Oilers defenceman Ty Emberson mentioned a prime candidate in a recent interview with the Edmonton Journal: Former Oilers Cup Champion Steve Smith.
»I loved my time with Kris. He's very good at understanding players and communicating with us. He didn't want us (defencemen) to chip it out or rim it around the boards. He wanted us making plays. And Steve [Smith] was awesome as our D coach. We hit it off, same ideas as Knobber, make plays, don't play scared.»
Steve Smith won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers, and played with the team from 1984-1991. He went on to play 804 career NHL games, then transitioned to coaching 10 years after his playing retirement. He was the assistant coach for some poor Oilers teams from 2010-2014, and is now the head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.
Unlike Paul Coffey, the 61 year old Steve Smith is actively working in his coaching career and likely plans to continue. Smith and Knoblauch coached together with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, and seemed to produce great results. Smith's philosophy with making plays even seems incredibly similar to Coffey, who always stresses the same message to his players.
It's very possible that if Paul Coffey decides to step away at the end of this season, Coach Knoblauch could recommend Steve Smith as a prime candidate for his next assistant given their history together, and Smith's history with the Oilers. It'd be a shame to see Coffey step aside after his incredible success and presence with the team last year, so hopefully he does it with another Stanley Cup Ring.
All coach statistics: Steve Smith HockeyDB
| POLL | ||
Do you think Paul Coffey will step aside after this season? | ||
| Yes, he's not here long term | 128 | 43.5 % |
| No, he'll stay no matter what | 74 | 25.2 % |
| He'll only step aside if they win the Cup | 80 | 27.2 % |
| See Results | 12 | 4.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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