Coach Knoblauch was coaching minor hockey when hired by Oilers
Kris Knoblauch wasn't a well known name when he was hired by the Edmonton Oilers - in fact, he was coaching his son's Minor Bantam Hockey Team in Hartford.
In a new article on ESPN, Greg Wyshynski dove into the past of Kris Knoblauch just before he was hired by the Oilers. Knoblauch was coaching the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, he split his time with his son's minor hockey team - which proved to be an incredible experience for the kids on the team.
"I mean, it's absolutely unbelievable. There's really no words. It was so cool. We didn't really know what to expect from him, but he showed up quite a few times. We started around August, so he probably came once a week. He'd game plan and put practice plans together with us. He was just another coach out there."
- Ken Mangini, coach of Bantam team
- Ken Mangini, coach of Bantam team
Knoblauch wasn't behind the bench for the minor team, actually believing that his presence would be a distraction, but was present in many practices with his son and their team. Then one day last November, he suddenly had to go coach Connor McDavid and Edmonton Oilers.
»He was just with us, literally just with us, a few days ago, on the ice shooting pucks around. We got to learn from not only from the head coach of the Wolf Pack, but now the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, who's going to be working with Connor McDavid. It's just crazy.»
- Ken Mangini
- Ken Mangini
From every stage of his life, people across hockey have only had the highest praise for Kris Knoblauch. He even has a degree in Education from the University of Alberta, which is being attributed as another factor to his success in turning around the Oilers season. General Manager Ken Holland didn't mince words when asked about Knoblauch's performance this year - Holland says he saved the whole season.
»He came in and saved the season. The team rallied around him and we got to .500 at Christmas time. We dug out of a big hole and Kris was a big, big reason for it."
- Ken Holland
- Ken Holland
In a hockey hotbed like Edmonton, which was mired in hot takes at the bottom of the standings, Knoblauch's incredibly calm and reserved demeanour has been just what the team needed to focus themselves on the ultimate goal of the Stanley Cup. Clearly as well, he has the tactical decision making on lock with some bold decisions that have panned out well in this year's playoffs.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Kris Knoblauch can lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup? | ||
| Yes, they'll win it all this year | 181 | 70.2 % |
| Knoblauch will win, but not this year | 37 | 14.3 % |
| No, he doesn't have it in him | 25 | 9.7 % |
| See Results | 15 | 5.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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