Jay Woodcroft has a salty answer about watching Oilers in playoffs
Watching this year's Oilers in the playoffs, it's hard to believe they were second last in the NHL and had to fire coach Jay Woodcroft earlier in the season.
Poor goaltending and a huge team slump sunk Jay Woodcroft this year despite being a very popular and successful coach in previous years, but it proved to be the right decision as Knoblauch immediately fixed the team. Jay Woodcroft was interviewed recently about what he's thought of the Oilers changes in the playoffs, and he gave a surprising answer indicating he's basically cut all ties with the team.
»I haven't watched much of the Edmonton Oilers since I was let go in November. That was a choice I've made and I've spent more time studying the league. For me, I've spent a lot of time in this playoffs watching the Eastern Conference.»
Woodcroft was arguably made the scapegoat due to the Jack Campbell problem in Edmonton, and it seems like there's still some harsh feelings towards the organization. Either that, or it's genuinely tough for him to see the team he thought he could take to a Cup Final succeed without him. Still, the Oilers made the right call to fire Woodcroft when they did - after an inexcusable loss to the horrendous San Jose Sharks.
Thankfully for Woodcroft, he's found himself another job to ride him over until the next NHL season. Woodcroft will travel to Europe to serve as an assistant coach to Team Canada in the IIHF games, with head coach Andre Tourigny, and other assistants Dean Evason and Steve Ott. Hopefully Woodcroft can earn some goodwill here to parlay into an NHL job next season.
With a career record of 79-41-13, Woodcroft shouldn't have much trouble getting back into the NHL next year with the litany of teams looking for a coach. The Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and likely more teams are already searching for new coaches, and Woody is certainly on everyone's radar.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Jay Woodcroft will be hired as an NHL coach next season? | ||
| Yes, he'll be a head coach | 121 | 56.8 % |
| Yes, as an assistant | 56 | 26.3 % |
| No, he won't be hired | 25 | 11.7 % |
| See Results | 11 | 5.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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