Paul Coffey Sends a Strong Message to the Entire Oilers Roster

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Liam McCormick
October 22, 2024 (3:58 PM)

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Assistant coach Paul Coffey is the perfect voice to have behind the bench for the Oilers, and now he's got a strong message for the team amid some early struggles.

Coffey himself has won the Stanley Cup on an Oilers team that was similarly stacked with generational talent, but his message is that winning takes so much more than skill. In a new interview with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now, Coffey said that the Oilers need to fight by committee.

»We've got Connor, we've got Leon. But, we need to score by committee, we need to defend by committee, and we need to fight by committee."
-Paul Coffey on OilersNow

The elite players are fantastic, but winning requires every player on the team being fully dialled in and competing at their best, and that's what Coffey is emphasizing here. It's a true message from the iconic assistant coach, but also could be a way to take some pressure off McDavid and Draisaitl for their slower start.

Not only that, Coffey is speaking literally about fighting as well. Coffey pointed to Darnell Nurse's fight against Michael McCarron and Troy Stecher's fight against Sean Couturier as great moments that brought the team and fans together. Coffey even joked that Stecher could be the mayor of Edmonton if he scored after fighting Couturier.

»Darnell did what he should do, went after McCarron, for him taking a run at one of our best players. That's what brings the team together."
- Paul Coffey on OilersNow

Whenever Paul Coffey speaks to the media, it's definitely worth a listen. The Cup Champion's presence on the coaching staff since Knoblauch took over has been praised on all accounts, so hopefully, they can continue that success this year. Coffey has his work cut out for him working with three new regular defenders, but each of them should be thrilled to work with an icon like Coffey.