This in from the Edmonton Oilers, news they have signed head coach Kris Knoblauch to a new three-year deal.
The on-line reaction was fast and generally positive in Edmonton and generally negative in other NHL cities:
Edmonton Inside Sports radio commentator Brenden Escott @BrendenEscott
The #Oilers have extended Head Coach Kris Knoblauch on a three-year deal. The Imperial, SK product has a 94-47-10 record since taking over the team in ‘23-24.He’s 29-19 in the playoffs and boasts back-to-back #StanleyCup Final appearances.
Oilers fan BMAX64🎮 @BMAX644
Knobby Well Deserved 😊
Hockey stats analyst Mathew Panchyshyn @mathewjdp
I’d argue he is the best coach in the league.
Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer @Bob_Stauffer
No team has more wins in the NHL (Regular Season and Playoffs-123) than the
Edmonton Oilers since Kris Knoblauch was named Head Coach on November 12th, 2023.
Oilers fan joey @tailgate1234
Well deserved and right man for the job 👏🏻👏🏻
Oilers fan darren mccullough @dmcdude63
Let’s make McDavid happy, episode #12
Oilers fan Bone @bonejrp
Time will tell whether he’s a great coach or a coach that simply rode a few superstars to great seasons in his first two as a coach, or somewhere in between. However, going into the season without contract certainty for your HC is generally not a good idea for contending teams.
Head of SPDN sports Toronto, Adam Wylde @AdamWylde
Oilers fans get the extension they’ve been waiting for
Oilers fan Alan Smithee 🇨🇦 @Oiler_Country
Not the agreement I was looking for..
Columbia University sports management grad student Rob Slater @RobSlater10
Generational coat tail riding. Really close to the incompetent fools that have made millions simply by knowing LeBron.
EveryDayLeafs @thatssoleafy77
Oilers trying to sign anyone with a pulse right now hoping it’s McDavid
Oilers fan Pulju @EnjoyerPulju
Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie get ready to learn the 4th line for 82 games 🔥
🏆🏆 – northern panthers fan @northerncatsfan
I wouldn’t be happy about this if I was an Oilers fan. I think he’s been a passenger this whole time and McDavid/Draisaitl/Hyman have carried him to 2 pretty successful seasons. But oh well, perhaps he’ll prove me wrong.
AHL/NHL commentator for Hockey Hot Stove Mike Fink @Finks_thoughts
Makes sense. Knoblauch has established himself as one of the best coaches in the game. A reminder of the many great coaches who come from the AHL.
Hockey fan Kevin Lacy 🇺🇦 @KevinLacy22
Isn’t this usually the kiss of death for Oilers head coaches? I hope not this time!
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun
With Kris Knoblauch and Ryan Huska having signed extensions, that leaves only Lindy Ruff among NHL head coaches entering the final year of their contract.
Jon Cooper, without team announcement, quietly extended at some point over the past several months, not sure for how many years. But he’s signed past this season.
Oilers fan Tim Mushey @TimM799611
Well deserved! 🎉
Dallas Stars fan AJ @AJParker96
This’ll be great! Until McDavid bolts and the team falls apart
Canucks fan Whale Enthusiast🐳 @MustardSports
Hearing Mcdavid’s kindergarten and swimming lessons teacher will be joining the bench next in an attempt to keep him around
Oilers Nation contributor Michael Menzies @Menzies_4
If Knoblauch coaches the full season he will be 5th in reg season games coached in Edmonton Oilers history only behind Sather, MacT, Low & McLellan…Kris Knoblauch getting extended pretty much ensures the Oilers can’t do the thing where they start poorly and fire the coach like usual every 2 years.
Oilers fan Murdoch Davis @murdochdavis
Connor McDavid approved this message. Whether it will be enough to spur a similar one about him is not yet known.
Sportsnet announcer Jack Michaels @EdmontonJack
Only Tom Johnson & Scotty Bowman have a higher points percentage than Knoblauch’s .656 through their first 150 games, and no one since Bowman in St. Louis (1968-70) had led a team to the Final in each of their 1st two years as an NHL head coach.
Russ Jericho @RussJerichoArt
I don’t always whoop, but when I do: There it is! 💙🧡
Hockey fan Sean @bigdev24
I’m an outsider but I like Edmonton… I thought Coach K was part of the problem for the oilers. No adjustments in the Final. Team looked lost. Just me I guess.
Oilers Nation content creator Woz @itsWozzz
Kris Knoblauch is not a perfect coach by any means, but he’s had incredible success behind the Oilers bench, the best the Oilers have had in the McDavid era. It will be intriguing to see how his new staff members will do with him.
Oilers fan WalmanFan92 @Walmanfan92
He’s been Coaching us for two years and we’ve been to 2 Stanley Cup Finals but I’m sure some of our fans will still complain.
My take
1. The Oilers improved dramatically after Knoblauch took over the team from Jay Woodcroft two years ago. Twice in a row they made the Stanley Cup Final.
What’s not to like?
2. There were some iffy decision on defensive deployment in the Stanley Cup playoffs, instances where the coaches were too slow to react and make necessary changes, often involving finding the right partner for Darnell Nurse.
I put those mistakes in large part on Paul Coffey, who wielded much power. Coffey built up the confidence and skill level of every Oilers d-man but didn’t always get his pairings right.
3. Knoblauch is under-rated as a coach because his teams have yet to win the Cup, he’s coaching two major superstars in McDavid and Draisaitl and he’s a genuinely humble, soft-spoken coach.
I’ve never once heard him throw a player under the bus. He’s the ultimate in building up players to get them to play better. It’s working so far.
And it’s great to see a nice guy finish near first.
Now he’s just got to get to first.
I bet he can do it. I bet he can lead the Oilers to a Cup. You?
P.S. Edmonton’s morning skate line-up for the exhibition game against Vancouver tonight, supplied by Bob Stauffer:
Draisaitl-McDavid-Frederic
Podkolzin-RNH-Mangiapane
Howard-Tomasek-Kapanen
Henrique-Philp-Savoie
Jones-Lazar
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Stecher
Kulak-Emberson
Walman-Regula
Skinner