TSN.ca is reporting Craig MacTavish is returning as the Edmonton Oiler‘s coach and with a four year contract. Good news for sure. I’d be interested in knowing for what amount, since they didn’t pick up his option before the playoffs. I’m assuming he’s getting a raise then.
So this is basically good news. Although, if MacT had crashed and burned during the playoffs, I have no doubt he would be gone. He made some questionable coaching decisions during the regular season. Actually, for his whole tenure. The thing that annoys me the most, he kept changing his lines. Keep Hemsky with Smyth, they have great chemistry. I noticed this two years ago and he did it again this year. It’s okay to shake them up, but not every other game. Second, he needs to find a way to motivate his players. He managed to do this during the playoffs, but not the regular season. They always go through the January blues, and end up losing ten games in a row. Third, get your guys to play with intensity against the crappy teams (aka St.Louis, Minnesota, etc). The Oil always play amazing against the good teams, but the crappy teams, not so much. It’s like they drop to their level. Third, the powerplay is such a liability so work is needed in this area too.
So fix those things MacT, and you’ll have a much better regular season than last year!
UPDATE: Da Fuhrer says it’s all good…….Oil are good. If Grant says so, then it must be okay.
If we can get the players to play the same intensity each night like the way Mac T did during his playing career we would have the most dangerous team in the league, That said, we got rid of some of the high paid dead wood, like Pronger Peca… Mac and his Co coaches , and heart man number one Kevin have allways been a sweet deal for us in Edmonton, That said, clearly the players have to show up each night, 100% for there big bucks, in the regular season, 110% during next years run for Lord Stanley. The fans deserve 100%
Yes just please show up every night. Don’t show up only for the Detroit’s, the Ottawa’s, the Vancouver’s, the Calgary’s. Do it for all the teams, and this team will easily win their division and possibly conference!