If you’re wondering how far back Darnell Nurse goes with Kris Knoblauch, it’s 10 years, because Nurse was playing junior for Sheldon Keefe’s Soo Greyhounds in the 2015 OHL playoffs while Knoblauch was on the rival Erie Otters bench. Read More
If you’re wondering how far back Darnell Nurse goes with Kris Knoblauch, it’s 10 years, because Nurse was playing junior for Sheldon Keefe’s Soo Greyhounds in the 2015 OHL playoffs while Knoblauch was on the rival Erie Otters bench. Nurse barely knew Knoblauch then, but he’s got a very good book on him now after
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If you’re wondering how far back Darnell Nurse goes with Kris Knoblauch, it’s 10 years, because Nurse was playing junior for Sheldon Keefe’s Soo Greyhounds in the 2015 OHL playoffs while Knoblauch was on the rival Erie Otters bench.
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Nurse barely knew Knoblauch then, but he’s got a very good book on him now after Knoblauch, the 18th Oilers NHL head coach, just got that three-year extension. He’s a big fan, with Knoblauch the fifth coach Nurse has played for since the fall of 2015 — Todd McLellan (now in Detroit), Ken Hitchcock (a coaching adviser with St. Louis), Dave Tippett (a coaching adviser with Seattle) and Jay Woodcroft (Joel Quenneville’s Anaheim assistant) before the current head man.
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What you see is what you get from Knoblauch.
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Oil Spills
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“It’s great to see him around for so long. He’s brought a lot to our group, especially the calm and poise in high-pressure situations,” said Nurse. “As a player you always know where you’re at with him. He’s always bringing positive energy and emotions to the rink.”
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Knoblauch runs a very good bench. He’s Mr. Stoic back there.
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He’s the farthest thing from rant or rave.
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He learned some valuable coaching lessons in that regard, he says, from his days as a high-scoring forward with U of Alberta Golden Bears when Rob Daum, who was an Oilers assistant at one time and also coached their farm team, ran the Bears.
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“Rob was always calm, composed and organized. He had a teacher’s mentality. He went to school to become one and I don’t think he ever was, but he treated his hockey team like a classroom,” said Knoblauch.
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“He was always teaching us to be better. I had a lot of respect for Rob.”
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Daum coached the Bears to three national championships and has been a longtime coach in Austria.
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Knoblauch has coached 151 Oilers games. Longest tenure: Hall of Famer Glen Sather (762 games). Shortest: Bryan Watson (18 games). Knoblauch is ninth on the NHL list with his 151 games. In case you’re wondering, Craig MacTavish was the last Oilers head coach to get an extension, back in 2006 when Kevin Lowe was the team GM. MacTavish, who first started coaching the Oilers in 2001, got a four-year extension in ‘06. He also got one of three years, starting in 2003.
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SHERWOOD PARK PROUD
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Lost in the Oilers final pre-season overtime setback to the Canucks was the strong game by Sherwood Park’s Braeden Cootes, Vancouver’s first-round pick in June. Cootes could make the Canucks roster to start the season, at least for nine games before they decide whether to keep him or send the centre back to Seattle Thunderbirds. Cootes played Friday with Evander Kane and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who had two goals.
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