For Craig MacTavish, adjusting to life behind the bench in the NHL feels as eerie as it did when he first started working behind the bench.
“I remember my first fight many years ago and I couldn’t believe how fast[everything]was happening,” McTavish said Friday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. “When you first come back out there, you try to think, ‘What’s the difference between sitting (on the bench as a player) and standing (behind the bench as a coach)?’ You might think, but not at all.I was worried about getting my (line)changes out there, but I got my head bumped by a pack.As time goes on, things slow down. But it’s happening fast… there.”
“And the game has definitely changed since I last coached,” he added. “…It’s a fast, fast game. It’s a more aggressive one.”
If there’s anyone in the game who can see it all, do it all, and adapt to it all, it’s MacTavish.
Originally from London, Ontario, the 64-year-old has had 17 seasons in the NHL. His name is Stanley In his cup he is seen four times. Edmonton he won the Oilers three times (1987, 1988, 1990) and the New York Rangers he won once (1994).
Scoring 480 points (213 goals, 267 assists) in 1,093 regular season appearances, his career came to an end with the St. Louis Blues when he retired in 1997. that same year. He took over as head coach of the Oilers from 2000 to 2009 and led Edmonton to the postseason three times in that span, including 2006 when the club reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 16 years.
After completing his tenure as head coach at Edmonton, he returned as General Manager of the Oilers from 2013-2015.
After hiring McTavish as an assistant to the Blues, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said, “Obviously you can see how many games ‘McTie’ has coached…he has dealt with. Nothing is moving forward,” he said. off-season coaching. “He reminds me a lot of[Hockey Hall of Famer]Larry Robinson, in the sense that the moment he walks into a room, it lights up. Knowledge of participation.every aspect of the game – he has become someone that everyone from coaches to players to trainers to everyone around our group really enjoys working with. I think this will be a really good marriage.
Video: McTavish Back in Edmonton
McTavish brought his experience and wisdom to the Blues penalty kill. That’s the job of current Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery last season. The Blues have played only two games this season and it is important to note that he has only received three penalties, but the club has yet to give up a power-play goal this season. No he is one of four clubs.
McTavish said, “So far, the most effective part of penalty kills is the discipline the team has taken in their (non-penalizing) approach.” I don’t want to talk about it because we take seven or eight[in the game]… but we’ve been pretty disciplined so far. We’re out of the penalty box.”
McTavish has never coached at the Oilers’ new home, Rogers Place. When he entered the building for the Blues team’s practice on Friday, the locker room wasn’t all that familiar, but people were still familiar with it, including Oilers coaches and staff and even the local media.
That comfort makes McTavish very much looking forward to Saturday’s matchup between the Blues and the Oilers.
“Like many other games, it depends on the outcome,” he said. “As[Oilers’ longtime equipment manager]Barry Stafford used to say, there are wins and misfortunes. The level of fun[on Saturday]definitely depends on the score.”
But with two games to go, MacTavish would love to get back into the game.
“It was fun, it was fun,” he said. “It’s all I could have wished for.”
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