Paul Coffey hired as development coach for Oilers
By Matt Morrow
On Saturday, former NHL defenseman and Hall of Famer Paul Coffey was hired by the Edmonton Oilers as a development coach.
Paul Coffey played 21 seasons in the NHL, and he spent his first seven with the Oilers. In his storied career, the defenseman amassed 1,531 points, helping his team qualify for the playoffs in 16 different seasons. All told, he accumulated 196 points in 194 career playoff games.
Coffey is a four-time Stanley Cup winner, three of which came when he was a member of the Oilers. He also won the Norris Trophy, handed out to the league’s best defenseman, on three separate occasions. In 2004, he was forever cemented as hockey royalty by being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, the NHL named him one of the greatest 100 players of all time.
Hiring Coffey as a skills development coach is a brilliant move by the Oilers for so many reasons. For one, he’s going to be involved from the top of the organization to the bottom. Coffey is going to be able to share his knowledge with players at all stages of development, potentially changing the landscape of the franchise for years to come.
As listed on NHL.com, Oilers coach Todd McLellan said the following, “You’ll see him around here. You’ll see him in Bakersfield (Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate) and you may see him around some of the junior teams with some of the kids.”
Five of the eight defenseman on the Oilers roster are in their 20s, aged between 23 and 27. These are players who are either just beginning their prime or who are already in it, and having someone like Coffey step in to guide them will guarantee that each player plays to their maximum potential.
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If the Oilers come out and win the Stanley Cup within the next few years, something tells me that players and staff will point to this signing as one big reason why.