DALLAS — Kris Knoblauch arrived to find a locker room in turmoil. The Edmonton Oilers — among the Stanley Cup favourites when training camp opened — had got off to a disastrous start to the NHL season.
The Edmonton Oilers — among the Stanley Cup favourites when training camp opened — had got off to a disastrous start to the NHL season.
"I saw a team that was very hard on themselves, a team that was very frustrated," said Knoblauch, a rookie bench bossed hired away from the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack."Things hadn't been going their way … a team that was trying probably too hard. You just get so caught up and you're not thinking straight.
"We don't have to win a bunch of games and be perfect," he said of his message."Just started playing hockey. I think that was a big part of our season."Edmonton can clinch a spot Sunday at what will no doubt be a rocking and well-lubricated Rogers Place after reeling off consecutive victories against the Dallas Stars to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference final.
Edmonton winger Zach Hyman said an ability to embrace tough moments was forged in those early days under Knoblauch. "Been a heck of a year," Hyman said."Some very down points. We had extremely high expectations and then hit rock bottom, had a coaching change — going through things that, going into the year if you told us, we wouldn't have probably believed.
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