One year ago today, the Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft

[LevelingSolo]

Interesting too look back on now as the decision itself was not popular at the time. The turnaround under KK and run to the final was great, some say that the team would have rounded into form if they kept JW as well but who knows

What are your thoughts now and at the time? I assume Woodcroft will be back in the League at some point

Click to read more...

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I think that the signs of the team turning it around were there, but the results after the fact speak for themselves. Woodcroft seemed like a convenient scapegoat for the previous GM, and there's definitely a timeline out there where it blew up in his face. We probably don't make it as far in the playoffs as we did without Knoblauch (I think back to how effortlessly Vegas' coach schooled him), but I don't hold any ill will towards Woodcroft either.

 

[FlameChampion]

Well was pretty split on him. Some liked him and some didn’t.

I personally wasn’t happy with him. I felt like he didn’t have any answers to problems and got tired of his word salad. Felt like he couldn’t instill a defensive structure or a PK. I think he was propped up on a historical PP and once that faltered, he faltered.

I felt like once KK took this team to cup final it hurt Woodcrofts credit. Our defense and PK were substantially better with KK.

That said we have seen some similar patterns to the start of the year. Our PK is atrocious. Our PP is poor. Our preseason was a failure. So I think some of its on the players so I don’t think it was all Woodcrofts fault. I don’t think the Oilers are a very easy team to coach which shouldn’t be controversial at this point lol.

He will probably get a shot at some point, but I think he’s more of an AHL or assistant coach. I personally don’t know what kind of team would be good for him. I don’t think he was particularly good with our young players which is kind of perplexing as he was the AHL coach but it is possible that he was weighed down on instructions from management/ownership.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Fireworks to celebrate.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

A coach like Torts seems to be able to take what looks like a mismatched disorganized roster and turn it into a semi-respectable hockey team. Even if they don't make the playoffs, the players learn accountability and play a structured system that rewards hard work.

He can get a lower-end roster to overachieve.

I wonder if Woody could do something similar with the Penguins, or the Ducks. I was hoping Staios gave him a shot in Ottawa.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Despite the slower start, the team has been dramatically better since this move and I'm still very happy they made it.

 

[brentashton]

A coach like Torts seems to be able to take what looks like a mismatched disorganized roster and turn it into a semi-respectable hockey team. Even if they don't make the playoffs, the players learn accountability and play a structured system that rewards hard work.

He can get a lower-end roster to overachieve.

I wonder if Woody could do something similar with the Penguins, or the Ducks. I was hoping Staios gave him a shot in Ottawa.

Nobody will be able to do anything with that Penguins roster.

Complete Dumpster fire.

 

[JeffSkinner53]

Knoblauch is much better structurally. With woodcroft we wouldn't have gotten as deep in the playoffs as we did.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Interesting too look back on now as the decision itself was not popular at the time. The turnaround under KK and run to the final was great, some say that the team would have rounded into form if they kept JW as well but who knows

What are your thoughts now and at the time? I assume Woodcroft will be back in the League at some point

The decision was VERY popular with me. I was begging for it. The only time I was as fervent about it before was Eakins. A lot of people here wanted Woodcrap fired and saw through him.

Woody played favorites, is the reason we're with Skinner as starter and granted so much leash to players like Desharnais. Many of our support forwards struggled under Woody. for instance Holloway, McLeod not finding their way under him. Mcleod particularly was better with Tippett, and better with KK. Foegele as well. Woody rode McDrai hard and left less of a role to other players. Booch as well blossomed after Woody/Manson. Seemed like Coffey was able to flip a switch on our D effectiveness and that continues today.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Woody was a fraud, he had a good spring 2022 but lost the plot over the summer...he talked a lot without saying anything of substance, he was Dallas Eakins with a much better team

I wasn't sure of Knob at first but he's light year better

 

[KCC]

Woody was a fraud, he had a good spring 2022 but lost the plot over the summer...he talked a lot without saying anything of substance, he was Dallas Eakins with a much better team

I wasn't sure of Knob at first but he's light year better

It was more the boneheaded decisions to keep certain players together or keep certain players in the line up. Once he made his decision that was it. He was thick headed in that regard. He had a hard time adapting or letting go and often got outcoached because of it especially in the playoffs.

I still think he's a good coach in terms of teaching young players and helping them try and take that next step. It's why he was so good in the AHL. But his style of coaching at an NHL level doesn't work long term. If he ever wants to be a good coach in the NHL he needs to get out of his bubble.

 

[rboomercat90]

Interesting too look back on now as the decision itself was not popular at the time. The turnaround under KK and run to the final was great, some say that the team would have rounded into form if they kept JW as well but who knows

What are your thoughts now and at the time? I assume Woodcroft will be back in the League at some point

1 year ago today we were being told by the “experts” that Woody was an outstanding coach who would be first in line once NHL jobs started becoming available and he could pick any one he wanted. Since he was fired, 13 teams have changed head coaches and he wasn’t a serious candidate for any of them. Not so sure it’s a given that Woody will be back anytime soon.

 

[guymez]

Despite the slower start, the team has been dramatically better since this move and I'm still very happy they made it.

I cant imagine that there is a single Oilers fans out there that regrets the coaching change.
Knoblauch was an obvious upgrade.

 

[La Bamba]

The slow start was a blessing in disguise to get rid of Woodcroft. He got outcoached badly in the Vegas series. I'm still stunned that he kept going back to Skinner repeatedly when he had a well rested and hot Jack Campbell. That team was much more talented than Vegas' and should have been the one to meet Florida in the Finals in 2023.

 

[Senor Catface]

I know some people say things would have turned around anyways, but nothing is certain. I go with the for sure scenario all the time, and that happened after Woodcroft was canned.

 

[Gordy Elbows]

I know some people say things would have turned around anyways, but nothing is certain. I go with the for sure scenario all the time, and that happened after Woodcroft was canned.

Exactly. We don’t have a 10 year window to play with and be patient with things that don’t work.

 

[Soundwave]

He flummoxed Calgary in that Flames series by breaking their overly aggressive forecheck and then killing them with our speed and offensive fire power, so for that I'll always give him credit, but he couldn't coach any kind of defensive structure for shit and the team was never going to go anywhere with that kind of fire wagon style of hockey.