By Daniel Nugent-Bowman (The Athletic)
EDMONTON — Paul Coffey couldn’t have replied more bluntly the first time Edmonton Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson asked him if he’d coach the defence.
“No f—ing way,” Coffey responded.
That should have been the end of that idea based on those three words.
Coffey had a cushy job as a special adviser to Oilers owner Daryl Katz. He calls Toronto home and has businesses such as a car dealership in the area. Perhaps most importantly, he had no desire to coach.
But Jackson persisted, and Coffey, with some calmer and cooler reflection, relented.
“My wife is happy because she gets time to herself,” Coffey said with a laugh.
Coffey’s spouse, Stephanie, isn’t the only person who’s pleased he’s become an NHL coach.
Jackson thinking of Coffey and the Hockey Hall of Famer eventually accepting the job to replace Dave Manson as an assistant have turned out to be a pair of great decisions.
The Oilers are 10-4 since Coffey and Kris Knoblauch replaced Manson and Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, and the work of the defencemen — Coffey’s purview — is a big reason why.
The Oilers have allowed 2.93 goals per game since the coaching change from 3.92 before it. They allowed just 13 goals during an eight-game winning streak, which came to an end Thursday in a defeat to Tampa Bay. The Lightning scored seven times, but two were into an empty net. Goaltender Stuart Skinner took the fall for the loss.
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