Todd McLellan named 14th head coach in Oilers history

During some down time at the just-completed world hockey championship in the Czech Republic, Canada head coach Todd McLellan met with Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli about the team's vacant coaching position.

McLellan, who had mutually agreed to part ways with the San Jose Sharks in the days leading up to the tournament, was impressed with the Oilers' stable of young players.

Two of them, Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, excelled on a line with Sidney Crosby in the Czech Republic, and had McLellan intrigued about the possibility of working with them and their Oilers teammates.

Then, on the nights McLellan lied in bed with his eyes wide open, his body not yet adjusted to the time change, he got very excited about the possibility of coaching Ontario Hockey League star Connor McDavid, whom Edmonton is expected to select No. 1 at the June 26 NHL draft.

"One of the things I did when I was in Prague was spend some time with Sidney and ask him what it was like as a 18 year old coming up that way," said McLellan of Crosby, the No. 1 pick by Pittsburgh in 2005 who made his NHL debut later that year at 18. "It's tough to be that player in this world, especially in a Canadian market, but Connor will be fine."

And so, too, will McLellan, who wasn't out of work long, announced Tuesday as the 14th head coach in Oilers history just two days after leading Canada to a 6-1 gold-medal victory over Russia.

After spending time with Eberle and Hall at the worlds, the 47 year old realized what he wanted in his next coaching gig in the NHL. He wanted to be part of a team with young players "craving to win."

"Having spent some time with Jordan and Taylor, I think it was evident that we would have some good days ahead of us," said McLellan. "They won't all be great. There will be painful days ahead for all of us."

Oilers fans have endured a lot of pain since the team last competed in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2006, losing a seven-game series to Carolina in the final, so what's another year or so.

Chiarelli, who put together a roster in Boston that won the Cup in 2011, believes McLellan is the right coach to guide this Oilers outfit that has gone through five coaches since 2009.

Solid résumé

McLellan, who left San Jose with one year remaining on his contract, boasts a 311-163-66 coaching record in the regular season and 30-32 mark in the playoffs. He made the playoffs in the first six years and won three division titles.

"Todd brings with him a wealth of experience, a level of energy and intellect that I haven't seen in a long time," Chiarelli said at Tuesday's news conference. If you look at him behind the bench, he's active. I think he's a terrific bench manager."

Chiarelli talked about McLellan's days in San Jose and as an assistant coach in Detroit, where he helped the Red Wings win the Cup in 2008.

"With both those teams," he said, "you look at how they play, the personnel, and they know how to play hard and Todd's one of the reasons for that – instilling a level of confidence, energy and discipline in these players.

"Whenever we played the Sharks, they were hard games. They were games when adjustments were made all the time. They were heavy on the puck and he really looked like he enjoyed coaching."

McLellan, who hails from Melville, Sask., is a father of two boys who sounded like a man who will enjoy coaching in the Western Conference again and returning to Western Canada, where his wife Debbie is also from.

He's also looking forward to working with "good people that have a passion and energy level that was very high … when I met with each of them."

Other thoughts from McLellan:

On coaching McDavid: "I've never had the opportunity to see Connor play live. … This is a special player. He has a special skill set that fans are going to enjoy for a long time. But he's still a young man. He's learned how to deal with an immense amount of attention and pressure, but that's at the junior level. It's going to change when he gets to the National Hockey League and it's our job to make sure that we get the most out of him in a real good environment. Not in a protecting environment because he's gotta learn how to deal with that, but making sure that he is comfortable in his surroundings, taken care of away from the rink.

"He is just one piece on the team. It's going to be about the whole, not the individuals. That's how we're going to approach it."

On the Sharks' playoff exits: "We had a lot of successes in the playoffs, in my opinion. We ended up losing to some very good teams – Chicago, Los Angeles – teams that went on to win the Stanley Cup. Sometimes you get beat by a better team. Maybe you're not at the top or your game or short in areas, whether it's skill, strength, toughness, but that's what the playoffs are about. You play, you find out what went right, what went wrong. As an organization, you evaluate and try to fix it the next year."

On having longevity with one team: "You break the game down into relationships as a coach and tactics. You have to be able to contribute in both areas to have success. As far as relationship building, you have to create a trusting environment, an environment where the players know you can help them and are willing to help them but also hold them accountable the right way.

"I do think that today's player and athlete overall, regardless of what sport, is changing. The tactical part of it is very important. You have to evolve, you have to change, you have to figure out where the game is going or you're left behind. Even as a fan, they want to see you change with the game. They want to be excited at a game. They appreciate hard work but they want to see goals. They want to see nice plays."

Revolving door

Todd McLellan represents the sixth head-coaching hire by the Oilers since 2009. Below is the rest of the list:

• Todd McLellan: 2015-16 to ?
• Todd Nelson: 2014-15 (1 season)
• Dallas Eakins: 2013-14 to 2014-15 (1-plus seasons)
• Ralph Krueger: 2012-13 (1 season)
• Tom Renney: 2010-11 to 2011-12 (2 seasons)
• Pat Quinn: 2009-10 (1 season)