McLellan Named Oilers New Head Coach
(Photo: Edmonton Oilers TV)
On Tuesday, May 19, the Edmonton Oilers announced the appointment of Todd McLellan as the new head coach, making him the 14th bench boss in the organization’s franchise history.
McLellan just finished helping Team Canada to grab the gold medal in this year’s IIHF World Hockey Championship, when they beat Russia with a resounding 6-1 victory to cap off a 10-0 record throughout the event. This was the first time Canada had won gold since 2007.
McLellan was recently let go by the San Jose Sharks after spending seven years behind their bench. In the 540 games with the Sharks, he posted a 311-163-66 record. The accomplishments the team achieved under his direction included six playoff appearances, four 40-plus win season, three 100-point season, a Presidents’ Trophy in 2009, three Pacific Division titles and back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Final in 2010 and 2011.
Undoubtedly Oilers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Peter Chiarelli is hoping that McLellan will accomplish the same historic feat with Edmonton that he did with San Jose in his first four years there. No other head coach in NHL history has won more games in their first four seasons as head coach than McLellan, who garnered 195.
“We are extremely happy to introduce Todd as our new head coach,” said Chiarelli during the press conference. “He is a high energy person and a high level thinker who will work well and demand the most from our group. Todd has success at many levels and we are looking forward to him leading our team next season.”
McLellan has spent a number of years at all levels of hockey. Before going to San Jose, he was an assistant coach for three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. During his four seasons with the AHL’s Houston Aeros they captured the 2003 Calder Cup. And before joining the ranks of the AHL, he served as the head coach for six seasons of the Swift Current Broncos of the Canadian major junior’s Western Hockey League.
The full press conference can be viewed here:
