Former Oiler coach Jay Woodcroft hired as assistant coach

Jay Woodcroft coached the Edmonton Oilers for less than two seasons, but it was enough to leave an great impression on many Oilers fans. He was a quality enough coach, owning an impressive record of 79-41-13, and yet has been out of a job for quite a while until now.

According to reports, Jay Woodcroft has been hired as Team Canada's Assistant Coach at the IIHF Championships.


Earlier today as well, Woodcroft was connected to the head coaching job in San Jose. Earlier this year, he'd also been attached to the Ottawa Senators.



Woodcroft will head to Europe in just a few weeks to join the Canadian coaching staff, headed by Andre Tourigny, and also assisted by Dean Evason and Steve Ott. With this all-star coaching staff and his previous impressive resume, it's not hard to imagine Woodcroft could use the experience to get back on the map for an NHL job next season.

Woodcroft was a quality coach in Edmonton with an astounding record when he first started, very similar to Kris Knoblauch. At the beginning of this season, poor goaltending and a refusal to change their defensive system sunk the Oilers in a massive hole, and Woodcroft needed to pay the price. Often times Coaches are said to be most effective on their second team because they've learned from mistakes in their first environment- if that's the case, Woodcroft could be a fantastic coach in the future.

More than a few team will fire their coaches at the end of this season, and it's already begun for some rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators. Wherever he goes, Oilers fans will certainly be watching and hoping the best for him.