BACK-END FLASHBACK
Coffey returns as blue-line coach
Paul Coffey was winning Stanley Cups before any of the Edmonton Oilers defencemen were even born, but that doesn’t mean the name doesn’t still carry a tremendous amount of weight in the dressing room.
So the latest generation of Oilers is pumped that the Hall of Fame defenceman has been brought on board to lend his experience to the blue line.
“Any time you have a guy with the success that he had over his career, and the knowledge he has playing the back end, it’s great for us as defencemen,” said 22-year-old Darnell Nurse. “We already have a couple of great voices back there, but it never hurts to have another one, especially one who is familiar with the organization and what it’s like to live here in Edmonton.”
Nurse, who is only now starting to really explore the offensive side of his game, stands to be one of the Oilers who will benefit most from having Coffey around.
“That was one of the strongest parts of his game, the ability to make plays offensively,” said Nurse. “For a guy like myself, it’s something I’m looking forward to to help grow my game.
“Just being a part of this organization you hear a lot of stories of him coming up with Gretzky and Messier, how smooth he was as a player, his ability to move the puck, scoring 48 goals in a season. All those things kind of speak for themselves. It will be cool to pick his brain.”
Oscar Klefbom, another player with offensive upside that has yet to be fully explored, is excited about the prospect of being able to sit down with a Hall of Famer and come up with ways to improve his game. “It’s going to be interesting to see what he can bring and help us with here,” said Klefbom. “I met him a few times before and he’s a good guy, very easy to talk with. He gives a lot of tips in a good way that you can understand. Back in the day the game was a lot different but he’s very smart and into hockey. I’m sure he’s going to help us a lot.”
Defenceman Matt Benning said he’s already picking up things after just one practice. “Even today he was giving up tips that we hadn’t seen. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Even for the forwards, he’s an offensive guy who knows the game well, it’s exciting for our group.”
Having grown up in Edmonton, Benning says the Coffey aura is still as strong now as it was in the 80s.
“For sure, he’s one of the best. Being from Edmonton he’s a big player here. It’s exciting for everyone, we’re glad to have him.”
HE SAID IT: “Anyone who has that amount of experience locked up inside him is always a great resource to tap. He’s coming from the outside so maybe he’s seeing some things that we don’t always see internally. I think there’s value there.” — Todd McLellan on Paul Coffey.