News Article: Hitch wants to return as head coach next year.

[TheSpecialist]

Todd Nelson please.

Todd Nelson is my choice too. He is a players coach and he's is from the school of Barry Trotz coaching.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

I'd be down for Nelson as well. From what I've read of him he's an excellent communicator and a real players coach. We need someone who can get the most of out of players, get them to buy in, commit to the team game, the coaching staff's systems and each other. Nelson's also done a good job in the past at building confidence in young players. Nelson with a good tactician who understands the game at a high level as his associate. That's the type of dynamic I feel we need, players coach as HC with an AC thats got a good head for today's NHL.

Plus how Oilers would it be that a guy they jettisoned after taking over a complete tire fire mid season and getting the arrows going in the right direction only to be replaced, came back years later and was the coach to turn things around.

 

[MikeGrier99]

Honestly .... Do u really think that they'll hire Keith as GM?

I'd say hes the most likely candidate. Everyone in the nhl knows quite well that our front office is a clown show, so most qualified candidates will want nothing to do with us.

 

[CornKicker]

I'd say hes the most likely candidate. Everyone in the nhl knows quite well that our front office is a clown show, so most qualified candidates will want nothing to do with us.

no veteran respected GM would come to the oilers until he was guaranteed that the back door clown show of green/lowe/mact/howson etc are gone

 

[LaGu]

Anyone hear Hitchcock today?

"I see it the same as it was before, we are going to coach out butts off until the end of the year amd then it is going to be 100% in someone's elses corner. GM gets to hire who ever he wants to"

"I feel like I think the players feel, we are playing great right now and we don't want the season to end"

"I wanna help here, but it is up to the GM."

"I don't care, I just want to help the Oiles. I came here for the right reasons and the more I stay here the more I feel like all I want to do is to help the team so whatever they want me to do ... all I want to do is to help the team. Wherever they think I fit I am more than willing to help."


He talks the talk, that's for sure.
For me he is welcome back as coach but even if not, and I do get why some don't want him back, at a minimum I think he can be a good asset going forward.

 

[yukoner88]

Anyone hear Hitchcock today?

"I see it the same as it was before, we are going to coach out butts off until the end of the year amd then it is going to be 100% in someone's elses corner. GM gets to hire who ever he wants to"

"I feel like I think the players feel, we are playing great right now and we don't want the season to end"

"I wanna help here, but it is up to the GM."

"I don't care, I just want to help the Oiles. I came here for the right reasons and the more I stay here the more I feel like all I want to do is to help the team so whatever they want me to do ... all I want to do is to help the team. Wherever they think I fit I am more than willing to help."


He talks the talk, that's for sure.
For me he is welcome back as coach but even if not, and I do get why some don't want him back, at a minimum I think he can be a good asset going forward.

I think the best things would be to have hitch around for next season. I've said it earlier, the new gm may want the luxury of having hitch there as a placeholder so there's no frantic rush to find a guy by training camp (depending on when the gm hiring actually takes place).

 

[CornKicker]

as a coach its easy to see you have 2 of the best players in the league, you have a decent d core when all are healthy. why wouldnt you want to stay? besides the obvious nepotism and incompetence from the bosses

 

[La Bamba]

I'd like him back as HC. He isn't the problem and the team needs consistency in the coaching department.

Management needs to win some trades, bring in better players, and Hitch can improve the team

 

[Stoneman89]

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that what you see right now in GM/coach is what you'll see in September, even after all of Nicholson's blathering and promise to do an "extensive" search. Nothing surprises me with this organization anymore.

 

[TheRebuild]

If they decide to go with Hitch next year, I want it to be announced by them playing the music from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and then have him walk up to the mic and be like "Good evening..."

 

[Aerchon]

Really don't want him back. Everything I didn't like about McLellan, Hitchcock does as bad or worse.

Overplay your starter cause your desperate. Yup.

Overplay your stars and vets. Yup.

Demote your young players over nothing. Yup.

Practice with a bunch of lines and then blender the hell out of it 2 minutes in. Yup.

Dump and chase. Yup.

Overload one PP. Yup.

It's crazy how similiar they are.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Really don't want him back. Everything I didn't like about McLellan, Hitchcock does as bad or worse.

Overplay your starter cause your desperate. Yup.

Overplay your stars and vets. Yup.

Demote your young players over nothing. Yup.

Practice with a bunch of lines and then blender the hell out of it 2 minutes in. Yup.

Dump and chase. Yup.

Overload one PP. Yup.

It's crazy how similiar they are.

Our PP is ranked 9th in the league. So I guess overloading one PP does the trick.

 

[fancy dan]

he won't be back because 97 doesn't like him.

 

[McSuper]

Eakins had RNH.
Hitch has McD


context perhaps

Context does matter . Eakins had wing depth and the swarm defensive system . Hitch is old and I think the game has passed him by . Eakins has never caught up to the game for it to pass him by .

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Do you expect Hitch to say anything different? He's just advertising he is available for ANY job in the NHL.

 

[Zerotonine]

Really don't want him back. Everything I didn't like about McLellan, Hitchcock does as bad or worse.

Overplay your starter cause your desperate. Yup.

Overplay your stars and vets. Yup.

Demote your young players over nothing. Yup.

Practice with a bunch of lines and then blender the hell out of it 2 minutes in. Yup.

Dump and chase. Yup.

Overload one PP. Yup.

It's crazy how similiar they are.

And the sad part is if there was a difference it's Hitchcocks more defence first type of game when the NHL is now solely based on speed and transition. Hence why team like vegas who was solely built this way has had such huge success in there short existence

 

[harpoon]

I'd say hes the most likely candidate. Everyone in the nhl knows quite well that our front office is a clown show, so most qualified candidates will want nothing to do with us.

No shit, right? It only took a week for Nicholson’s list of big dreams to be whittled down to 12-15 names from over thirty. I bet people were calling him proactively to say ‘my name better not be on your damn list. Scratch me off right f***ing now’.

I don’t even think it’s all on the front office. Would you want to work for Katz?

 

[MikeYEG]

And the sad part is if there was a difference it's Hitchcocks more defence first type of game when the NHL is now solely based on speed and transition. Hence why team like vegas who was solely built this way has had such huge success in there short existence

Agreed, one of the main reasons I don't want him back.

 

[McSuper]

After thinking on this I am not sure how good Hitch is good at evaluation . He did say our goalies would be our strength . Talbot is gone as he couldn't stop a beachball . Koskinen forgot to read his owners manual on his catching glove so he can not operate it right . Looks like he is swatting flies with it . Just going by Hitches evaluation of players I think he like Chia 10 years behind

 

[Sempiternal]

Really don't want him back. Everything I didn't like about McLellan, Hitchcock does as bad or worse.

Overload one PP. Yup.

Washington, Pittsburgh and most other teams load up their 1st PP unit.

 

[iCanada]

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that what you see right now in GM/coach is what you'll see in September, even after all of Nicholson's blathering and promise to do an "extensive" search. Nothing surprises me with this organization anymore.

Idk. I'd be surprised as f*** if they fired the obc.

 

[Tyrolean]

as a coach its easy to see you have 2 of the best players in the league, you have a decent d core when all are healthy. why wouldnt you want to stay? besides the obvious nepotism and incompetence from the bosses

D core is really not that good.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Sweep him out. McLellan was better.

 

[iCanada]

And the sad part is if there was a difference it's Hitchcocks more defence first type of game when the NHL is now solely based on speed and transition. Hence why team like vegas who was solely built this way has had such huge success in there short existence

He's supposed to run and gun? With this team?

You've seen our roster, right? 6 of our forwards don't belong in the league and only nurse and sekera can move the damn puck.

 

[YakDavid]

I like Hitch as a person but he should not be back next year as coach. Next coach needs to have stability. I don't like that the media has been trying to push the idea that he will be back next year. Honestly, I don't think the players are a huge fan.