Confirmed with Link: Rocky Thompson promoted to Assistant Coach

[Mcnofool6110]

Rocky's an awesome dude. Players love him, fans love him, everyone loves him. Sounds like he made an impact with his observations in OKC, hoping he does a great job for the Oil.

I went to a ton of Roadrunner games during the 04'/05' lockout. One game in particular made me a fan of Rocky for life. It was against the Marlies and it was just a crazy fight filled bonanza. All sparked by Rocky throwing giant hits and dropping the mitts. Guy's the definition of a spark plug.

Grats on the promotion Rocky!

If Puritania likes it, I like it.

 

[surshot*]

It's been played on Oil Change. The reactions in the dressing room are priceless.

Do you think the Chicago Blackhawks or LA Kings have coaches singing their lineup notes before games/during intermission? No. They are all business.. straight to the point, no ********.

You have no clue. This isn't Pee Wee hockey. I don't know a thing about Rocky Thompson other than clips I've seen, all I'm saying is the players won't take it seriously.

Perhaps what your witnessing is hockey players that are aware of a camera in the room. But whatever floats your boat see if i care. cause i really don't care what you think. I'll just leave you with this tidbit of reason, Even though the oil have sucked for some time not everything they do is deserving of negative barf from attention ******.

 

[McPuritania]

If Puritania likes it, I like it.

That's a good rule to follow in life. I sense much wisdom in you friend.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

It's been played on Oil Change. The reactions in the dressing room are priceless.

Do you think the Chicago Blackhawks or LA Kings have coaches singing their lineup notes before games/during intermission? No. They are all business.. straight to the point, no ********.

You have no clue. This isn't Pee Wee hockey. I don't know a thing about Rocky Thompson other than clips I've seen, all I'm saying is the players won't take it seriously.

You've seen the Kings or Blackhawks dressing room too? Just wondering because you are talking like you have. You know how the players will react already in the Oilers dressing room.

I wish I had access like that.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Good teams don't do stupid stuff like that. NEVER.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Rocky's an awesome dude. Players love him, fans love him, everyone loves him. Sounds like he made an impact with his observations in OKC, hoping he does a great job for the Oil.

I went to a ton of Roadrunner games during the 04'/05' lockout. One game in particular made me a fan of Rocky for life. It was against the Marlies and it was just a crazy fight filled bonanza. All sparked by Rocky throwing giant hits and dropping the mitts. Guy's the definition of a spark plug.

Grats on the promotion Rocky!

Sounds like we could use him on the ice, not behind the bench.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Sounds like we could use him on the ice, not behind the bench.

He just needs to teach his ways to Gazdic

 

[PBandJ]

That's a good rule to follow in life. I sense much wisdom in you friend.

You have the lead vocalist for Sabaton in your avatar. That's enough for me to agree with anything you post.

 

[Joey Moss]

Yep, I bet there's singing in this guys locker room. Give me a ****ing break. I'm just sick of the "lighten the mood" coaches. I want someone who's going to rip them apart instead of give them an easy practice like Renney and Krueger did. No signing, or embarrassing garbage like that.

 

[Joey Moss]

Good teams don't do stupid stuff like that. NEVER.

Yes, totally comparable.

 

[rboomercat90]

Yep, I bet there's singing in this guys locker room. Give me a ****ing break. I'm just sick of the "lighten the mood" coaches. I want someone who's going to rip them apart instead of give them an easy practice like Renney and Krueger did. No signing, or embarrassing garbage like that.

There sure has been a big deal made in the last couple of years about how this guy has really lightened up in the locker room. No more bitter beer face. It wouldn't surprise me if there is singing going on in his dressing room.

 

[McDrai]

Good teams don't do stupid stuff like that. NEVER.

Let's grind these *****es down

 

[Tarus]

hahahahahahahahahahahaah suckers they want mcdavid so bad

They hired Steve Smith as an assist, not Dallas Eakins as a head coach.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

There sure has been a big deal made in the last couple of years about how this guy has really lightened up in the locker room. No more bitter beer face. It wouldn't surprise me if there is singing going on in his dressing room.

That singing in the room has helped an awful forward core make the playoffs the last few years. Some coaches may tell jokes, he sings. Easing tension helps on stressful situations. Yes coaches should be firm and stuff. But sometimes the team needs a pick me up. And something as simple as singing the freaking notes eases that tension. It's not like he is handing out participations ribbons and braiding their hair.

 

[Seedling]

Good cop to Eakins' bad cop. How does he feel about conditioning though?

 

[Frank the Tank]

Based on what, because both of them were enforcers?

How a player played shouldn't equal how they coach. I guess Trottier and Gretzky should have won multiple Jack Adams by now.

They are almost the opposite of each other as hockey players:

Rocky Thompson was a fighter that tried hard, but couldn't play in the NHL regularly
Kelly Buchburger was an NHL regular that tried hard, but couldn't fight.

 

[rboomercat90]

They are almost the opposite of each other as hockey players:

Rocky Thompson was a fighter that tried hard, but couldn't play in the NHL regularly
Kelly Buchburger was an NHL regular that tried hard, but couldn't fight.

No kidding. Anybody that posts that Buchberger was an enforcer loses a lot of credibility. Makes me wonder if he ever saw him play.

 

[Raab]

Yep, I bet there's singing in this guys locker room. Give me a ****ing break. I'm just sick of the "lighten the mood" coaches. I want someone who's going to rip them apart instead of give them an easy practice like Renney and Krueger did. No signing, or embarrassing garbage like that.

I'm sure if the players start to tune him out Rocky could tune them back in real quick. Also maybe he'll help Hall grow some wicked hockey hair. We need someone to take over the mullet role now that Smitty retired.

 

[rboomercat90]

That singing in the room has helped an awful forward core make the playoffs the last few years. Some coaches may tell jokes, he sings. Easing tension helps on stressful situations. Yes coaches should be firm and stuff. But sometimes the team needs a pick me up. And something as simple as singing the freaking notes eases that tension. It's not like he is handing out participations ribbons and braiding their hair.

I was referring to Darryl Sutter's transformation from super tyrant to everybody's favorite grand pa in the Kings dressing room.

Absolutely nothing wrong with finding ways to alleviate tension in the dressing room. From what we've heard, Eakins was pretty hard on these guys in the locker room. You need somebody to balance that out.

 

[The Nuge]

Don't know enough about him to be happy or disappointed, but he seems like a solid enough coach

 

[misfit]

Based on what, because both of them were enforcers?

How a player played shouldn't equal how they coach. I guess Trottier and Gretzky should have won multiple Jack Adams by now.

It's been mentioned already, but Bucky was no enforcer.

Thompson was a player in 06/07. The following year the Oilers hired him as an assistant coach for the Oil Kings. After a couple of years, he was promoted to an AHL coaching job with the Barons. 100% of his coaching history has come on Oiler owned/operated teams. Did Pleau, Nelson, and Eakins all determine he was the best candidate for their staff independently? Maybe, but it's an awfully familiar refrain.

Kelly Buchberger stopped playing in 03/04. A year later he was the Oilers development coach. From there, he was named Head Coach of the Oilers' AHL affiliate. He hadn't set foot on a bench anywhere else prior to that. The following year, he was named assistant coach of the Oilers where he stayed for 6 years under 5 head coaches. So he's only coached for Oiler teams, and multiple head coaches had "decided" they needed him on their staff. Where have I heard this before?

Whenever you read or hear anything about either guy, you always hear about their character, what kind of people they are, their presence in the community. Oddly enough, their qualifications as coaches never seems to come up. Just look at the Oilers' press release. It takes them 8 paragraphs for them to even bring up what he brings as a coach, only after talking about how he's a perfect fit because he has relationships with the players (the ones who were in the minors the last 3 years at least), he's young, the energy he brings, and his familiarization with the city.


I have no idea how capable he is as a coach, but I do get a little worried whenever a guy's coaching credentials are the 5th or 6th thing that gets mentioned when he's hired on as a new addition to the staff.

 

[McTedi]

It's been mentioned already, but Bucky was no enforcer.

Thompson was a player in 06/07. The following year the Oilers hired him as an assistant coach for the Oil Kings. After a couple of years, he was promoted to an AHL coaching job with the Barons. 100% of his coaching history has come on Oiler owned/operated teams. Did Pleau, Nelson, and Eakins all determine he was the best candidate for their staff independently? Maybe, but it's an awfully familiar refrain.

Kelly Buchberger stopped playing in 03/04. A year later he was the Oilers development coach. From there, he was named Head Coach of the Oilers' AHL affiliate. He hadn't set foot on a bench anywhere else prior to that. The following year, he was named assistant coach of the Oilers where he stayed for 6 years under 5 head coaches. So he's only coached for Oiler teams, and multiple head coaches had "decided" they needed him on their staff. Where have I heard this before?

Whenever you read or hear anything about either guy, you always hear about their character, what kind of people they are, their presence in the community. Oddly enough, their qualifications as coaches never seems to come up. Just look at the Oilers' press release. It takes them 8 paragraphs for them to even bring up what he brings as a coach, only after talking about how he's a perfect fit because he has relationships with the players (the ones who were in the minors the last 3 years at least), he's young, the energy he brings, and his familiarization with the city.


I have no idea how capable he is as a coach, but I do get a little worried whenever a guy's coaching credentials are the 5th or 6th thing that gets mentioned when he's hired on as a new addition to the staff.

Good grief, maybe he is just a really good guy that can relate to players and does have some brain cells left. My company promotes from within too, I'm kinda fond of that concept.

 

[rboomercat90]

It's been mentioned already, but Bucky was no enforcer.

Thompson was a player in 06/07. The following year the Oilers hired him as an assistant coach for the Oil Kings. After a couple of years, he was promoted to an AHL coaching job with the Barons. 100% of his coaching history has come on Oiler owned/operated teams. Did Pleau, Nelson, and Eakins all determine he was the best candidate for their staff independently? Maybe, but it's an awfully familiar refrain.

Kelly Buchberger stopped playing in 03/04. A year later he was the Oilers development coach. From there, he was named Head Coach of the Oilers' AHL affiliate. He hadn't set foot on a bench anywhere else prior to that. The following year, he was named assistant coach of the Oilers where he stayed for 6 years under 5 head coaches. So he's only coached for Oiler teams, and multiple head coaches had "decided" they needed him on their staff. Where have I heard this before?

Whenever you read or hear anything about either guy, you always hear about their character, what kind of people they are, their presence in the community. Oddly enough, their qualifications as coaches never seems to come up. Just look at the Oilers' press release. It takes them 8 paragraphs for them to even bring up what he brings as a coach, only after talking about how he's a perfect fit because he has relationships with the players (the ones who were in the minors the last 3 years at least), he's young, the energy he brings, and his familiarization with the city.


I have no idea how capable he is as a coach, but I do get a little worried whenever a guy's coaching credentials are the 5th or 6th thing that gets mentioned when he's hired on as a new addition to the staff.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I don't think there's anything wrong with giving a guy a shot. He has to earn his keep though. Give him a chance to prove himself one way or another. If this team continues to flounder year after year he can't be surviving head coaching changes like the other two guys did.

I certainly get where you're coming from asking the questions you're asking. The good news is that the team did hire an experienced, proven assistant in Ramsey. That gives them more flexibility with trying out a rookie than they previously had. I'm going to see how this team looks on the ice before I start criticizing this years coaching staff. Eakins has no excuses this year so the team better not look like the mess it did last year. I just think it's way to early to compare Thompson to Buchberger. The path they took to get their coaching jobs with the Oilers maybe similar but they still are different people.

 

[Spawn]

It's been mentioned already, but Bucky was no enforcer.

Thompson was a player in 06/07. The following year the Oilers hired him as an assistant coach for the Oil Kings. After a couple of years, he was promoted to an AHL coaching job with the Barons. 100% of his coaching history has come on Oiler owned/operated teams. Did Pleau, Nelson, and Eakins all determine he was the best candidate for their staff independently? Maybe, but it's an awfully familiar refrain.

Kelly Buchberger stopped playing in 03/04. A year later he was the Oilers development coach. From there, he was named Head Coach of the Oilers' AHL affiliate. He hadn't set foot on a bench anywhere else prior to that. The following year, he was named assistant coach of the Oilers where he stayed for 6 years under 5 head coaches. So he's only coached for Oiler teams, and multiple head coaches had "decided" they needed him on their staff. Where have I heard this before?

Whenever you read or hear anything about either guy, you always hear about their character, what kind of people they are, their presence in the community. Oddly enough, their qualifications as coaches never seems to come up. Just look at the Oilers' press release. It takes them 8 paragraphs for them to even bring up what he brings as a coach, only after talking about how he's a perfect fit because he has relationships with the players (the ones who were in the minors the last 3 years at least), he's young, the energy he brings, and his familiarization with the city.


I have no idea how capable he is as a coach, but I do get a little worried whenever a guy's coaching credentials are the 5th or 6th thing that gets mentioned when he's hired on as a new addition to the staff.

There is something to be said though for developing your own coaches. Buchberger had never coached in his career. Was named the head coach in the AHL one year, and then was an assistant in the NHL immediately after that.

Rocky Thompson has been an assistant coach in the WHL and AHL for the past 7 years. He's being brought in to fill a fairly specific role, the same one in which he has filled for the farm team for the last number of years.

He's earned his dues down there. He's gonna be the 4th guy here.

 

[Dorian2]

Yep, I bet there's singing in this guys locker room. Give me a ****ing break. I'm just sick of the "lighten the mood" coaches. I want someone who's going to rip them apart instead of give them an easy practice like Renney and Krueger did. No signing, or embarrassing garbage like that.

He's a hardass when it comes to playing properly, but allot of the time he does have a good sense of humour. Trust me, I remember him from hockey school when I was a kid, and when he got us doing different things off the ice like swinging a golf club with the opposite club we were (I'm a lefty), he made a few pretty priceless comments and jokes.

I really like that dude.