The morning of Game 7 in Florida, when Kris Knoblauch was asked point-blank if, back last October when he was coaching the New York Rangers AHL Hartford farm club in anonymity, he ever thought he would be then where he was now, he laughed.
I would have told people they were crazy,” said Knoblauch.
But there he was, behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench, matching wits with Paul Maurice, who has 30 years in the NHL business, almost 2,000 games. Doing what Knoblauch does best, staying calm in the eye of the storm.
After taking over for Jay Woodcroft, whose name has come up along with Todd McLellan to coach in Columbus, in mid-November after the Oilers 3-9-1 start, the one thing about Knoblauch that people always talk about is his stoicism. OK, we also saw his courage to make bold moves, to push uncomfortable buttons in the playoffs. Also, he had little trouble telling people who was playing and who was not, except for late, when Knoblauch maybe strung out the Evander Kane medical question too long with “game-time decision or he’ll play sometime before it’s over.”
“One more of these (media sessions). Feels good, I haven’t been up here in a while,” kidded Knoblauch Wednesday at Rogers Place, before flying to Vegas for the NHL draft.
Knoblauch confirmed that Leon Draisaitl had rib — speculation is, possibly broken — and hand — rumours are a possible fractured finger — injuries, going back to early in the playoffs, and that Connor McDavid played hurt — conjecture is an oblique muscle issue that may require surgery.
