EDMONTON -- Kris Knoblauch had just finished his postgame press conference in the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame at Rogers Place on Sunday when he peered through the window at the gathered throng of giddy orange-and-blue clad fans out on the street.
The Oilers had just eliminated the Dallas Stars in their best-of-7 Western Conference Final with a 2-1 win in Game 6 and were now headed to the Stanley Cup Final, prompting the chaotic sea of humanity outside to bust out into chants of “We want the Cup.”
As he watched the scene unfold, the Oilers coach almost had a look of awe on his face. Which, if you ask those who know him, is something you don’t normally see from the stoic, albeit personable Knoblauch.
For this one precious moment, the reality of the situation had hit him. Less than seven months after landing his first NHL coaching gig, his team was four wins away from winning the Stanley Cup.
As he was absorbing the sight of the thousands of Oilers revelers celebrating the occasion, he was asked if there were more people out in that impromptu street party than lived in his hometown.
“Way more,” he said. “This is impressive.”
So is the job he’s done with the Oilers.
Welcome to the understated world of Kris Knoblauch, the pride of Imperial, Saskatchewan. With a listed population of 360, it’s a mere pimple on the provincial map, a faint blip on the vast plains of the dusty Canadian prairies. At the same time, with their local boy done good, few communities are bursting with as much pride across the country as this one as Knoblauch prepares his Oilers for Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).
To that end, a sign was recently put up just outside of town which reads “Home of NHL Coach Kris Knoblauch.” It’s accompanied by a photo of the 45-year-old, wearing his trademark modest grin.
“He’s very humble, which is a reflection of his roots,” said Sherwood Bassin, the former co-owner of the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters who hired him as coach in 2013. “His parents are farmers. He’s all about the work, not about selling himself, which may have cost him during previous interviews for NHL coaching positions.
“He’s a great coach, one that’s all about composure and keeping his cool when things heat up.”
It’s that characteristic that makes the upcoming coaching matchup in the Final such an interesting narrative.
On one hand, you have the Panthers’ Paul Maurice. Colorful. Demonstrative. Sometimes potty-mouthed. Knows when the cameras are on and plays up to them. Can go from anger to humor in mere seconds. In fact, there are times where his pressers are more entertaining than the games themselves.
Then you have Knoblauch. Composed. Clinical. Seemingly always in control even when those around him aren’t.
OK, there was this one time where, well …
“I can only remember a single occasion where he lost it,” Oilers forward Connor Brown, who played for Knoblauch in Erie, said with a chuckle. “It was with the Otters, he was pissed at the way we were playing and started chucking paper cups all over the place, all over the room.”
Asked about the incident, Knoblauch said he didn’t remember exactly when it took place before breaking into a grin, an indication of acknowledgement that yes, it did at some point, somewhere, for some reason, happen.
It didn’t again.
“One of the guys told me the only effect tossing paper cups around had, was it made players laugh,” he said. “That’s not really the intended message.”
And know this: Knoblauch is all about getting messages across, albeit in his own way.
“He’s all about communication,” Brown said. “He’ll always have guys in his office. He always wants to know how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking.”
To that end, Bassin remembers that Knoblauch’s office was near the front door of the Erie Insurance Arena so he could more easily greet and interact with players. He also recalled that the coach had a binder stuffed with diagrammed plays with the words “Does Not Work” on them, a self-reminder to not repeat mistakes of the past.
In retrospect, Knoblauch has made very few mistakes since replacing Jay Woodcroft as Oilers coach on Nov. 12 after Edmonton got off to a 3-9-1 start. The Oilers rallied to go 46-18-5 to finish second in the Pacific Division under his watch, then went 12-6 in the postseason thus far to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Stars.
“The players have responded to him,” Oilers general manager Ken Holland said. “He essentially saved our season.”
In the process, he’s garnered the reputation of being able to push all the right buttons.
At various times during the playoffs, he’s scratched starting goalie Stuart Skinner, heart-and-soul veteran Corey Perry and forward Warren Foegele, who he coached in Erie along with Brown and now-Oilers captain Connor McDavid. And upwards and onwards the Oilers have gone through all of that, now preparing to make the franchise’s first appearance in the Final since 2006.
He's had coaching success before, leading Kootenay to the Western Hockey League championship in 2011. Bassin hired him in Erie in 2013 and he paid instant dividends, leading the Otters to four consecutive 50-win seasons, the first Canadian Hockey League team to ever accomplish that feat. Under his tutelage, Brown went from a minus-72 player in 2011-12 to a 128-point season (45 goals, 83 assists) and a plus-44 in 2013-14.
