EDMONTON, AB - Player or coach, you're always waiting for that tap on the shoulder.
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft saw his shoulder tapped back on Feb. 10 when he was named bench boss of the Oilers, and he hasn't looked back since. Under the 45-year-old's guidance, the Blue & Orange are a sparkling 21-8-3 and have propelled themselves into second place in the Pacific Division with 94 points on the season.
The seamless transition has been a boon to the Oilers, but it's one that Woodcroft has been preparing for, for a long time.
"I feel very natural in this position," Woodcroft said after Monday's morning skate. "As you said, it's not like I was just airlifted into it. I've put in 17 years of work to be ready should that opportunity ever arise. I can tell you being the head coach in Bakersfield, that is something we talked about a lot to our players so that they were ready when it was their turn to get tapped on the shoulder."
BLOG: Opportunity taps a shoulder
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's change to 11 forwards and seven defencemen opens up some opportunities on the Oilers
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RAW | Warren Foegele 04.18.22