Edmonton Names MacTavish as Coach

The Edmonton Oilers turned to another of their former champions Thursday, introducing Craig MacTavish as coach.

MacTavish was an assistant last season to Kevin Lowe, who earlier this month resigned as coach to become general manager.

“I really have a sense of the tradition that has become the Edmonton Oilers and I really feel a responsibility to carry out that tradition,” said MacTavish, who won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers on their storied teams of the 1980s along with Lowe and superstars such as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Jari Kurri.

“The style of play is going to be aggressive Oiler-style hockey. I don’t think any other style of play is going to be tolerated by anybody, including the general manager.

“And certainly the fans that have grown accustomed to that exciting fast-paced hockey.”

MacTavish, 41, becomes the eighth coach in Oiler history. He was the last helmetless player in the NHL and holds the Oilers’ record for playing in 518 consecutive games. In 19 seasons, he had 480 points in 1,093 games with five teams.

The Oilers were 32-34-16 last season and were beaten in the first round of the playoffs by Dallas.