Oilers retain coach Jay Woodcroft with three-year extension
The Edmonton Oilers extended the contract of head coach Jay Woodcroft on Tuesday and removed interim from his title.
Woodcroft, 45, took over as the team's interim head coach in February when Dave Tippett was fired. The Oilers began the 2021-22 season with nine wins in their first 10 games but lost 16 out of 23 before firing Tippett. Edmonton won its first five games with Woodcroft at the reins and finished the regular season by winning 13 of its last 16.
The Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames in the playoffs to reach the Western Conference Final, but were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Woodcroft joined the Oilers as an assistant in 2015 and became the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in 2018. The Condors went 105-71-21 with Woodcroft leading the way.
The new contract for Woodcroft ties him to the Oilers through the 2024-25 NHL season. With a 26-9-3 record as Edmonton's coach, Woodcroft has the second highest winning percentage in NHL history among coaches with at least five career games.
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