Edmonton Oilers’ new general manager Ken Holland didn’t take long to find the franchise’s new coach. Several weeks after taking over the GM duties and firing Ken Hitchcock, Holland decided to hire Dave Tippett as the man who will be at the team’s helm for 2019/20 NHL season.
Tippett joins Oilers after previously serving as the head coach of Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes. He will sign a three-year deal with the organization. The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun reports that the contract is worth around $3 million per year.
“Dave was always the leading candidate in my mind going through the process, but I wanted to make sure we were hiring the best man possible and I feel very good about that today,” – said Holland in a statement.
“I’m big on experience,” – he added. “Dave has coached in the National Hockey League for more than 1000 games. When you’re in the NHL there’s always some choppy waters and certainly having someone behind the bench that’s been through those before, it’s a positive.”
Dave Tippett got his first head coaching gig in Dallas in 2002 and ended ups spending six years with the Stars. During that time, the team made five playoff trips including one Conference Finals. Tippett joined the Coyotes ahead of 2009/10 NHL season, and had a successful start of his stint in Phoenix, making consecutive Conference Quarterfinals and one Conference Finals after that. Things went downhill from there, however, and he was released in 2017 after Coyotes missed on playoffs for five consecutive seasons.
“It’s just an exciting time,” -said Tippett after inking the deal with the Oilers. “I think this is going to be a fun ride. I think there’s a lot of upside in this team.”
