The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Dave Tippett and associate head coach Jim Playfair on Thursday.
Jay Woodcroft, head coach of Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield, and his top assistant Dave Manson are taking over on an interim basis.
Tippett, 60, was in his third season as Oilers coach and had a 95-62-14 record. However, the Oilers have struggled mightily since a scorching 9-1-0 start to the season. Edmonton is 7-16-0 since Dec. 1.
It’s the first time Oilers general manager Ken Holland has fired a coach in midseason.
The Oilers fell to 23-18-3 after a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. They lost the past two games by a combined score of 8-1. The Oilers have lost three of four after posting a four-game winning streak.
Edmonton sits in fifth place in the Pacific Division, five points behind provincial-rival Calgary for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Tippett came to Edmonton in 2019 after eight years as the head coach of the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. He also was head coach of the Dallas Stars for six seasons. He has a career regular-season record of 648-475-134 with 28 ties. His career postseason mark is 34-48.
Tippett took Edmonton to the playoffs his first two seasons. The club, however, bowed out in the first round both times.
Woodcroft, 45, previously worked as an assistant with the Oilers under Todd McLellan. He was named the head coach of the Condors in 2018.
–Field Level Media
