Sask. parents thrilled as son Kris Knoblauch named Oilers’ head coach

On Monday night, a dream will come true for Saskatchewan’s Kris Knoblauch.

On Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers announced that the 45-year-old Knoblauch – who’s originally from the small Saskatchewan town of Imperial – will be the NHL team’s new head coach. His Oilers are set to take on the New York Islanders on Monday, with the game starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Oilers’ announcement came as a shock to many, including Knoblauch’s parents.

“Yesterday morning we got a text from a friend back home in Imperial, and he said he heard a rumor about Kris getting the coaching job,” Kris’ father Bob Knoblauch told 650 CKOM from his winter home in Arizona.

“I said ‘I’ve heard a lot of rumors, so I said I’m not going to put much stock into it.’ We got into the truck and got down the street and then realized it wasn’t a rumor (as more texts came in). That’s basically how we found out.”

Bob said he always believed Kris would eventually land a job in the NHL, but not this soon.

“I knew sooner or later he was going to get a crack at a head coaching job, but I was shocked at the timing of it. We weren’t really expecting it this year,” Bob explained.

“I knew Edmonton (was) kind of in a rut, but I wasn’t expecting big changes. It was initially a big shock … We’re finally off Cloud Nine and we’re just waiting for that first game.”

Bob said he’s exchanged a couple of texts with Kris since he was hired, but they haven’t spoken much as his son is busy moving across North America while taking over a team with Stanley Cup expectations that’s currently in crisis after starting the season with a record of 3-9-1.

As a parent, Bob said it’s pretty cool to know that his son will be coaching a team he watches frequently.

“We’re big fans. Kris coached Connor McDavid in Erie, and I was always a big McDavid fan. I knew what kind of a kid he was in Erie, and Kris had rave reviews about him,” Bob explained.

“I’ve followed McDavid’s career and did not miss many Oilers games in the last three to four years, because they’re an exciting team to watch. They’ve just got a few problems to fix up and hopefully they can get back on the winning track.”

Bob said he’ll be a little bit nervous watching his son working behind the bench on Monday.

“I’ve been thinking about this first game for the last 24 hours,” he said. “The first couple games are going to be tough until he gets a system going, but hopefully they get off to a good start and smooth the waters out in Edmonton.”

Bob said Kris started coaching full time shortly after graduating from the University of Alberta, where he played with the hockey team for five seasons. It was during that stint as a player that he got interested in coaching.

“When he was at the U of A, his coach was Rob Daum. He was really interested in Rob’s coaching style and he really got the bug in those five years playing under Daum,” Bob explained.

“Once his university career was done, he played a year of semi-pro, but coaching was his biggest interest. He got the assistant job in Prince Albert and then just kept moving on from there. He was drawn to coaching right off the bat after his hockey career was over.”

Before coaching, Kris played AAA hockey for the Battlefords Stars before moving to major junior to play for the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton Ice, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice in the WHL.

His coaching career has seen him win a championship in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice in 2010-11 and an OHL championship in 2016-17 with the Erie Otters.

His junior success led him to landing an assistant coaches role with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2017-19, before he took over as the head coach of the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack in 2019.

He was able to fill in as a head coach in the NHL for several games during the COVID-19 pandemic with the New York Rangers. During his first fill-in game, the Rangers won 9-0 over the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden.

Bob explained what Oilers fans and players can expect from his son as their next head coach.

“When he was in Erie and the AHL, he liked to play an offensive game but always stressed defence. His biggest plus in coaching is he’s a player’s coach,” Bob stated.

“He really treats his players well, and if they have a problem his door is always open. Anybody I’ve talked to or who has played for him has never had a bad thing to say about him. He is demanding, but he doesn’t go overboard and lets the players play his game. He’s a coach that likes both ends of the ice.”