VANCOUVER — Craig MacTavish has spent more than a quarter-century in the NHL as both a player and coach and has earned four Stanley Cup rings, which means he knows how to define success.
Yesterday, however, the Edmonton Oilers head coach said he was changing his definition of what a successful NHL season is after watching his playpen-young team battle for a playoff spot for 81 games.
The Oilers, whose season concluded last night against the Vancouver Canucks, were eliminated from postseason contention on Tuesday — but not before stunning pundits who had written them off weeks and months ago or, in some cases, before the year even began.
"I've never been one to call a non-playoff season a success, but I'm changing that now," MacTavish said. "I haven't been able to say it for a number of years, but I'm looking forward to next year. It's very true in this instance.
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- Edmonton Oilers
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- Kyle Brodziak
- Andrew Cogliano
- Sam Gagner
- Tom Gilbert
- Curtis Glencross
- Denis Grebeshkov
- Zack Stortini
"We've gone for a number of years without integrating any young players into our lineup and to have six or seven guys who are going to be here for 10-plus years is pretty significant," he said. "When the disappointment expires, whenever that is, we'll look back at this as a pretty important season."
Still stinging from all-star defenceman Chris Pronger's rejection of Edmonton and the Oilers the previous year, MacTavish's bunch entered the 2007-08 season as a long shot to make the playoffs. Those odds got even longer when four key players were lost for the season because of injury, three of them before Valentine's Day.
But rather than folding their tent, the Oilers pitched a new one on the perimeter of the Western Conference's top eight and would not fade quietly. They stayed in the hunt thanks to a 13-5-1 mark since Feb. 26, a record built by young players who apparently were not told they were not supposed to be nuisances to other contenders.
"Those injuries put a damper on a big part of the season, but overall, a lot of guys developed, especially myself and a lot of young guys," centre Andrew Cogliano said. "We're going to be better down the line, especially next year. It was a success. It ended in a bad way, but for the most part it was a successful year."
The Oilers played nine rookies this season. Four of them — forwards Sam Gagner, Curtis Glencross, Cogliano and defenceman Tom Gilbert — played at least 62 games. That list does not include other youngsters, including fourth-liners Kyle Brodziak and Zack Stortini and defenceman Denis Grebeshkov, whom MacTavish praised yesterday.
"The way they've played, they've solidified spots. The way they played, they are very safe for next year," he said.
The coach said he was initially surprised when his team stayed competitive after injuries struck, but that soon thereafter, he realized the kids were all right and could win games at the NHL level and even get the club to the postseason.
"Just when you get to your most optimistic stage of the season, the rug is pulled out from underneath you. That's the nature and cruelty of the game, but we're a good team and I think we will be good for a while," MacTavish said. "[Next year] we won't be teaching a new system for new players and, in my mind, it will help us get out of the gate quickly."
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