Oilers’ Kris Knoblauch becomes third-fastest coach to 80 NHL wins
A small milestone was reached by one of the NHL’s newer coaches.
The Edmonton Oilers outlasted the dreadful Chicago Blackhawks in an entertaining 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday night for the team’s 34th win of the 2024-25 season.
It also gave head coach Kris Knoblauch the 80th win of his NHL coaching career in just his 123rd game, making him the third-fastest coach to reach the mark in league history.
Per #NHL: Kris Knoblauch (123 GC) became the third-fastest coach in NHL history to 80 wins. The only others to reach the mark in fewer games are Tom Johnson (111 GC) and Mike Keenan (116 GC). #LetsGoOilers
— Steve Lansky 🍁 (@bigmouthsports) February 6, 2025Knoblauch was a hair slower than former Boston Bruins head coach Tom Johnson, who registered 80 victories in 111 games in the early 1970s, and Mike Keenan, who accomplished the feat in 116 games with the Philadelphia Flyers.
What makes Knoblauch’s rapid rise in victories noteworthy is how he entered the league. The Imperial, Saskatchewan native took over as the team’s interim head coach in Nov. 2023 after the dismissal of Jay Woodcroft after having coached the past four seasons in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Despite the Oilers having a rocky start last season, the promotion of Knoblauch helped get the team on track. He ended up guiding the team to a 46-18-5 record in 69 games, with Edmonton making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing to the Florida Panthers in a memorable seven-game series.
Even though the team came into 2024-25 on a high, the Oilers were sluggish out of the gate. However, Knoblauch and the team have seemingly righted the ship, catapulting up to the top of the Pacific Division standings and looking like a Cup contender once again.
Over his year-plus in charge with the Oilers, Knoblauch has a record of 80-34-9, a winning percentage of .687.
The Oilers (36-16-4) are first in the Pacific, four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.