Oilers fire head coach Dave Tippett, Jay Woodcroft takes over in the interim

After a disastrous couple of months in Edmonton, the Oilers have fired Dave Tippett and have replaced him with Jay Woodcroft as the interim head coach.

The firing comes in the wake of back-to-back losses in consecutive nights, a 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, after it seemed the Oilers had turned things around with a 6-0-1 stretch before the All-Star break.

After an offseason with plenty of bold moves, the Oilers started off the 2021-22 season with a 16-5-0 record and looked poised for a third consecutive postseason appearance before a 7-13-3 stretch put that in doubt.

Tippett was in the middle of his third season as Oilers head coach, going 95-62-14 in his time, but a rough stretch meant it was time for a change, especially since they know they need to win after signing @Evander Kane.

Woodcroft takes over head coaching duties for the remainder of the season, who was the Bakersfield Condors head coach in the AHL since 2018-19. He’s had some coaching experience in the NHL as a video coach for the Detroit Red Wings, and an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks and Oilers with Todd McLellan.

The Oilers also fired Jim Playfair, who’s been an associate coach for Tippett since their days with the Arizona Coyotes, and will replace him with Dave Manson, one of Woodcroft’s assistants.