When the Edmonton Oilers made head coach Dallas Eakins the fall guy Monday for their weak performance this season, the club again turned to the American Hockey League to fill a void on their bench.
General manager (and former Oilers head coach) Craig MacTavish announced Monday he will assume the head-coaching duties on a ‘transitional basis,’ adding he will soon hand over the job to Todd Nelson, who has been serving as the head coach of the Oilers AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons.
Nelson will remain the interim Oilers head coach for the remainder of the 2014-15.
OK, so who is Todd Nelson?
Here, in brief, are 12 things hockey fans should know about the man.
Age: 45
Birthplace: Prince Albert, Sask.
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 200 lbs.
1. He has NHL experience and head coaching experience, but no NHL head coaching experience.
Nelson has been involved in professional hockey for more than two decades, but the Oilers opportunity could lead to his first full-time, big-league coaching gig.
Nelson has led the AHL’s Barons to three consecutive playoff appearances. His Barons have made it to the third round of the AHL playoffs twice and in 2011-12, they posted an impeccable 45-22-9 record for a .651 winning percentage.
2. He came close to coaching the worst team in the East.
Nelson reportedly interviewed for the Carolina Hurricanes head coaching job that opened up this past summer.
He appears quite eager to guide the career of Connor McDavid.
3. His Twitter profile is about to get a few more (thousand) followers.
Dallas Eakins’ Twitter timeline reveals just 15 tweets and a whopping 47,800 followers.
Nelson has tweeted 189 times but has just 3,098 followers (as of 3 p.m. ET). Expect that number to rise — especially once fans see how badass he looks on a parked motorcycle. Nelson might have to update his handle from @Barons_Coach to @Oilers_Coach_In_Training.
4. He is a repeat champion.
In his first professional head-coaching job, Nelson won back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005 in the (now defunct) United Hockey League.
As a player, Nelson won a Calder Cup with the Portland Pirates in 1994. He was later inducted into the club’s hall of fame.
5. He has a fish story we can’t wait to hear about:
6. This won’t be his first time as an NHL assistant
Nelson served on the Atlanta Thrashers bench during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
7. His NHL coaching tenure should outlast his NHL playing career.
A left-shooting defenceman drafted 79th overall in 1989 by Pittsburgh, Nelson played in just three National Hockey League games.
He made a shooting-star debut for the Penguins in 1991-92, then returned to the big-time for two more games with the Washington Capitals in 1993-94. He even scored a goal!
8. He’s been in more leagues than a fantasy addict.
After five seasons with his hometown Price Albert Raiders, Nelson’s pro career has taken him to the IHL, AHL, UHL, NHL, the German Elite League and the Swedish Elite League. He has represented 11 different professional clubs during an 11-year run.
Man, what a journey.
9. He knows these Oilers better than you think.
During the 2012 NHL lockout, Nelson coached a significant portion of today’s Oilers roster, as many of them kept their skills sharp in Oklahoma. Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Taylor Hall, Mark Arcobello and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all suited up for the Barons under Nelson.
10. Hockey runs in the Nelson family.
Todd’s brother Jeff also had a cup-of-coffee NHL career, briefly playing centre for the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals.
11. He’s a family man.
Nelson and his wife, Josette, have two children, Colton and Kyleigh.
12. He loves Halloween.
Well, shoot. Who doesn’t?