Craig MacTavish

Craig MacTavish (born August 15, 1958 in London, Ontario, Canada) is the head coach of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. He is a former NHL centre who played 14 NHL seasons and parts of three more with the Boston Bruins, Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues. He has also served as assistant coach with the Rangers and Oilers.

Career

MacTavish played two years of NCAA hockey with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, from 1977 to 1979. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft with their 9th pick, 153rd overall, and spent the next several years splitting time between the Bruins and various AHL teams. He finally made the Bruins for good in 1982-83 and played two full seasons with them.

MacTavish missed the 1984-85 NHL season after being convicted of vehicular homicide, having struck and killed a young woman while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. MacTavish spent a year in jail as punishment for this offense. While incarcerated, he did manage to watch most of the games that were televised. After MacTavish was released from prison, the Bruins, feeling he deserved a fresh start, subsequently offered to let him out of his contract. MacTavish accepted.

Widely viewed at the time as a personal favor from Edmonton general manager Glen Sather to his best friend, then-Bruins' general manager Harry Sinden, the Oilers took a chance on MacTavish and signed him for the 1985-86 season. Sather's gamble turned out to be a good one, as MacTavish spent eight full seasons with the Oilers, helping the Oilers win three Stanley Cups and serving as team captain from 1992 to 1994. MacTavish was traded to the New York Rangers in 1994, just in time to help several other former Oilers win the Stanley Cup for the Blueshirts. The next season MacTavish signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent, and was traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 1995-96 season. MacTavish retired following the 1996-97 season. He had been the last helmetless player, having begun his career before helmets became mandatory (then-current players were allowed to remain bare-headed under a grandfather clause).

MacTavish didn't leave the game, however, returning for the 1997-98 season as an assistant coach with the Rangers. After two seasons in the Big Apple, he joined the Oilers as an assistant coach in the 1999-2000 season. He was subsequently promoted to the top job after head coach Kevin Lowe moved into the general manager position.

In the 2005-06 season, MacTavish led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Conference Finals 4-1. In the first round of the playoffs, MacTavish shocked the hockey world by utilizing a trapping defensive system at times in order to neutralize a potent Detroit offense. This proved effective as the Oilers won the opening round 4-2. The Oilers are currently in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoff Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2005-2006 Season. The Oilers hadn't reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1990, an Edmonton team MacTavish played on.

Notable achievements

MacTavish's career NHL regular season totals include 1,093 games played, with 213 goals and 267 assists for 480 points and 891 penalty minutes. He played another 193 playoff games, scoring 20-38-58 with 218 PIM. He was most noted for his stellar defensive play and was also known as a good faceoff man. He won four Stanley Cups (three with EDM, one with NYR) and, despite his low draft status, played in more NHL regular season games than any other player taken in his draft year. His teams only once failed to make the playoffs (92-93 Oilers, although the next year he played 66 games with the non-playoff Oilers). To many casual fans, he might be known as the guy who tore out the tongue of the opposing team's mascot (Harvey The Hound) in a 2003 game against the Calgary Flames. MacTavish was an All-Star in 1996.

See also

• List of NHL head coaches
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons

External link

• Oilers Heritage - Craig MacTavish