Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz deserves credit for finding a balance.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Oilers were loyal to ex-Oilers to a fault. Former players held key roles as the franchise floundered. Two-and-a-half years ago that changed when Bob Nicholson was brought in from Hockey Canada, not just to help with hockey, but to help the Oilers Entertainment Group as it moved in to the new Rogers Place arena.
The improvements continued. GM Peter Chiarelli joined the team prior to last season after a long stint in Boston. Veteran coach Todd McLellan followed.
Now, midway through the 2016-17 season, Oilers fans are enjoying the payoff. The Oilers have won 10 more games than they did last year at this time and have scored 16 more goals than they have allowed. This time last year the team was -36.
Katz still respects Oiler greats. Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe and Craig McTavish all hold important roles. However, he’s how tapped in to a bigger hockey world as well. This has dramatically helped his win-starved franchise to make big strides.
