unbelievable: Dave Tippett, the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, has announced his return to the team.
Dave Tippett, the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, looks to be return.
Reporter Craig Morgan of the Arizona Coyotes says Tippett is hanging up the whistle.
Over the course of three organizations and seventeen seasons, Tippett was a coach. In 1995, he began his coaching career as the assistant coach of the IHL Houston Aeros. Midway through the 1995 season, he was elevated to head coach.
After spending some time in Houston, he moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to work as an assistant coach. He stayed there for three seasons before accepting a head coaching position with the Dallas Stars.
Tippett finished more than six years in Dallas behind the bench with a 271-156-28 record. The Stars failed to make it to the Cup Finals in any of the six seasons in which they qualified for the playoffs.
After being let go following the 2008–09 campaign, he played eight seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes. In the league, he compiled a record of 282-256-83. His best season was 2011–12, when the ‘Yotes advanced to the conference finals.
Tippett served as a team consultant for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL from 2017 to 2019, and subsequently, he was a senior advisor for the Seattle Kraken, an expansion team.
As the 16th head coach in franchise history, he was welcomed to the Edmonton Oilers and enjoyed tremendous success during the regular season, finishing second in points percentage among all coaches.
But his teams collapsed in the postseason. The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Oilers 3-1 in the playoff qualifying round in his first season, and the Winnipeg Jets swept the Oilers in the opening round the following year.
This year, the Oilers had a great start, but in December and January, they totally collapsed. On February 10th, Tippett was ultimately let go.
Oilers general manager Ken Holland stated that he had hoped to sign Tippett to an extension following his firing.
