Longtime NHL defenseman Jason Smith is the new coach of the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. Smith played parts of eight seasons (five as captain) with the Edmonton Oilers, which discussed the news on Thursday, so check it out.
Smith also played for the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators. He played 1,008 games and 68 playoff games, including 24 in the Oilers' run to the Cup final in 2006. He recorded 169 career points and 1,099 penalty minutes.
Smith fought a fair amount and hit a very fair amount, so he'll likely make sure the Oil Kings play with tenacity and feistiness.
This begs the question: which former NHL player do you want to see become a coach? Or what about a current NHLer once their career ends? I wonder whether Sam Gagner would consider the role; he runs a pretty successful hockey school in Ontario, and he helped the Senators with skill development this summer.
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