Kris Knoblauch is 13th in NHL top coach power rankings

As the majority of people likely understand, lists or rankings in professional sports are intended to lead to plenty of debate and disagreement among fans. The same is no different with a top NHL head coaches power rankings.

On Wednesday, NHL.com unveiled their Super 16 top coach power rankings. There were 15 voters involved, who assigned points totals to coaches based on where they were ranked, e.g. first place received 16 points, second got 15, etc, etc.

Of course, Oilers fans would have been eagerly looking for Kris Knoblauch's name. However, they had to go all the way down to number 13 to find him.

A fair ranking?

The first instinct would have been to proclaim Knoblauch has been ranked too lowly. However, this is purely down to his lack of longevity within the NHL coaching fraternity.

For example, number one on the list is Jon Cooper, of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Cooper has the longest tenure in the NHL at his current team, while leading the Lightning to three Stanley Cup Finals and two wins.

Meanwhile, Paul Maurice is second on the list, having lead his teams to three Stanley Cup Finals. He finally won it all this past season with the Florida Panthers -- at the expense of the Oilers -- and is also fourth all-time in NHL coaching wins.

A huge success in a short period of time

Back to Knoblauch, you can make the argument that 13th on the Super 16 list is actually an excellent achievement, given his lack of NHL coaching experience. However, since taking over from the unfortunate Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, he's been phenomenal for the Oilers.

Consider that the 45 year-old's 46-18-5 record in the NHL is best among all coaches from the time he took over. He also led the Oilers to 16 consecutive wins, which was one short of the all-time record held by the Pittsburgh Pengins.

As a result of this, Knoblauch helped the Oilers recover from the worst start in team history through 12 games, to qualify for the playoffs. And once there, the cerebral and calm coach really showed what he was capable of.

The Oilers went on a magical ride all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Then on the biggest stage the NHL has to offer, they recovered from a 3-0 deficit, to fall agonisingly short in Game 7 versus Maurice and his Panthers.

Overall, as NHL.com noted, Knoblauch just knows how to win. And if the beginning to his NHL coaching career is any indication, anticipate him moving up the Super 16 top coach power rankings in the coming years.

Recent Posts