Oiles hire Pat Quinn and Tom Renney to coach team

From TSN:

Sources tell TSN Pat Quinn will be announced as the new head coach at a news conference later today with former Rangers coach Tom Renney being named be the associate head coach.

The news conference is set for noon local time in Edmonton.

The move reunites Quinn and Renney with general manager Steve Tambellini from their days together with the Vancouver Canucks. Quinn worked as head coach and general manager for 11 seasons in Vancouver and was behind the bench from 1990 to 1996. Tambellini spent two decades working in Vancouver’s front office before joining the Oilers last summer. Renney got his first NHL head coaching job with the Canucks in 1996. 

Click here to read entire article.  Also, credit to Oilers Nation who appeared to be first on this story.

I love this hire.  First off, I felt like Quinn deserved a chance to get back into coaching at the NHL level.  For all the criticism about his job with Toronto near the end, look at where that team has been since he left.  That aside, Quinn is a good communicator and is generally well-liked by his players.  Quinn’s one weakness, is said to be systems and defensive coaching.  This is why bringing Renney along as associate coach is a brilliant move.  Renney is a student of the game, is a master and implementing a strong system and can focus his efforts on that, along with developing the team’s young players (something Quinn naysayers say is another weakness of the veteran coach.  Although they probably changed their tune after his work with the Canadian junior teams).  All in all, this is a terrific first coaching hire(s) by GM Steve Tambellini.