Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch no stranger to Battle of Alberta

The last time the Calgary Flames were in town, things looked quite a bit different for the Edmonton Oilers.

Not only on the ice, but the ice they were playing on, itself.

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The Oilers became temporary residents of Commonwealth Stadium, which held the first Battle of Alberta of the season in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic — the 20th anniversary of the NHL’s inaugural outdoor regular-season game, which has gone on to become a yearly occurrence.

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And while they defeated their provincial rivals 5-2 in that meeting back on Oct. 29, dark clouds were already forming on the Edmonton horizon. Exactly two weeks later, the club fired then-head coach Jay Woodcroft after stumbling out of the gates on a season that had been shaping up with nothing but great expectations.

Instead, the Oilers started out 3-9-1, spelling doom for one of the most successful bench bosses they’ve had since the glory days.

Of course, the turnaround under Woodcroft’s replacement, Kris Knoblauch, has been nothing short of brilliant as the Oilers climbed out of obscurity and into the playoff picture, at times even appearing all but unbeatable.

But a big part of the job of a new head coach includes embracing the built-in local rivalries. And Knoblauch is no stranger to the Battle of Alberta.

He’s already seen a clash on the southern battlefield, as his Oilers defeated the Flames 3-1 on Jan. 20, on the way to going 11-0 for the month as part of a 16-game win streak.

“I wasn’t here for the Heritage game, but I was in Calgary,” Knoblauch recalled ahead of Saturday’s rematch at Rogers Place, the third of four meetings between the two teams this year. “It was a great atmosphere there in Calgary and it was a pretty good game. I got to experience a little bit and we came out ahead that game, but it was a very close game and tonight, you’ll see the other side of it, being at home.

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“But I can see the energy in the building. The energy trickles down to the players and even the staff, we get excited about it and it’s just one of those games that picks you up.”

It doesn’t quite reach the same electric level as their last playoff meeting, in the second round of 2021-22. But, still …

“It’s an 82-game grind and it’s hard to get up for every one, because you’re playing every second day,” Knoblauch said. “But there are times in the schedule when you’re playing a team that you’re trying to catch in the standings, somebody who’s right behind you or a rival that’s in the same province.

“This is one of those games that kind of alleviate that grind.”

Fortunately for Knoblauch, the Alberta rivalry has already been ingrained from his days playing with the Edmonton Ice of the Western Hockey League, as well as with the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey, whenever they took on the University of Calgary Dinos.

While the Ice have been relocated three times since, Knoblauch still tries to keep an eye on his alma mater, with the Bears playing in the Canada West semifinals this weekend against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

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“I’ve been fortunate to be able to get out to two of their games,” said Knoblauch, who won a national championship with the Bears in 2000. “It was wonderful getting back in the building there and something that I hold very fondly, my time there.

“Watching them was nice and hopefully they have continued success.”

If emotions are on high alert in a rivalry game, Oilers fans needed to look no further than Leon Draisaitl. His face was already a favourite target of Sportsnet cameras one night earlier, when the Oilers fell 4-2 to the visiting Minnesota Wild.

The second leading scorer on the team makes no secret of wearing his heart on his sleeve, even if it spills over into unmasked frustration at times.

“There is a balance,” Knoblauch said. “You can often see players get frustrated for numerous reasons. A lot of times, players get frustrated, upset and it’s usually a lot of selfishness. Looking inside and being unhappy with their situation. And that is not the case with Leon at all.

“Leon is competing really well, working hard, putting up points. He’s just wanting things to go really well for the team, and obviously Leon’s a big part of it. He just wants us to have the success that we were having through (December and) January and pick up where we were. That’s all.”

E-mail: [email protected]

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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