EDMONTON—Veteran NHL bench boss Dave Tippett is the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers announced the hiring Tuesday, marking the first big move for new general manager Ken Holland.
The former Detroit Red Wings GM announced interim coach Ken Hitchcock would not stay in his role on his first day on the job in Edmonton earlier this month.
Tippett, who had been working as a senior adviser to Seattle’s new NHL team since June 2018, becomes the Oilers’ ninth coach in the past 11 years.
The Oilers have missed the playoffs 12 of the past 13 seasons. They’ve reached the post-season just once in the four-year career of major star Connor McDavid.
A native of Moosomin, Sask., Tippett has been out of coaching since a mutual decision to part ways with the Arizona Coyotes following the 2016-17 season.
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Tippett coached the Coyotes for eight seasons, missing the playoffs in his final five seasons in Arizona. He opened his run in the desert with consecutive first-round appearances followed by a trip to the Western Conference final. Tippett’s first season in Arizona ended with him being named NHL coach of the year.
Tippett became an NHL head coach in 2002 with Dallas, guiding the Stars for six seasons. He missed the playoffs in his final year in Dallas in 2008-09, one year after taking the Stars to the conference final to complete a run of five straight years in the post-season.
Tippett entered the NHL coaching ranks as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings in 1999.
The 57-year-old played 721 games in the NHL, notching 93 goals and 169 assists with the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins.