Flyers players have a reputation for being tough. One of the toughest players in the NHL was Craig MacTavish. He played for 17 years in the league, winning four cups; three of them on the mighty dynasty of the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s and one with the Rangers in 94.
MacTavish is also remembered for being the last player in the NHL to play without wearing a helmet. In fact, he was still helmetless as he played two seasons for the Flyers from 1994-96. While his best playing days were long over by the time he came to Philly, he was still a competent third and fourth line center as the team, down the middle, had Eric Lindros, Rod Brind’amour, Joel Otto, and MacTavish.
Being in the league that long, you might pick up a thing or two. That’s what the Rangers thought, anyway, when they tagged him to be an assistant. Two years later, he became an assistant coach for the Oilers. When Kevin Lowe was named general manager, MacTavish was elevated to head coach.
From 2000-2009, McTavish helmed the Oilers. During his run as coach, Edmonton made a trip to the Stanley Cup finals, falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the year following the NHL lockout of 2004-05. He was relieved of his coaching duties in 2009
Following his stint in Edmonton, MacTavish coached the Canucks AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He spent a year there before going back to Edmonton to join the front office. In 2013, he became the GM for the Oilers and even returned to the bench briefly as an interim coach. Since 2019, he has coached in Europe; first for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL and currently for Lausanne HC of the Swiss League.
Why He Should Be The Flyers Next Coach
He has taken a team to the Stanley Cup finals and has been on champion teams as a player. He was a gritty player who knows how to evaluate good talent. He has played with some of the greatest hockey players of the 80s and 90s (Gretzky, Lindros, Messier, Coffey, Leetch, etc.)
He has a lot of hockey knowledge and can easily translate that to players. And with coaching in Europe, he has an insiders peek to players and styles that might be foreign to North American hockey teams/coaches/GMs.
Why He Shouldn’t Be The Flyers Next Coach
First of all, he hasn’t been a head coach in the US/Canada for over a decade. He’s going to be rusty. European hockey is very different than North American hockey. And while he has been to the Cup Finals, that was the only season that a team under his direction won a playoff series. In eight seasons, the Oilers only made three playoff appearances.
Final Verdict
MacTavish would be an intriguing choice. He has a good pedigree that on paper would look good. And while he is coaching in Switzerland, he’s probably chomping at the bit to return to the NHL. With that said, this maybe the case of another “retread”.
If you are looking to develop someone from within, he could be a good stopgap measure to help groom and mentor someone along the way who could take the reins at a later time. It could even be enticing to lure him over with the promise of a future front office position. Still, it might be better to find someone else.