Oilers Legend Craig MacTavish (4/7/26)
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey, it's Bob Stauffer. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to Oilers Now ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. It is 4.34 in oil country. Bob Stauffer with the Oilers in Salt Lake City, Edmonton, and the Utah Mammoth tonight. We will tell you that guests and Oilers now receive gift certificates to Japanese Village. It's a true celebration for the senses. Quality ingredients and unmatched grill side experience. Book your seat at jvedmonton.ca. Don and his staff at Japanese Village will take care of you. We head off to the River Career Resort and Casino Hotline. It's MAC-T on Monday, except when it's a holiday Monday. Then it becomes MAC-T on Tuesday for contract equipment. Canada's premium heavy equipment dealer, Michael and the staff, a contract heavy equipment dealer, rental and sales.
Hello, Craig. How you doing?
I'm doing well for Tuesday, Bob. Yeah, it's hard to follow, but Easter Monday, following Easter Monday.
I know, it's one of those things. Yeah. By the way, when you played, how difficult was it to... I was thinking, watching the Oil Kings game on Sunday night, you know, there would be some guys that would have an Easter dinner planned in Saskatoon if the Blades had won that and wrapped up the series. instead they gotta hop on the iron lung and bust you know five and a half hours back to Edmonton for the game Monday but these are tricky are they tricky times for coaches when it comes to players I mean some guys necessarily don't have the smoothest relationships with their families for other people they've got extended family and they got to look after like 30 or 40 people it Christmas time and maybe some other times during the year.
Where's your headspace? I mean, you've been in every chair. You've been the coach. You've been the manager. You've been the player. What's your thoughts on that? Is it a little bit tricky to execute at times?
It can be, for sure. Many of family get-together has been spoiled by a playoff loss. I mean, I think that, in a lot of ways, adds value. pressure and degree of difficulty to the team closing out because you get into a mentality where you know you want to win so bad you start playing not to lose and you're not free flowing enough and a lot of times you know the the uh The visiting team will come in and not let the home team close you out. I mean, I've been in that situation many times before, but none greater than... Game five in New York to close out Vancouver and win the Stanley Cup.
I mean... Hold on a second. It's not the only time it happened to you. As I recall, game five at Edmonton in 1987 against the Flyers. Yeah. Right. Like it happened to you that year. Was it different because you're with the Oilers at that time when they were the greatest cavalcade and collection of stars we've ever seen in NHL history? You know, seven Hall of Fame players in a 21 team league. You know, people say, well, the Canadians had nine or ten guys. There were six teams in the league. We're talking when there's 21 teams in the league to have seven Hall of Famers. That's a hell of a lot. Was it different with the Oilers in 87 versus the Rangers in 94, Craig?
Well, I mean, I was equally optimistic in both games going into game five.
Who is Craig MacTavish and why is he on Oilers Now?
But, you know, you're so disappointed. I mean, I was a lot more disappointed, I think, in uh 94 than i was in 87 just because of the i mean you're so beat up and banged up and you got to get back on that plane and go all the way to uh to vancouver coast to coast and you know the champagne's on ice you know the stanley cup's in the building You know, you're just you're exhausted. And, you know, that was that was as disappointing as it could be. And we ended up, I think, getting down two or three nothing in that game and then coming back and tying it. But then they quickly scored another couple of goals. And then we went back, which is a really difficult game to win in the game six on the road and lost that game in Philadelphia and lost that game in Vancouver.
And I remember Mike Keenan wanted to take the team after game six to Lake Placid to get away from the distractions.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:39
2
Who is Craig MacTavish and why is he on Oilers Now?
3:39–5:34
3
How did playoff scheduling and travel affect players and coaches?
5:34–12:38
4
What was Craig’s experience closing out Game 5 and the 1987 Stanley Cup run?
12:38–16:34
5
How did the 1994 Rangers series compare to the Oilers’ 1987 victory?
16:34–20:04
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer
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Founder of Puckpedia Hart Levine (9/22/26)
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