Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch looking to bring Stanley Cup home to Imperial

Eighteen months ago, hardly any hockey fans knew who Kris Knoblauch was.

The Edmonton Oilers head coach and Imperial, Saskatchewan native was officially named the team’s head coach on Nov. 12, 2023.

The Oilers hired Knoblauch following a 2-9-1 start to the season. It came as a surprise to many around the hockey world because he had never been a head coach in the NHL before, outside of one game during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Fast forward almost two years since he was hired, and Knoblauch has led the Oilers to their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in as many years, a feat not done by the Oilers since the glory days of the 1980s.

“We’re all very proud,” said Kris’ dad, Bob Knoblauch, when asked what it meant to see his son back coaching in the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight year.

Although Kris isn’t the one playing on the ice, Bob admits that as a parent, it hasn’t exactly been relaxing watching the games.

“Watching the games, it’s pretty nerve-wracking in the playoffs. Game day starts for me and I’m almost as nervous as when I played hockey. I’m just on pins and needles until the game starts,” Bob explained.

“It’s a rocky road. I’m glad he’s there doing it, but there’s a lot of nerves involved, that’s for sure.”

All season, the Oilers have dealt with injuries and didn’t have their true starting lineup until Game 1 of the playoffs against Los Angeles.

When asked about what buttons Bob thought his son Kris had pushed right, he alluded to health being one of the big ones.

“He said right around the Four Nations tournament we never really had a full lineup – like we had three or four guys out. (Leon) Draisaitl was out for a while, Connor (McDavid) was out and he said we did a lot of line juggling trying to figure out the right mix,” Bob explained.

“It kind of goofed things up for a while, but he said we finally found out the best mixture and once we got everybody back, he was confident that they could make a good run.”

Imperial excited for another cup run

The success of Knoblauch has everyone in Imperial buzzing, with hopes of him bringing the Stanley Cup home to the village of 372.

Bob admitted it’s been amazing to see everyone in the community buy into Kris and the Oilers.

“It’s been unreal. I’ve had so many people come up and say, they’ve never watched hockey in their life and now they never miss a game. The community has got behind the Oilers 100 per cent,” he said.

Oilers flags have been placed outside of Imperial’s town hall as they cheer on Kris Knoblauch in his second Stanley Cup Final. (Joslin Freeman/submitted)

Bob mentioned him and his wife will be in attendance for all the Oilers’ home games starting tonight in Edmonton for Game 1. The two will watch the road games from the community rink in Imperial, which is hosting watch parties again.

“We have it on the ice level so that it’s wheelchair accessible for whoever wants to come,” said Joslin Freeman, the town’s administrator, when asked about what the watch parties will look like this year.

“It’s very exciting to have the Oilers back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in a row and we’re all cheering loud for Imperial,” Freeman added.

Oilers flags have also been raised in front of the town hall and the sign stating Imperial is the home of Kris is still up.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is set to get underway at 6 p.m. from Edmonton.