Edmonton Oilers Legacy - Glen Sather

A Coach Who Cared

Mark Messier, an Edmonton native, was the heart and soul of the dynasty. His character was undeniably shaped by Sather, whose coaching success was undeniably shaped by Messier.

Sather used Messier early in his career to set a precedent. Messier had missed a team flight to St. Louis and Sather subsequently demoted him to the Oilers’ Central League farm team in Houston. Messier notched three assists in four games and Sather promptly promoted him back to Edmonton.

In a separate incident, after Messier was an established star, Sather ripped into him after a practice. In response, a shaken Messier yelled back at Sather in front of the entire team.

"Afterward, Messier was teary-eyed and emotional," wrote Rick Carpiniello in Messier, "Sather took back everything he’d said."

"In front of the entire team, he admitted he was wrong. He made sure to point out to the team how much he respected Messier. The next time the Oilers were together, all of the players talked about the Messier-Sather set-to and how important that moment might have been in the team’s history."

Former Oilers defenceman Jeff Beukeboom recalls the epic exchange in Carpiniello’s book.

"It was so strong," said Beukeboom. "Everything that happened at that instance affected the team tenfold. Slats is always proud and confident, and it’s the only time I’ve ever seen him back down a little bit from anyone."

In Carpiniello’s book, Beukeboom credits Sather for his player-development abilities.

"He was on his toes around his players and trying to teach them that little bit extra, or always trying to test them in a good, positive way."

"He always tried to get the best out of his players. When you needed to be brought down a notch, he was always willing to do that, also."

Beukeboom also stressed Sather’s knack for influencing his players off the ice.

"He tried to teach you an attitude, a way of carrying yourself, a way of being a professional on and off the ice that made you a stronger, confident, and better person and player overall."

National notice

Sather also coached Team Canada on a couple of occasions, guiding his country to a Canada Cup championship in 1984. He also served as the general manager and coach of Team Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

After a 24-year career with the Oilers, Sather became the 12th president and 10th general manager of the New York Rangers on June 1, 2000. Sather became the team’s coach after he unceremoniously fired Bryan Trottier during the 2002-03 season.