Oilers GM, Steve Tambellini, seems happy with the deal: "Wayne brings an array of experience from both the NHL and international level. We feel his knowledge of the game will be a compliment to our coaching staff."

Fleming does have great NHL experience after working with Calgary, Philadelphia, Phoenix and the New York Islanders.  He was assistant coach and GM on Canada’s Olympic 1992 silver medal-winning team.

He will join fellow assistant coach, Kelly Buchberger, in working alongside new head coach Pat Quinn and associate coach Tom Renney.

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Wow.  Let me just get that out of the way.  Wow. Wow.  Wow.  I don’t even know what else to say and, judging from the reaction around the internet, fans are divided about what this means for the future of the hockey club. 

The men have worked together in the past with general manager Steve Tambellini when Quinn was the head coach and GM for the Vancouver Canucks where Tambellini worked in the front office and Renney got his first NHL head coaching job back in 1996.

Let’s hope the friendship is still good after all this time because they really have their work cut out for them with the team they’ve got.  Fortunately, Quinn has an impressive résumé.  He won the Jack Adams Award (1992), has led his teams to conference and Stanley Cup finals, coached Team Canada to a gold-medal finish at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and led Canada’s national men’s team coach for the 2006 Spengler Cup.  Most recently, he coached Canada’s junior team to its fifth straight gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship.

If the dynamics between Quinn, Renney and Tambellini are still strong and the team is eager, I’m fairly confident that they will have a much better record next season.

image: TSN

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