When OilersJay Woodcroft, the bench boss, started contacting his hockey contacts as he searched for an assistant coach vacancy. Naturally, a call was made to his brother Todd.
Their conversations can be long. This one wasn’t.
“I’ve got a list of one person,” Todd told Jay. “There’s only one person I would hire. That’s Mark Stuart.”
Jay did his due diligence and ultimately a long list was whittled down to his brother’s recommendation. Stuart, a longtime NHLThe defenceman was hired to replace Brian Wiseman who had resigned as third assistant coach.
Todd, 38, thinks Stuart is the best choice.
Stuart was the assistant coach at Colorado College last season, his alma mater. The previous campaign, he was a member of Todd’s staff at the University of Vermont. It was a volunteer position, but Stuart didn’t treat it that way.
Todd had him involved in important decisions immediately — and not just concerning the team’s blueliners. Stuart was eager and committed, he could see.
“Mark was at the office every single day before six o’clock in the morning,” Todd said. “He did it because he wanted to have some coaching experience — to learn.”
Todd was struck by how Stuart performed as a coach and how it reminded him of his own play as a player. Stuart was in his last NHL season 2016-17 with The JetsTodd became an assistant.
Stuart was a regular healthy scratch after he had been an alternate captain. His determination to make an impact and set a positive example never wavered.
Todd was responsible for sliding the scratches. Stuart and Todd’s relationship blossomed over time as they got to know each other better.
Todd recalls a day in Chicago when the Jets regulars weren’t scheduled to skate and there was a mix-up with the ice time for the scratches. It was an opportunity to get out of the rink, which was what other Jets sub players thought was fantastic. Stuart didn’t see it that way.
“Mark being Mark, he showed him the dark side,” Todd said.
“He wanted to work. He wanted to be ready for whenever his next time was to play.”
Stuart was successful and he and his partner were taken through the paces by Todd on the ice.
“I got a little ornery,” Stuart said, laughing at the memory. “But we ended up skating. It was a bit more intense.
“You’ve got to be a good teammate and a good guy out of the lineup. There’s nothing wrong with showing some emotion as well.”
Todd found it eye-opening that a veteran at his end of his career wanted the best for himself.
“That’s why I wanted to be around him, and that’s why I know he’s going be a great coach — why he is a great coach,” he said. “He doesn’t take any shortcuts.”
Part of Stuart’s job responsibilities with the Oilers will be to assist and train players looking for more ice time, much like Todd did for him. He’ll also start in the eye-in-the-sky role for games.
Stuart arrived in Edmonton at the end of August with his wife, Christina, and their three young children — daughter, Meadow, and sons, Sullivan and McCoy. He had a chat with The Athletic Recently, Meadow was his eldest son.
After a few years at college, what was it that you were most interested in about the Oilers job?
It was an amazing opportunity to be a coach at this level and in this league. I’ve gotten to know the few people here over the years as far as what they bring as coaches and as people. It was an obvious draw.
It’s an organization, a team that’s had some success, but is continuing to build. There are many talented players and people doing great work. I am very grateful to have been able to participate in it, and to help it continue in the right direction.
I was able to meet Todd Woodcroft. He speaks highly of you. Jay asked for recommendations and you were the only one he mentioned. You’ve only been coaching for a few years. How do you find your voice and feel so confident?
It’s something that you’re working at every day, and you continue to grow. If you talk to any of these guys that have been doing it for over a decade or more, they’re always learning and always adapting to the game and to the new players. That’s something I try to do every day as well, even though it’s been a little bit younger in the process as far as my coaching career.
Later in your career, you get a glimpse of the mentoring side of it. I was fortunate to have been able mentor young players through some of the good organizations and teams I played on. As I reached the end of my playing career, coaching was something that I became more interested in. As I got into it, after my playing career, it’s something that you fall in love with, and I really enjoyed doing.
Spending time with the coaches and spending time with the players and teaching, that’s what really draws me to it. That’s why I enjoy doing it every day.
Todd stated that he could see you becoming a coach during your last season in Winnipeg. You weren’t playing as much, and you were working a lot with him because he’d skate you. You got the bug? Did that be the moment you realized that you could coach young players?
Yes, it was a turning point in my life.
You’re getting a little older and I wasn’t a regular in the lineup. I was able to take advantage of a few opportunities. I had more time to spend with younger players and more time with coaches. I spent a lot of time with Todd over those games that I wasn’t in the lineup. And you’re paying a lot more attention watching the game. You’re getting a little bit (of a) different view. A lot of those games you’re either watching in the room on TV or, for the most part, you’re going up to the press box, and you’re watching it from up there. You’re just getting a completely different view of the game from up there. But you’re still in every meeting with the coaches. You’re just looking at the game a little bit differently as opposed to when you’re playing and you’re right in it. You’re stepping back a little bit.
That’s not where I wanted to be. Nobody does. No player does. But that’s where I was at that point. It was clear that it was coming to an end, regardless of whether it was something I liked or not. This was the turning point for me. It made me think more deeply about the next step. I knew that I wanted to continue playing in some capacity. I’m lucky enough that coaching was an option.
Jay Woodcroft (Sergei Belski / USA Today)
You can go from Woodcroft to Woodcroft. Are you starting to notice similarities between Jay and Todd?
These similarities are obvious right away. It’s how detailed they are, (and) how passionate about the game. Each coach is unique and has their own style. It is their passion, their attention to detail, and how deeply they care that make them stand out. This is evident right away.
It is noticed by both the staff and the players. It goes a long ways. People aren’t going to listen to you until they know that you care — not just about themselves, but about you and making you better. That’s what drew me to Todd right away. We spent a lot of time together, but he put as much time and care into me — a guy who wasn’t playing and in the lineup — as he did to the regulars. Now, obviously, that’s in different ways because you’ve got to coach the players that are playing. That was what built our relationship immediately.
Jay also mentioned that Jay liked the fact that you had just finished playing, which is a good thing for caring for players. That way you can “speak the language of today’s players.” What does that mean to you and how will you do that?
Since I started playing, the game has changed a lot. As a player, it’s the speed of the game, the way it’s coached. That’s what drew me to coaching, too; it’s always developing. You’ve got to stay on top of trends. That’s why I love doing it.
It all comes back to me as far as speaking and the language of a player. I was a 2003 first-round selection. I played on many great teams as well as some less-so-great. From playing decent minutes in middle of my career and having a major role on some teams, to wearing a letter and being a healthy scratch for 20-25 consecutive games, I was a healthy scratch for about 20-25 games. I’ve been in the highs and lows of the game, and everybody goes through them. Those experiences have been a great help.
Every player learns differently. Each player communicates in a different way. You need to get to know each player and learn how they communicate. I learned a lot from my experiences with coaches, mentors and experienced players. I am a huge fan of the way they treated me, how they spoke to me, and the lessons they taught me. This is what I try to incorporate into my coaching.
Mark, who were you able to learn from when you were a young player?
Many names stand out to me. We had many veteran players in those early days of Boston. Shane Hnidy was among them. Aaron Ward. I’m thinking of mostly defencemen here. Zdeno Chara. You’re a young guy and you’re watching Zdeno Chara every day — the way he conducts himself on the ice, in the weight room, off the ice. I don’t know if there’s many better guys to learn from as far as how to work. It was an honor to have been able learn from such great men.
A guy that was around my same age — even a little bit younger — that I learned a lot from was Patrice Bergeron. He’s still doing it. He’s a unique, special player and a special person.
I was going to hold off on asking you this question, but Bergeron and you are both part of the 2003 draft class. What do you think is the last man standing?
Oh … (pauses) … I don’t know. That’s so hard to say. I’m not sure. But it’s good to see there’s still some (players) doing it and doing it really well. That led to some incredible players.
You’ve played against many of these Oilers athletes in the past few years. What do you think about the way they’ve been able to grow in the last few years since you stopped playing — most recently with last season’s playoff success?
Even back towards the end of my career, you saw the talent that they had — especially the guys that were considered young players at that time. You know how far they’ve come. It was only a matter time before they were the league’s best.
It’s also a great experience to be able to coach these guys, who I had the privilege of seeing up close as a player in their first season of the league. At that point, I wasn’t playing a ton against them, but I was able to see them up close. It’s no surprise that they’ve had the success they’ve had.
One man you really know is Evander KaneYou are your Winnipeg and Atlanta teammate. I wonder what it will be like to again work with him.
I’m excited. I’m excited to see Kaner again and work with Kaner. He’s a guy who’s moved around a bit since I played with him but is in a really good spot here. You saw his success last season. I know he’s extremely excited to be back in the organization and the staff are extremely excited to have him back. He’s in a really good spot. I’m excited to see him again. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.
I can easily talk about the entire list. I’m excited to work with each and every one of them. Of course, there’ll be a little bit more with some than others. I’m excited to start building those relationships.
Kane has been successful in his career, but Edmonton was where he really excelled. Is there any reason Kane really shot to the top last season, compared to Atlanta and Winnipeg? Does it just come down to maturity and age?
It’s probably a little bit of everything. With every player, it’s got to be the right fit for the player. Different organizations are better for certain players. As a forward, you’re comfortable with certain players. Kaner’s game, his style of play, fits really well with this roster. He was able and successful to compliment the other players he played last year.
Of course, it’s maturity. Any player coming into this league (learns) it’s a hard league to be successful in. It takes time, and you have to go through many ups and downs. You will grow the more you experience. He’s definitely grown.
You stated that you began to notice things after you had a long career. You’re going to be doing a lot of eye-in-the-sky work at first. What are you going to be focusing on when you coach games?
You’re just trying to notice different subtleties about the game. It’s a completely different view from up there. Behind the bench, there’s a lot going on. You’re communicating with the players. You’re at ice-level view, so you can miss some things at times depending on what’s going on.
As an eye in the sky, whatever they need down there, whoever you’re communicating with, you’ve got that view up there where you can see more. It’s slower from up there. (Laughs.) You can see plays develop. You’re just trying to support the coaches on the bench and give them what they need. That’s going to be a big part of my job this year.
The game looks pretty easy from up there, doesn’t it?
(Laughs.) Maybe just a little. It’s not an easy game. Well, it’s a little easier for some.
Being up there slows things down a bit. It is possible to see much more from up top than what you see from the bench, or even from the ice. Perhaps it’s just me, but I found it extremely helpful to be able to see the games from up there.
Finally, I think that a retired defenseman with nearly 700 NHL games would be a great teacher for young blueliners. This is especially true since there are likely to be some of them on the Oilers roster. How are you going to mesh with Dave Manson since he’s the person who runs the defence? What can you do to help?
Manse is a far better coach and player than I am. I don’t know how much help he’ll need from me. (Laughs.)
I’m excited about working with everybody wherever I’m needed. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Manse these last few weeks. He’s a guy that I know I’m really going to enjoy working with. We’re lucky to have him here on the back end.
(Photo by Andy Devlin/ NHLI via Getty Images
