The longest-serving bench boss in Oilers franchise history has stepped down.
James Poole resigned as Okotoks Oilers head coach and GM after six seasons with the Alberta Junior Hockey League team, the club announced in a April 14 press release.
“Financially we have to tighten strings and as you go down the road here in the next month we will be doubling up workloads for positions within the organization,” said Oilers president Brad Robson. “I met with James before our spring camp and Monday and Tuesday with the direction we were going.
“It was James’ decision he was going to resign.”
Robson was adamant there was not a contractual dispute with Poole who had just finished his option third year after signing a two-year contract three seasons ago.
“It was responsibilities and workloads, it was nothing to do with his contract whatsoever,” Robson said. “It’s not doom and gloom, but a lot of organizations and hockey clubs in North America we have to tighten our belts.”
For Poole, it was not a voluntary resignation.
He said his coaching staff — assistant coaches Bobby Fox, Derek Stuart and Jason Hanna — were eliminated by the club and he couldn’t agree to the mandate.
“I never really got the job offered back to me the following season,” Poole said. “And once they pushed the coaching staff out the door and the direction they were going it was a situation where they backed me into a corner.
“The only option really was to resign and start looking in a different direction.”
Poole, a new father, knows being in and out of work comes with the territory.
“It’s not a secure profession,” he said. “When you get into the coaching business, it’s the old adage that you’re hired to be fired.
“I definitely enjoyed my time here in Okotoks, loved the town, loved the players I coached. And this new opportunity will hopefully bring a positive change for me. Now it’s not a decision just about myself, but also moving a family as well.”
Since taking on the post at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Poole compiled a record of 218-113-23. Okotoks finished in the top-three in the South Division all six seasons highlighted by a first-place mark in 2011 and playoff run to the Division finals in 2013. Post-season success eluded the team in recent years with Okotoks not getting past the second-round for three consecutive years.
“The fact of moving forward is tough,” Poole said. “You put a lot of work into this organization for six years and I really thought this year’s team being so young with our plan of rebuilding and having success next year and beyond, it’s disappointing not to see that through.
“I wish I would have been able to bring a championship to Okotoks, we had a couple close goes.”
With the decision to launch a rebuild at the outset of the 2015-16 season, the Oilers are in a position to make a few more runs at the title with a promising young core of players.
“James did everything on the ice this year that was asked. We made the decision as soon as I came here that we were going to be a young hockey club, to take a step back to take a step forward,” said Robson, who joined the Oilers in the summer. “We have 19 returners, we’re moving ahead and expect this to be a very good hockey club. We’re looking for someone that can take this hockey club to the next level.
“It’s year 11 and we don’t have a banner.”
Though the general manager and head coaching positions are both vacant, the priority is securing the latter of the two posts.
Robson, who has general manager experience as recently as the 2014-15 season with the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, said once the head coach is secured the GM role will come into place.
“When we do figure this all out with the coach, the responsibilities, the experience that the coach has, I can certainly help mentor and give direction,” he said. “That is definitely something that’s there if the coach wants depending on the experience of the coach in the general manager area.”
For more information on the team go to okotoksoilers.ca
