Oilers assistant coach Dave Manson set to face son Josh in playoff series
Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Dave Manson will have a bit of a longer scouting report than most when it comes to one of his upcoming opponents.
Manson is set to face his son Josh in the Oilers‘ upcoming Western Conference Final playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, who plays as a defenceman for Edmonton’s next matchup.
“Those are nice narratives and storylines and everything like that, but I think everybody in our office and in our dressing room was 100% committed to seeing this through,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft told reporters on Sunday about the family connection. “[But] I think that’s a special thing for their family.”
The elder Manson spent three seasons with the Oilers from 1991 to 1994, while also playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Josh, meanwhile, was traded to Colorado in March 2022 after spending over a decade in the Anaheim Ducks organization. This season, he’s registered six goals and 11 assists, while putting up one goal and four assists in the playoffs so far.
Dave knows better than most NHL veterans just what a tough trophy the Stanley Cup is to win, though.
He played in his lone Stanley Cup Final with the Dallas Stars in 2000, finishing as runners-up one year after the franchise won its only championship. It seemed like Manson was always a year away: also joining the Oilers in 1991 one year after their last Cup win, and leaving the Blackhawks that same year the year before they’d go to the Final in 1992.
But despite the family ties, Woodcroft reiterated that he doesn’t think father nor son will go easy on each other.
“What’s gonna happen here starting Tuesday night is a battle between two proud organizations that are trying to get to the next round,” Woodcroft said. “And that’s what it’s about.”
Either way, there will be a Manson representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final this year. And we’re sure there will be some lifelong bragging rights held for the foreseeable future, whatever way the series swings.
Game 1 goes Tuesday night in Denver, with puck drop set for 6 pm MT.
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