Old boys club? Oilers fans want longtime goalie coach to be fired

Patience is wearing thin among the Edmonton Oilers fan base.

After the team received yet another poor goaltending performance in a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night, some fans of the team are demanding accountability.

The person that they have in their sights might be a bit surprising. It doesn’t appear head coach Jay Woodcroft or even the two Oilers goalies, Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell, are at the center of the outrage.

Instead, a lot of Oilers fans are pointing their fingers at longtime goalie coach Dustin Schwartz, who has been with the team since 2014.

So if we are having goalie issues, should we not be looking at the goalie coach. Dustin Schwartz needs to go

— Rebecca Huynh (@MOMMA2THAOMY) November 7, 2023

Time to get rid of Dustin Schwartz. He’s never had a good record with any goalie

— Darkwing (@WilsonDewayne) November 7, 2023

How does Dustin Schwartz still have a job with the #Oilers?

— Martin Male (@EclecticBlogs) November 7, 2023

Fire Dustin Schwartz right now #EDMvsVAN

— ItsTVW (@ItsTVW) November 7, 2023

Schwartz has worked with a long list of Oilers goalies, including Cam Talbot, Mike Smith, Mikko Koskinen, and now the current duo of Campbell and Skinner. In all those cases, with the exception of Smith, it seems like the goalies have either underperformed or got off to great starts before falling off.

This is something that isn’t lost on fans.

Here’s a fun one, lets see all the goalies the oilers have had since hiring Dustin Schwartz in 2014
Laurent Brossoit
Ilya Bryzgalov
Jack Campbell
devan Dubynk
Vicktor Fasth
Jonas Gustavsson
mikko koskinnon
Ben Scrivens
Stuart Skinner
Mike Smith
Cam Talbot

— matt hollingdrake (@mattholingdrake) November 7, 2023

#oilers leadership and management is always ridiculous, but how does Dustin Schwartz remains as goalie coach for nine years?

Every goalie that comes to Edmonton gets worse, and after a year or two away, they always improve. How does management not see this?

— Mts (@scotty_yeg) November 7, 2023

Why is this so difficult?

Time for a new goalie coach. Fire Dustin Schwartz.

He’s been there since 2014 and the goaltending has been abysmal in that 9 year stretch. @EdmontonOilers

— PattyD_Oil (@bigweeels) November 7, 2023

As for who could come in to replace Schwartz, fans have a few ideas, ranging from recent Oilers goalie Mike Smith to current Bakersfield Condors goalie coach Sylvain Rodrigue.

I know people are torn on Dustin Schwartz and goalie guys in particular love him, but I wonder a lot about promoting Sylvain Rodrigue (AHL goalie coach). He's gotten results with guys like Skinner, Rodrigue, Pickard, and Starrett. Maybe a fresh voice is needed at the NHL level?

— Bandana Idiot (@AdamsOnHockey) November 7, 2023

New goalie coach. Dustin Schwartz has been messing up goalies for a decade. They should replace him with Mike Smith.

— Troy Sitko (@TroySitko) November 7, 2023

Before coming to the Oilers, Schwartz worked with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL as a goaltending coach. During his four seasons with the Oil Kings, he helped them win two WHL championships and a Memorial Cup in 2014.

He was hired by then-Oilers GM Craig MacTavish in November 2014, replacing previous goalie coach Frederic Chabot.

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