The 2019-2020 AHL season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopes were high the 2020-21 season would take place, but there was a lot of uncertainty.
Bakersfield Condors head coach Jay Woodcroft said it was a very difficult time for him and his staff. Ultimately the season was given the green light, and after a truncated training camp, the Condors, coming off a disappointing 2019-2020 season, stumbled out of the gates losing their first five games of the year.
Uh oh.
Fast-forward four months, and the Condors were celebrating a Pacific Division best-of-three playoff win over the Henderson Silver Knights. It wasn’t a Calder Cup win (for the second consecutive season there were no Calder Cup playoffs), but it was a championship to Woodcroft and the Condors.
Woodcroft spent 13 seasons in the NHL with San Jose, Edmonton and Detroit, where he won a Stanley Cup. He presented during the Virtual Hockey Summit on what it takes to battle through adversity and how his team navigated such a wild season.
What does it take to battle through adversity? Jay Woodcroft has a few pointers . . . SEE MORE OF THE COACHES SITE Join The Coaches Site to access the latest drills, tactics & leadership lessons from hockey's top coaches. Already a member? Login
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Jay Woodcroft
The head coach for the Edmonton Oilers started his NHL career as a video coach with the Detroit Red Wings. He then joined the San Jose Sharks staff under Todd McLellan in 2008 and later followed McLellan to Edmonton, joining the Oilers coaching staff in 2015. Woodcroft was then elevated to head coach of the Bakersfield Condors in 2018.
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Great presentation. I can see why the Oilers moved Jay to be the Head Coach in Edmonton.