Former NHL coach Adam Oates has been under scrutiny from NHL teams for privately working with players, including Wild veteran Zach Parise. Oates' consulting business was a topic among general managers at their recent meetings.
Some GMs believe Oates has interfered with the seasons of some of his 16 clients.
Elliotte Friedman, the respected NHL Insider for Sportsnet, talked with Oates for his weekly "30 Thoughts" column on sportsnet.ca.
Oates, who coached Washington and New Jersey and was an assistant with Tampa Bay, said he's not angling for another NHL head coaching job. He told Friedman: "I presume my coaching days are over. … I'm not planning on coaching anymore. I enjoy working with players on their skills, making them better."
Parise views Oates, who coached him in New Jersey, as a mentor. The Hall of Famer with 1,420 career points worked with Parise and Ryan Suter before training camp, something that irked Wild brass. He also watched the Wild's morning skate before playing Buffalo in January. Oates was given permission, but after being fired, Yeo said, "I would not do the same thing" and insinuated the unrest created by Oates working with Parise and Suter lingered all season.
"Initially, I didn't like what Mike said," Oates told Friedman. "I don't think it's accurate, and not fair to me or Zach, a player I've known for years. I am never-ending in terms of trying to make him a better player. In hindsight, and I've thought about this a lot, I realize he's been let go and is upset. I got let go and was upset. I get it."
Most players work privately with skills or skating coaches and or trainers. The issue the Wild and many teams have had is that Oates tells his players how to play and where to be on the ice. For instance, the Wild's power-play setup to start the season changed to the way Oates worked with Parise and Suter.
Oates told Friedman: "That's the first thing we talk about with the players, we are not going to talk about your system or how you play. We are going to talk about your game. We are going to talk about improving your skills."
