At least, according to a more-mainstream and better-funded blog than I write for. OilersNation says that Truitt was informed on Friday that he will be taking over as head coach of the Springfield Falcons. They than go on to say that this means Kelly Buchberger will join MacTavish's staff in Edmonton, something which has seemed inevitable since he first joined the Oilers organization.
Normally I'd wait until TSN or one of the papers confirmed that this was a done deal, but let's face it; there's not much to write about out there.
The article on the Oilers website for when Truitt joined Springfield as an assistant gives you an idea of his resume. Three seasons as an assistant in Kelowna, three with the Camrose Kodiaks as head coach, back to Kelowna for four seasons as assistant, and finally, three seasons as head coach. During his time in Kelowna, Marc Habscheid was the head coach. Last season was his first in the AHL. Truitt has also had experience with Hockey Canada.
Regan Bartel, the play-by-play man for the Rockets, did up a very good piece on Truitt when he left the Rockets to join Springfield. About the only bad thing Bartel has to say is that Truitt may be too nice as a coach, maybe unable to really be the disciplinarian when he needs to be. Beyond that, Bartel's very complementary.
Regan Bartel, the play-by-play man for the Rockets, did up a very good piece on Truitt when he left the Rockets to join Springfield. About the only bad thing Bartel has to say is that Truitt may be too nice as a coach, maybe unable to really be the disciplinarian when he needs to be. Beyond that, Bartel's very complementary.
Guy Flaming also had some nice things to say about Truitt, even going so far as to suggest that he was being groomed as the Oilers' coach of the future.
I don't really have an opinion on Truitt; I have no where near the knowledge neccessary to say anything one way or the other. Still, there are a lot of positive things being said about the guy, and my feeling is that Buchberger must have leaned on him heavily as a rookie head coach. We should be able to form more solid conclusions by the end of the 2008-09 season.