Oilers Fire Assistant GM
Kevin Prendergast considers himself fortunate, even though he was fired on Wednesday.
The Edmonton Oilers' former assistant general manager spent 20 years with the organization before being relieved of his duties by GM Steve Tambellini.
“I’m a lucky guy, I have no complaints,” Prendergast said on Thursday.
“There are not many people that can say that they’ve been with the same team for 20 years. I’ve been in hockey for 28 years now and it’s the first time I’ve been fired, I’ll live with it. It’s unfortunate. I know we worked hard at it and it wasn’t the end result that we wanted.
“But I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve worked with some great people in Edmonton, I’ve learned a lot. This is my home and the opportunity to work with guys like Glen Sather and Bruce MacGregor, Barry Fraser, Kevin Lowe, Scott Howson and Ricky Olczyk, I’ve learned from all these guys,. They’re class people. It’s been great.”
Prendergast joined the organization in 1990 hired on as vice president of hockey operations. He was responsible for the team’s scouting staff and minor league affiliates.
This season, the Oilers AHL team in Springfield struggled, finishing last in the league standings. The Falcons' woes coincided with the Oilers' troubles as half of the farm team was called up to play in the NHL this season.
It was a tough year for the entire organization, right on down to their junior hockey team. Tambellini vowed changes and it’s obvious he wasn’t just talking about player personnel letting go of one of the team's longest-serving staff members.
"We suck. We stink. We look like we don't know how to play hockey."
- Ales Hemsky, Jan 26th 2007
Source: Toronto Sun
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