Kris Knoblauch addresses Leon Draisaitl's decision to call the team out
The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a clutch 4-3 overtime victory over Utah HC last night, but Leon Draisaitl made things uncomfortable for the team during the 1st intermission.
After a sluggish start to the game, the Oilers found themselves trailing 2-0 heading into the 1st intermission.
Edmonton Oilers veteran Ryan Nugen-Hopkins revealed that superstar Leon Draisaitl held a players only meeting during the 1st intermission, where he made the decision to call out the team for their poor performance.
»Sometimes there's moments where it gets louder, and the uncomfortable things need to be said, unfortunately. One great part about our team is there's never any finger pointing. If a guy decides to say something, he puts himself into that conversation as well. We're a mature group.»
-Leon Draisaitl
After the game, Kris Knoblauch made himself available for his usual post-game interviews, and adressed Leon Draisaitl's decision to call out the team.
"We absolutely addressed that it wasn't good enough, and it's very powerful when it comes from the players," Knoblauch said of the intermission talk. "So if players are calling each other out, that's very good on them. They responded and played better, and I still think we have more to get better at, but they know that that's not an acceptable level of play. They know they can play better than that."
-Kris Knoblauch
Leon Draisaitl is often over shadowed by Connor McDavid, but the veteran forward has clearly emerged as a strong leader on the team.
The Oilers impressive response to the heated meeting resulted from that accountability to one another in the locker room.
Although Leon Draisaitl took it upon himself to call out the rest of the team, head coach Kris Knoblach stands behind that kind of leader -- and the response from the rest of the team generated results.
| POLL |
NOVEMBRE 30 | 178 ANSWERS Kris Knoblauch addresses Leon Draisaitl's decision to call the team out Do you think Leon Draisaitl should call out the team more often? |
| Yes | 169 | 94.9 % |
| No | 9 | 5.1 % |
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