EDMONTON – Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Dave Manson had words of encouragement for his son, Colorado Avalanche defender Josh Manson, before Game 6 of the Second Round of the Western Conference against the St. Louis Cardinals. Louis Blues Friday.
“He went and then he said, ‘Go win this game so I can come see my granddaughter,'” Josh Manson said after Colorado’s 3-2 win to get the best series of 7. ” “She’s the number one on her list. She wants to come to Colorado so she can see my daughter, her granddaughter. That was the important thing.”
Dave and Josh Manson will be on opposing benches when the Oilers face the Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals starting in Denver on Tuesday.
The Oilers advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2006 with a 4-1 series victory over the Calgary Flames.
Dave Manson joined Edmonton along with coach Jay Woodcroft on Feb. 10 from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League to replace Dave Tippett and associate coach Jim Playfair, who were fired.
“She’s our first granddaughter and our only grandson,” Dave Manson said Saturday. “It’s exciting every time you get a chance to see it, and that’s what came to my mind. It’s an important part of our family.”
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Dave Manson played 1,103 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs in 16 NHL seasons. He was then an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League for 12 seasons before being hired by the Oilers to be Bakersfield’s assistant before the 2018-19 season.
Josh Manson, 30, was acquired by the Avalanche in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on March 14 after playing all eight seasons of his NHL with them.
“It’s definitely exciting for both of us, first of all, to keep playing,” Dave Manson said. “I think that’s huge. It doesn’t happen much in your career, so just from that point of view it’s exciting. Being part of the family is another level of excitement.”
The Oilers had already reached the conference final when Dave Manson tuned in to see his son play against the Blues on Friday. The Oilers eliminated the Flames with a 5-4 victory in overtime on Thursday with a goal from Connor McDavid.
Dave Manson hopes to fit in the family time when the Oilers travel to Colorado for the first two games in the Best of 7 series.
“Depending on the schedule of the teams, it will be nice to visit them, but their schedule will be different from ours,” said Dave Manson. “We’re there with a purpose and it works the same for both of us. The priority of doing your job is the first one right now.”
Josh Manson was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on October 7, 1991, five days after Dave was ceded by the Blackhawks to the Oilers. Like his father, Josh considers himself a solid advocate who stays at home.
“There are similarities, but he’s a much better player,” Dave Manson said. “The game is very different today than when I was playing. These guys train and work hard in their craft, it’s not that we didn’t do it, but they are very skilled guys.”
While the two talk about hockey when they are together, Dave Manson is careful with the advice he gives his son.
“He has coaches who are there to do a job and you don’t want to give him any advice that contradicts what his coaches tell him,” Dave Manson said. “I don’t believe in that and we try to avoid it, but if he asks, we’ll talk about it.”