MacTavish returns to Blues as assistant coach, sees 'unlimited potential'

Craig MacTavish is ready for the next chapter as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.

The 64-year-old returned to where he played the final two of his 17-season NHL career when he was hired July 1 to join coach Craig Berube's staff. MacTavish replaces Jim Montgomery, who was named Boston Bruins coach June 30 after two seasons as a Blues assistant.
"I love the city," MacTavish said. "I loved my time in St. Louis. It helps to have some familiarity. There are still some holdovers from when I was there last. Familiarity to a certain degree helps your comfort level."
The Blues signed free agent forward Noel Acciari and goalie Thomas Greiss to respective one-year contracts July 13 after a third-place finish in the Central Division (49-22-11). They lost the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round in six games to the Colorado Avalanche, three seasons after winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history.
Two players, Vladimir Tarasenko (34) and Pavel Buchnevich (30), scored at least 30 goals. Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored 27; Perron signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 13.
"I see unlimited potential," MacTavish said. "I see potential to win. They won the Stanley Cup three years ago and the core of the team is still in place. When I watch the team, I see a very balanced scoring attack."

MacTavish is a four-time Stanley Cup champion as a center for the Edmonton Oilers (1987, 1988 and 1990) and New York Rangers (1994). He started his coaching career as a Rangers assistant in 1997 and coached the Oilers for nine seasons (2000-09), guiding them to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, a seven-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He was Edmonton general manager for two seasons (2013-15).
"Craig has spent 30 years in our league, serving as a player, coach and general manager," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He played in over 1,000 games, has coached in almost 700 and is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. We are excited to add his experience to our staff."
MacTavish had 480 points (213 goals, 267 assists) in 1,093 regular-season games for the Bruins, Oilers, Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Blues, and 58 points (20 goals, 38 assists) in 193 Stanley Cup Playoff games. While his playing career was winding down, he knew that coaching was his next calling.
"I always had a coaching component in the last few years of my playing career, so I was trying to pay attention as much as I could," MacTavish said. "Things that resonated with me as a player, whether it was strategy, drills, terminology. All those things I was trying to pay attention to because I knew I was going to get into hockey at some point after."
MacTavish's playing background and coaching resume could pay dividends for the Blues. He can help mentor players and bring a unique element to the locker room.
"In today's NHL there are going to be times where you're challenged as a group," MacTavish said. "Hopefully, my experience will lend some perspective to those challenges so that we can minimize those time periods and try and come out of that."
It's a new opportunity MacTavish said he has waited for.
"I'm looking forward to having a closer relationship with the players and the head coach," MacTavish said. "I just hope that I can work closely with the players in a way you're not able to do as the head coach. … I'm really impressed with their professionalism, and we will see what we have come training camp. I'm really looking forward to it."