EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers promoted former team captain Craig MacTavish from assistant to head coach Thursday.
MacTavish, the eighth coach in Oilers' history, succeeds Kevin Lowe. Lowe was elevated to general manager after the departure of Glen Sather to the New York Rangers last month.
A strong two-way center, MacTavish played on three Stanley Cup winners during the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s. He was captain for two seasons during the early 1990s before being traded to the Rangers, where he won one more cup.
The last helmetless player in the NHL, MacTavish holds the Oilers record for playing in 518 consecutive games.
In an NHL career that spanned 19 seasons, he had 480 points in more than 1,000 games with five teams.
After retiring in 1997, he was an assistant for the Rangers for two seasons before taking over the same job under Lowe in Edmonton.
The Oilers compiled a 32-34-16 record this year, then were beaten 4-1 by the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs.