As predicted by Robin Brownlee back on May 13 “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Tambellini hire a head coach and an associate coach in tandem, then fill out the bench roster by adding an assistant or two.” Whatever witchcraft Brownlee is seemingly able to perform at will has worked again, as the Oilers have named Pat Quinn Head Coach of the team and Tom Renney as his associate.

We know that acres of type will be devoted to dissecting this tandem, so here is the launch pad for further conversation. Each will be given a brief introduction so that the debate can begin in earnest.

In Tom Renney it’s clear the Oilers are looking to stay with the Sexy Silver Fox type coach and we for one couldn’t be more pumped. In addition to coaching the Canucks and the Rangers, Renney has a lengthy international record having guided Team Canada three gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the world Championships. He has also been no joke coaching in NYC, guiding the Rangers to three consecutive post season berths before being relieved of command during the 08-09 season. Having coached Jaromir Jagr, Renney will also be able to apply his Czech Superstar Jedi Mind Tricks ™ to our young Ales Hemsky in an effort to elevate his game to the next level.

Born sometime during the Civil War, Pat Quinn has enjoyed a lengthy coaching career. The Oilers will be his fifth team, having coached Philadelphia, LA, Vancouver and most recently Toronto. At the time of his departure from the Leafs in 2006, Quinn was the winningist active coach in the NHL. All this guy does is get up in the morning and win hockey games Nation, most recently coaching the World Juniors to a fifth consecutive gold medal this year. If he can bring some of that ol’ black magic to the Copper and Blue, the team is headed in a decidedly different (read: better) direction than many thought possible a few short weeks ago.

What we like about this deal from minute one is it is a clear departure from days gone by. These two saavy gents have lengthy resumes with one key piece wonderfully missing:

Due to insane levels of traffic you may be experiencing crashing or severely long load times for OilersNation.com at the moment. We have our crack team all over the matter, and Wanye is running around in circles helpfully yelling “Fire! Fire! Fire!” We may have to temporarily lock down commentary to keep the site running smoother. If that happens, it will be temporary and soon enough we can all get back to the discussion.

Welcome to the OilersNation Mr Quinn and Renney. We love our ice hockey squadron up in here.