Note to Dustin Penner: step away from the buffet, start taking the stairs instead of the elevator and for god sakes, get your sorry, prima donna ass off the couch.

There’s a new sheriff in town and you and your Oiler homies would best be advised to mind your Ps and Qs – Pat Quinn is now calling the shots in E-Town.

All kidding aside, can’t imagine the Oiler’s ninth bench boss, as announced earlier today, will have an appetite for the level of underachievement as evidenced most recently under his predecessor, Craig MacTavish.

Quinn’s tough-as-nails persona may be a bit overblown in media circles, however, his coaching record, both in the NHL and internationally, speaks for itself. The “Big Irishman” has coached in more than 1,300 national league games, another 92 NHL playoff games including a pair of Stanley Cup Final appearances and captured the Jack Adams Trophy twice as top bench boss. Internationally, his resume is, well, golden as well; he led Team Canada’s Junior squad to gold in Ottawa in 2008, World Cup gold in 2004 and a historic gold-medal-winning performance with the Canadian Men’s Olympic squad in ’02 (Salt Lake).

With the hiring of Associate Coach Tom Renney (thank goodness the Oilers’ brass didn’t throw the keys to the head coaching position to the latter), Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini seemingly provided his embattled hockey club with some protection, should the shelf life of their new 66-year-old head coach prove to be limited.

What’s old is all of a sudden new again in Oilerville. Undoubtedly, so to will be the team’s once-famous signature compete level come training camp.

There is familiarity and perhaps even comfort for Tambellini in the Quinn hire, though my gut suggests the incisive move would have been to pillage from the league’s current hockey empires, luring away someone like Red Wings’ Assistant Coach Paul MacLean.

Best wishes to Billy Moores and Charlie Huddy, assistant coaches that follow MacT out the door, but who wore the Oiler logo on their backsides, during their tenure with the club. Kelly Buckberger lives to see another day behind the bench, as the club continues to maintain that connection to its rich history.

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