Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed a secret connection between himself and Paul Maurice ahead of the Stanley Cup finals today. Maurice, of course, will be his adversary across the bench as the Oilers take on the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals. Apparently though, there was once a time when the two coaches nearly worked together. Maurice was the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets at the time when Knoblauch interviewed for an assistant coach role with the team. He ultimately did not get the job, but revealed that Maurice has been a mentor for him since then as the veteran coach offered him guidance in his young career. <q>Knoblauch said he interviewed for an assistant job in Winnipeg with Maurice. Didn't get the job but Maurice offered to mentor him anytime he needed advice. Said he took him up on it a few times over the years.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/TSNRyanRishaug/status/1798045163270664363'> </a></blockquote></div> This story was not the only thing Knoblauch said today that captured the attention of the media as the Oilers ramp up for their first finals appearance since 2006. He was asked a question about experience as the Florida Panthers were in the finals just last year and his response was quite hilarious. He used the example of the Buffalo Bills losing four straight Super Bowls as an example to prove why experience doesn't necessarily matter. <q>The #Bills randomly caught a stray at an Edmonton Oilers press conference today: Q: Is experience an edge in the finals? HC Kris Knoblauch: I don't know. Ask the Buffalo Bills how important Super Bowl experience is. (Bills lost 4 straight Super Bowls)</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1798082146084753420'> </a></blockquote></div> The Super Bowl is not exactly a one-to-one comparison to the Stanley Cup though. The dynamics in a single, winner-take-all game are much different than the warfare that is a seven-game series. Be sure to tune in to see if the Oilers will be able to become the first Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup in over 30 years. Source: HockeyOTB <a href='https://www.hockeyotb.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/edmonton-oilers-head-coach-kris-knoblauch-reveals-he-almost-coached-the-winnipeg' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch reveals he almost coached the Winnipeg</a>