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Oilers coach Renney returns from concussion

Tom Renney

After getting hit in the head by a puck, receiving a dozen stitches and failing a pair of concussion baseline tests, Oilers coach Tom Renney was back on the ice Wednesday as Edmonton prepared to face the Red Wings in Detroit.

“I’m good. I’m going to give it a good go tonight and if I have to step back, I will,” Renney told the Edmonton Journal. “But it’s a good thing they had the Coke machine in the medical room in Toronto, or I would not have known who we played. I couldn’t have coached that night.”

It was Monday afternoon in Toronto when Renney suffered the concussion. Oilers defenseman Ladislav Smid deflected a shot during the gameday skate that inadvertently hit Renney, sending the 56-year-old to the hospital.

“I feel horrible,” Smid said after the practice. “Talk about bad luck.”

On Monday, associate coach Ralph Krueger replaced Renney behind the bench in a 6-3 loss to Toronto. The loss was bad, but losing star rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to another shoulder injury was worse. This latest setback will keep RNH out of the lineup for 7-10 days, forcing AHL Oklakhoma City call-up Magnus Paajarvi into duty.