from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

When Ken Hitchcock introduced himself to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday afternoon, his message was clear and concise.

Be prepared to be pushed. Be prepared to be uncomfortable. Don’t take it personal.

“I thought he said exactly what we needed to hear,” Connor McDavid said.

Just 211 days after announcing his retirement, Hitchcock said he was quiet on the Oilers’ bench for all of about four shifts before he started barking.

“I needed about four shifts to make judgments and I just started coaching,” Hitchcock said. “I was grinding hard. I told them I was going to do it and I was pushing hard.”

The Oilers responded by grinding out a 4-3 overtime win, the 824th of his career, in his debut with his hometown team. Edmonton didn’t lead for any stretch of the night.

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Watch the game highlights below.