Edmonton Oilers hire back Paul Coffey as skills and development coach

Former Oilers player Paul Coffey is rejoining the organization as a skills and development coach, the team said in a media release Sunday.

Coffey, thought to be one of the best defencemen in hockey history, helped the Oilers win Stanley Cups in 1984, '85 and '87. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman three times and holds over a dozen NHL records.

He played over 21 seasons in the NHL and appeared in 1,409 regular season games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

In a blog post on the team's website Sunday, head coach Todd McLellan said bringing Coffey back was "not a very well-kept secret."

"In my mind, he's been part of our organization since he played here. He's been around and been very supportive. He'll be joining in more of an official capacity."