  Edmonton Oilers' Head Coach Craig MacTavish. (SUN/Darryl Dyck)
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Preparation and planning are the tools of Craig MacTavish's trade. Making like the Moose and uttering guarantees are not.
MacTavish, then, isn't about to make like Mark Messier and predict a win for his Edmonton Oilers against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final at Rexall Place tonight.
Even though MacTavish was party to Messier's promise the New York Rangers would defeat the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final in 1994 - when the Broadway Blueshirts went on to win the Cup - it's not his style.
"No," said MacTavish.
"Mess just kind of went along with a journalist's headline story. I think it was more of that. I'll tell you one thing, it didn't make Mark play any harder.
"You knew he was going to play his rear end off in that game whether he made a guarantee or not."
Messier made his now-legendary promise, "I guarantee we'll win tonight," then went out and backed it up by scoring three goals.
With his playing days long behind him, MacTavish isn't about to make any bold predictions on behalf of his players with the Oilers facing elimination tonight.
"It's the game of hockey. You can't control it or guarantee anything," said MacTavish.
