Edmonton-area pastor being mistaken for Oilers head coach

Kris Knoblauch or his look-alike? An Edmonton-area pastor is being mistaken for Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch.

“Kris Koblauch, yeah, yeah, totally. 100 per cent. Kris Knoblauch. Knobbers. That’s what they call him,” said an Oilers fan.

This is not the first time Matt Ziprick has been mistaken for the Oilers’ head coach.

CityNews asked some Edmontonians who was who by showing them a photo of Ziprick.

“Kris Knoblauch. Oh no I’ve seen this. That’s the pastor. They’re identical, yeah. If I saw him walking down the street, I would think that was him,” said one Edmontonian.

Ziprick is a pastor at Sherwood Park’s Bethel Lutheran Church, but that’s not what strangers often recognize him for.

“She said I’m a big fan of yours. I thought oh she must heard my sermon on Sunday. That wasn’t the case,” said Ziprick.

“I was buying some tables and they’re on my cart and I was pushing the cart, they slipped off the cart and a stranger started helping me load the table back on the cart. He looked up and he saw my eyes. He said Kris Knoblauch, cool!”

Ziprick said his life has changed just over 18 months ago when the Edmonton Oilers hired Kris Knoblach as their head coach. He tells CityNews it has been a blessing, especially during the Oilers playoff run.

“I want Kris to know how much people appreciate him and like him, because people seem to like me because I look like Kris. I’m gonna ride the wave, I guess,” said Ziprick.

Walking outside Rogers Place Tuesday before Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday, some fans thought they were looking at Knoblauch himself.

“They do look a lot a like actually. I would say like they’re like 85 per cent,” said one Oilers fan.

One mother adding, “I think he looks like Kris Knoblauch, but I’ve seen this on social media. He’s a pastor and he’s been mistaken for.”

Ziprick is an Oilers fan himself, says he hopes one day he’ll be able to meet the real Kris Knoblauch and thank him for being a great coach.

“The further the Oilers go, the more regular and more often this happens.”