- Boxcars: 76gp, 9-9-18
- Shots: 143
- Plus Minus: -18
- Corsi (Rel): -15.9 (13th among F's)
- GF/GA ON: 23-44
- 5x5/60: 0.86 (13th among F's)
- 5x4/60: 3.75 (5th among F's)
- Quality of Competition: 2nd toughest among F's
- Quality of Teammates: 8th best among F's
- FO %: 41.2% in 17 FO's
- Offensive Zone Start FO %: 45.3% (toughest among F's)
- Cap Hit: $2,000,000
- What do these numbers tell us? Well he struggled but (along with Horcoff and Pisani) faced the tough music and Moreau stood alone with the worst zone start (Hemsky's ZS's were worse but he didn't play enough games to qualify). Moreau didn't perform well at all and he may indeed be done. But I do think you can make a case that all of these guys have been tarred with the same brush and the fact is that no one looks good in a season this bad (except for Penner, giving us an idea about just how incredible he was this season).
- How could these numbers be better? If the Oilers could have placed him in a less challenging spot maybe things would have been different. In fairness, they did try (if I recall correctly) with JFJ and Stone both playing on more prominent lines than Moreau. In the end it didn't work out.
- What about that eye injury? I've maintained that Moreau hasn't been the same player since that very scary eye injury in 08-09. He still has good straightaway speed but the man has suffered some injuries (leg, shoulder) over the years and the aging process is also taking a toll.
- Will he be back? I don't think so. Tambellini appears to be ridding himself of all old timey things, and Moreau dates back to 1999 with this club. They may trade him, buy him out and it is also possible that they send him to AAA.
- What about all those crazy quotes? At some point this season Moreau seems to have gone "opposite George" in regard to being captain of a hockey team. His quotes to the media have bordered on treason, or at least subterfuge. One day they'll have classes devoted to the 2009-10 Ethan Moreau quotes. They were truly astounding.
- How important is Moreau to the organization? Important enough to be treated with respect right up to and including the period when the firing squad does its business.
By the Numbers
- 07-08 5x5 per 60m: 1.21
- 08-09 5x5 per 60m: 1.50
- 09-10 5x5 per 60m: 0.86
Performance in 2009-10: 76gp, 9-9-18 (237)
Projected Role in 2009-10: Earning $2 million dollars
Can anyone name their favorite Ethan Moreau quotes of '09/10? I feel like I'm missing out on some nuggets that are out there.
ReplyDeleteMy fave:
"I don't have a no-trade clause," said Moreau, who has another year left on his contract at $2 million US, which might be problematic to some teams. Most teams rent players at the deadline when their contracts are running out.
But Moreau, the 12th captain in Oilers history, doesn't believe his situation will scare off teams.
"I don't see that. For some teams it might be a bonus because they can get me for next year, too," he said.
Projected Role in 2009-10: Earning $2 million dollars
ReplyDeletei snorted
EARNING $2 million dollars?
ReplyDeleteMore like "getting paid $2 million dollars".
HBomb: I think Ethan would say he's earning it. :-)
ReplyDeleteEthan would also say he's expecting 29 teams to be lining up to trade for his services at the draft.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame things worked out the way they did. At one time, the things said about Pisani being a hard-working, dependable soldier for the team applied to Moreau as well. It seems like he just went crazy and turned into an entitled, self-important asshole. It's unfortunate but what's done is done and now it's time for him to move on.
ReplyDelete"How important is Moreau to the organization? Important enough to be treated with respect right up to and including the period when the firing squad does its business."
ReplyDeleteThat wraps it up right there. Ethan was a good soldier, but his time has come.
i won't be heartbroken to see Moreau AND Pisani both gone! it's good to see management appears serious about housecleaning.
ReplyDeleteplease, no sentimental signings. stay the course and let's rid ourselves of the rest of the leftover players from the '06 stanley cup run.
At this point, I kind of expect Sutter to take Moreau off your hands too. "For his leadership abilities" or some such nonsense.
ReplyDeleteAll signs point to Moreau being sent on his way, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him finish out his contract and return as captain for his final year. Tambellini talked a big game last year and delivered on nothing. Talk is cheap, and I'll believe it when I see it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame things worked out the way they did. At one time, the things said about Pisani being a hard-working, dependable soldier for the team applied to Moreau as well.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree. With the comments from Souray and other tidbits over the last few years I wonder if Ethan saw himself the 'defender of the Oiler Faith' but had adopted some weird and perverted interpretation of 'what it means to be an Oiler'. Things like the Rookie dinner which was once a fun tradition became an onerous cult-like observance.
I am not saying that under Ethan Moreau's leadership the Oilers have become a cult. I'm just posing the question (Fox news style).
But Moreau, the 12th captain in Oilers history, doesn't believe his situation will scare off teams.
ReplyDeleteTotal aside, but this bugs me. He's the 15th captain in Oilers history. Everyone leaves Al Hamilton, Glen Sather, and Paul Shmyr out of the equation, including the club itself.
Hands down the worst captain in Oilers history.
ReplyDeleteSelf entitled asshole from hell, who in the old NHL wouldn't have made it out of the minors.
This prat has to go, asa fucking P.
You have to be forgetting Corson.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen a non-goon forward with less hockey sense and vision in the offensive zone. Ethan seemed determined to penetrate the zone and carry the puck. He could be very effective with his compete level and speed if he would chip and forecheck. Instead his patent move seems to be one step over the blue line and fire a wrist shot at the net.
ReplyDeleteI think that a bit of his play on ice gets pushed onto his personality. I agree that some of his quotes have been questionable, but he seems to be well liked amongst the veterans and respected around the league (King Clancy last year). He is a great worker in the community. I just don't like piling on and assuming someone is an asshole based on some media quotes and 2nd hand observations.
That being said, Steve, please get this guy away from this team
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ReplyDeleteTotal aside, but this bugs me. He's the 15th captain in Oilers history. Everyone leaves Al Hamilton, Glen Sather, and Paul Shmyr out of the equation, including the club itself.
ReplyDeleteUnless they can merchandise it, the NHL would like to pretend the WHA never existed and prefers that the surviving teams do the same.
I liked it better when Ethan Rifles used to be known as Chopper.
ReplyDelete*****
Ethan: "Chopper...Chopper...Now, that's a name I've not heard in a long time...a long time."
Eberle: "I think Lowetide knows him. He said he was dead."
Ethan: "Oh, he's not dead – at least, not yet."
Eberle: "You know him?"
Ethan: "Of course I know him...he's me. I haven't gone by the name Chopper since, oh, since before you were drafted."
I think I would have called this one "Shattered."
ReplyDeleteOf all the injuries, I'd speculate it was the eye injury that did him in as an NHLer. It was when he came back from that that his 5X5 play deteriorated so much.
He seems to have trouble tracking puck in tight to his body.
I see you pointed out the eye injury, LT.
ReplyDeleteHe was having trouble killing penalties before then, but was still a force, now and then, driving the puck to the net 5X5 before that injury, and now that part of his game is gone.
As for quality of competition/teammates/zonestarts, whatever job was handed to Moreau last season, even offensive zone faceoffs with strong linemates against weak opponenets, he was unable to perform.
Funny, just read a story from November of 2005, Jim Matheson saying that Moreau deserved to be on the 2006 Canadian Olympic team in Turin. I remember what a force Moreau was in the fall of 2006 and remember agreeing with Matty's sentiment. In his day, at his peak, thecaptainethanmoreau was a force.
Unless they can merchandise it, the NHL would like to pretend the WHA never existed and prefers that the surviving team do the same.
ReplyDeleteDTS: Fixed that for ya.
I can't tell you how much it pisses me off that the Oilers pretend to ignore their WHA roots. It's indefensible as far as I'm concerned.
Unless they can merchandise it, the NHL would like to pretend the WHA never existed and prefers that the surviving teams do the same.
ReplyDeleteOk, so if they're going to do this, how about they retroactively send Gretzky the 1980 Calder trophy? Since the WHA never existed, he never played pro hockey before that season, right?
Bruce: I'm surprised there hasn't been a campaign spear-headed by the Oil to get Wild Bill Hunter into the Hall of Fame. The existence of the WHA, NHL old-schoolers like it or not, was a damn important piece of hockey history, and he as as big a part of it as anyone out there.
I include the relocated teams in that statement, since they never folded and the NHL considers the franchise to be a continuation of its previous location. I prefer the CFL's way of looking at it but whatever. It also bugs me that the WHA is disregarded so thoroughly, some great players and teams from that time don't get the respect and reverence that they deserve. Something I've wondered though, do the Coyotes get a cut of the money I spent on my Jets merch or does that all go to the league?
ReplyDeleteI rip on Moreau as much as anyone, but I have to remind myself that he was an integral part of some of the good teams here in the early part of the century, and and that charities here will miss his dedication and effort. Having said all this, even though he might have some left in his tank and could be a good player for the right team, he needs to move on like MacT did last year, if only for his own sanity's sake.
ReplyDeleteI wish him well wherever he goes. Just as long as it is not here.
Total aside, but this bugs me. He's the 15th captain in Oilers history. Everyone leaves Al Hamilton, Glen Sather, and Paul Shmyr out of the equation, including the club itself.
ReplyDeleteKind of like calling Dale Hawerchuk a former captain of the Coyotes really. Same franchise, right?
What eye candy are we supposed to gawk at if Moreau, Souray and Cogliano are all gone next season? I don't think anyone is going to want to see Penner, Horcoff and Stortini strutting around in the buff. It would be like looking at the Captain America speedo picture all over again.
ReplyDeleteDTS: We're on the same page here, I'm just splitting hairs. It pained me to see the other three WHA "survivors" all head south on Gary Bettman's watch, and the Oilers were a ****-hair away from meeting the same fate. The franchises may still exist, but other than Edmonton the WHA cities are out of the loop. Unlike failed NHL expansion cities in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Denver, and Atlanta, none of them got a sniff of a second chance.
ReplyDeleteThe existence of the WHA, NHL old-schoolers like it or not, was a damn important piece of hockey history, and he as as big a part of it as anyone out there.
Agreed, HBomb. Those were wild and woolly times, one of the more interesting periods in the game's history. The WHA introduced many new hockey markets including a healthy Canadian contingent, and opened its doors to several emerging talent pools including Europe, college hockey, and "underage" juniors. The Rebel League contributed greatly to the modernization of the game.
"The C stand for Chopper"
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have to be the Oilers who spearhead a campaign. Fan have spearheaded MLB campaigns (Tim Raines and Bert Blyleven) and the HHOF has a lot fewer voters.
ReplyDelete"We sell out every night, so no complaints as long as we continue to do that,"
ReplyDeletewe need a captain, not an accountant.
Kind of like calling Dale Hawerchuk a former captain of the Coyotes really. Same franchise, right?
ReplyDeleteI wore my Hawerchuck jersey for four Coyotes games this year... and there were more than a few in the stands. Plus his retired number hanging in the rafters. Coyotes totally acknowledge and embrace their Winnipeg heritage (see: whiteout), even if the league doesn't.
It pained me to see the other three WHA "survivors" all head south on Gary Bettman's watch, and the Oilers were a ****-hair away from meeting the same fate.
ReplyDeleteBruce, I think if you were to use the term "Burrows-hair" or "Kesler-hair" rather than the four asterisk arrangement you chose to utilize, you'd get the same effect, but with far more humorous impact.
Adios EMO. It's been a painful last 2-3 years watching you dissolve the way you have.
ReplyDeleteEMO has to go right along with a few others. You cannot build team culture/chemistry unless you start from the ground up. The ground being the draft and IF you're very lucky it's also a few trades if you can aquire younger assets who haven't been tainted by playing elsewhere for extended periods. Edmonton is destination HELL in the NHL for all but a select few players. I cannot for the life of me think of a worse NHL city to live in for a number of reasons.
Clean sweep this mess or at least the so-called leadership providing portion, and start anew. I'll take a vet in the midst of his NHL death throes over the self entitlement types this management team has been spinning there wheels with the past few years.
Change the culture. Breed it into your kids. Build through the draft and the odd trade (eg Whitney) and ffs forget about pipe dreams of making the playoffs for 2 - 3 years.
How is it that Moreau faced tougher comp than someone like Penner?
ReplyDeletePenner had to play against the Pronger's of the world and most likely some pretty strong forwards too.
Also, if Pat Quinn just rolls 4 lines and lets the other coach dictate who plays who and Shawn Horcoff had to face Everest every night what does that tell us.
Apparently opposing coaches look to match their top players against Horcoff because they know they will come out on top.
I love how Traktor can spin any topic into bashing Horcoff.
ReplyDeleteSkill or obsession?
Traktor, I know being a fucking idiot is your M.O., but if you are going to make a point at least use a player who the Oilers played more than 1 fucking time this season.
ReplyDeletewell said derrick!! change the culture, and, for me anyway, get rid of as many of the old guard players as you can.
ReplyDeleteEberle: "I think Lowetide knows him. He said he was dead."
ReplyDeleteSo, when can we expect the MSM to show up and shoot LT on orders from Darth Lowebellini?
As for Ethan... Thank you, and goodnight.
I remember his first game vs the Dys on HNIC and his instant chem with Rosey and Marchant and fuck did I ever love and root for the guy.
ReplyDeleteOf all the reasons not to like him - salary and ineffective play being seemingly at the top of the list - I finally turned on him because of his quotes.
Sometimes I wondered if he was just taking a piss with some of his soundbites because there's no way a guy could be that unaware of reality: it was like a baseball player looking at his batting stats and saying it must have been someone else wearing his uniform.
I can't remember the particulars now but didn't he have a quote heading into the deadline where he thought he'd be more valuable Because he had an extra year left on his contract only to state after the deadline that he probably wasn't moved because of that extra year?
Dennis:
ReplyDeleteHe thought other teams would see it as a bonus :-).
Moreau would make a helluva Flame.
ReplyDeleteGet er done, Tambellini.
Hunter: Moreau would make a helluva Flame.
ReplyDeleteGet er done, Tambellini.
Might not be all that far fetched. EMO and Staios being best buddies and all. EMO for his salary vs Higgins for his is a wash. Higgins might even be deeper inside the trashpile.
Isn't Higgins a UFA? I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteDennis - yeah that quote was the best, its at the top of the thread.
DTS:
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing somewhere that the former owner of the Jets, Barry Shenkarow, still owns the logo trademark. It was done specifically in hopes of the franchise or a franchise returning. I'm sure the NHL gets a cut but I'm pretty sure Shenkarow gets most of it. Shrewd move if that is indeed the case.
Why does there persist this Oilogosphere myth that Quinn didn't match lines? Is is just coincidence that Pisani, Horcoff and Moreau finished 1-2-3 on the entire team in QualComp (with the only positive values among Fs on the team), and also 1-2-3 among Fs in RelCorsi QC?
ReplyDeleteTo my eye that trio drew the tough assignments in most games from mid-January when they got put together as a line, through the end of the season. Not just by eye; I frequently reviewed match-ups for my post-game threads, and other than a few games that got out of hand early where Quinn just rolled 'em, there were an awful lot of games where those guys drew the first toughs from the other guys.
Isn't Higgins a UFA? I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteYes he is. All the more reason to dump one piece of trash for another. Moreau comes cheaper too in all likelihood. Hard as it is to believe lot's of Flames fans would like to see Higgins re-signed. That is amazing....but maybe not considering.
Trade Moreau for the rights to a ufa, lol.
ReplyDeleteBruce, Quinn didn't early on. IIRC, he started to try and line match around January, and really stuck to it when he put 18-10-34 together (and they got shelled).
ReplyDeleteHe went to a traditional mid-90's checking line, but didn't have the horses on that line or outside that line to make a lick of difference.
That Moreau quote was a beauty.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Moreau comment was after a loss Moreau gets interviewed in the hallway after the game.
He says something like "If the guys can get some powerplay goals we could get some wins"
The power play was 1-3 that night and the PK let in 2 out of 3 with cappy on the ice for both of them in a 1 goal loss.
Can't recall, but was there a quote of note from that Cap after he threw that infamous blind pass that helped lose that game to Calgary early on in the year?
ReplyDeleteSeems like the situation begged for a beauty.
I think even Quinn himself said that he matched lines at home but wasn't so worried about it on the road.
ReplyDeleteis that correct?
I remember my favorite quote and the moment I thought Moreau was the shittiest captain in the league...oddly it was before he was even named captain. The day of the Jason Smith trade I remember watching some clips on the Oiler website of player reaction. They asked him his thoughts on the deal the first two words out of his mouth were: "Terrible trade". He then went on to say glowing things about his buddy Jason Smith, and didn't mention one thing about the players coming back.
ReplyDeleteFucking great. Points for honesty, asshole, but in one fell swoop he:
1) Criticized his GM in public because he traded his bud
2) Made Joni Pitkanen feel REAL fucking welcome here
3) Showed everyone what an emotional, loose cannon he was...that players (his guys) came before the team.
Remember, shortly after arriving from Chicago both Lowe and MacT both raved about him as "future captain material". He knew he was a leader on this team before he worse the C, and had to know he was in line for the job after Gator left. At a tough time when a Captain should have stepped up and held the group together and said the right things it was "me first", as always. How the trade made HIM feel. You know what Doug Weight would have said? Something along the lines of "We're sorry to see Gator go, we'll miss him, but it's part of the game. We're getting a good player back in Joni and we're gonna do our best to welcome him to the Oiler family."
I've been an Oiler fan since 1981...seen 'em all. I'll say this, at least Shayne Corson had an excuse. He was just batshit crazy.
I think even Quinn himself said that he matched lines at home but wasn't so worried about it on the road.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I remember it. It's such a bizarre statement.
Dennis:
ReplyDeleteQuinn did say down the stretch that he was matching lines at home but not really on the road.
Pre-season, he talked about trying to use a shutdown D-pairing plus maybe a specific center as opposed to an entire line.
I remember the reaction at the time being one of concern as to how Quinn might run his bench. I also remember looking at the QualComp numbers mid season, seeing a chasm between Horcoff and every other forward who had played significant minutes/games, and not being one lick surprised.
Quinn's "let it roll" philosophy was my major quibble with the job the guy did this year - that stuff works when coaching a veteran-laden team or perhaps a Team Canada at the World Juniors, but it sure as hell doesn't work on a team like the Oilers, where the roster has an abundance of guys still trying to cut their teeth at the NHL level.
If the day comes that Quinn walks away and the Oil hire Hitchcock (not-so-far-fetched idea, in my mind), Lowetide's choice of song for the post title will be easy: Gimme Shelter. Lord knows Hitch would line match like a mofo and put the Eberles of the world in a position where they wouldn't drown and could potentially even contribute sooner rather than later, leaving the Lupuls of the world singing "Killing me Softly".
Hard as it is to believe lot's of Flames fans would like to see Higgins re-signed. That is amazing....but maybe not considering.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit is it ever fucking obvious that you don't watch the game of hockey with a keen eye.
R O said "Holy shit is it ever fucking obvious that you don't watch the game of hockey with a keen eye."
ReplyDeleteOr a drunken one like yourself maybe? Higgins is a nice hockey player now? Guys a bum.
hunter1909 said...
ReplyDeleteTrade Moreau for the rights to a ufa, lol
I don't recall saying it would happen as a trade. Only that the Flames could reunite the Tweedledee and Tweedledum combo, getting rid of a bum in the process. I don't care if Tambellini "sells" EMO to the flames for a waxed 96" lace to be honest.
What if the only thing we could trade Moreau for was Staios?
ReplyDeleteLine matching will happen whether you want it or not, when you only have one choice to send out for a defensive zone faceoff, down in the game, and the other guy is throwing the Sedins over the boards.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, from Game 1, whether he admitted it or not, Quinn shortened his bench in the third periods.
ReplyDeleteTotally off-topic, but does anyone have the slightest clue where Kovalchuk might land this summer?
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any obvious fits.
What if the only thing we could trade Moreau for was Staios?
ReplyDeleteThen I say make it happen. If the choice is Moreau or Staios, at this point there is no choice.
Kovalchuck? Of course Tambellini thinks(with instructiuons from above) that he will be signing the Russian - all part of the "Mikhnov" strategy heavily rumoured on the 105th ave bridge.
ReplyDeleteGod, don't trade for Higgins. A new fresh whipping boy.
ReplyDeleteI never seen a more yellow player than this on the Habs. Never, ever, and it's not like it's a physical team. Even Nilsson and O'sullivan look tough beside him.
Kovy...
ReplyDeleteLA, Toronto, NJD, MTL seem like the 4 most likely destinations as to wanting him and having the room to add him.
PDO: We don't have money. We have to resign a bunch of guys including Halak and Plekanec.
ReplyDeleteTough if we don't resign Plekanec, and somehow get rid of Spacek or Hamrlik, it's doable.
If Kovy wants to win, you'd think that LA and NJ are the two logical choices
ReplyDeleteWoodguy: We ain't that bad D=. I mean we are pushing it to the limit vs WSH. While NJ couldn't score on Brian Boucher.
ReplyDeleteOn Kovalchuk: I'm looking at St. Louis and Colorado as two possible destinations.
ReplyDeleteThe Blues have the Kariya cap hit coming off the books, and Colorado has money to play with and could pair Kovalchuk with Stastny or Duchene.
The Detroit defensive game is based on interference and holding, and those fuckers get away with everything.
ReplyDeleteThe Pens need to get some wingers for Sid. If they were smart they should look at dealing Malkin and Fleury, but I wonder if Hemsky for J. Staal is doable?
ReplyDeleteAlso Moreau was born to wear that flaming C. :)
If they were smart they should look at dealing Malkin and Fleury, but I wonder if Hemsky for J. Staal is doable?
ReplyDeleteIf they were smart? Their currently approach of playing 3C and 1G with an excellent 3rd line (Kennedy & Cooke on the wings) seems to be working so far. But then again all that model has accomplished so far is 2 trips to the finals in the last 2 years and Cup win. Yep, I can see how they'd want to trade Fleury or Malkin now if they were smart =).
I would like to exchange links with your site lowetide.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIs this possible?