Here's hoping the Oilers win the lottery, grab Sean Couturier and fix the blue. And the penalty-kill, plus the injury problem and the Souray thingy.
--
I have many friends who are Flames fans. I don't remember a time when they've been quieter. If I need to talk about the weather, football, women, demon liquor, whatever, those Flames fans are available.
Not so much on the hockey. It's a dreary time, kind of like being 20 minutes into Citizen Kane and wondering why all your friends didn't warn you.
Still, the Flames should win the day on HNIC tonight. They are a veteran team that boasts some actual NHL players. I'll be interested in watching them tonight in a new way: which of the Flames players would a contending team trade for at the deadline? Would Washington take a chance on Kipper? What about Regehr, does he have any in the tank? And what kind of payback could Feaster get for Iginla? I've never watched the Flames in that way, or at least if I have it's long forgotten. It'll be fun.
--
The Oilers 5x5/60 point production among forwards is an interesting item this season. Here's the top 12:
- Hemsky 2.58
- Penner 2.06
- Jones 2.00
- Gagner 1.79
- Eberle 1.78
- Horcoff 1.72
- Hall 1.70
- Pääjärvi 1.51
- Cogliano 1.30
- Stortini 1.04
- Brule 0.80
- Fraser 0.67
Let's compare that top 12 list with the one from 09-10:
- Hemsky 2.85
- Penner 2.40
- Brule 2.36
- Pouliot 2.06
- Potulny 1.60
- Gagner 1.56
- Stone 1.54
- Nilsson 1.49
- Comrie 1.40
- Cogliano 1.39
- Horcoff 1.37
- O'Sullivan 1.29
--
Tom Gilbert didn't practice yesterday afternoon with the rest of the team. The post below worried over his health for tonight's game and damned if there isn't something. Tom Renney suggested on the Oilers website that it was just a maintenance day to look after some nagging problems. He also suggested the team felt good enough about resting Gilbert in OT because the other blue being on a roll. The story is here. A small counter argument to Renney's words: there's no chance an NHL coach is going to sit a rested, healthy Gilbert and send out Strudwick in his place. No chance.
--
Trades are beginning to happen in the NHL. The other 29 teams have had time to evaluate their needs and are now making moves to address them. The Oilers management group doesn't believe in that kind of thing, making huge gestures to the team and fanbase in terms of trying to improve the club. No sir. They liked this group at the beginning of the year and they like them now. Meanwhile, Colin Fraser hasn't been doing his chores since October, Jason Strudwick scored the bizarro goal of the year (on himself) and the faceoff circle is where the Oilers go to die. The penalty kill? I don't want to talk about it.
The Oilers have been doing this for years, certainly since Kevin Lowe arrived as GM. Begin the season out of balance, wait until it is painfully obvious where the problem lies, and then wait another month. Or more. It's like Jigglypuff puts the management to sleep during the season. PK. FO. Veteran 2-way center (RH), veteran 2-way W (the new Pisani) and another veteran hand (who can skate) for the blue.
It looks to me like the Habs decided Max Pacioretty was ready and that agitator Maxim :Lapierre was the odd man out. It appears as though they talked to their evaluation people, identified a kid they liked and made a deal with Anaheim. It can happen during the season, the ANA-MTL trade is proof.
Maybe the phone doesn't work.
Holes on the roster. Where have we heard that before?
ReplyDeleteWill V4.0 might hit the phones? Probably not...
This Oilers team doesn't want to mess up it's chemistry.
ReplyDeleteclearly the most aggravating thing about the il is the blinders when it comes to our own players. Renney thinks Cogs can be that third line centre???? Really. Strudwick is a great leader and can't be cut? Kills me when they miss obvious things, like especially the whole 3rd line PK/faceoff winning centre we have lacked for 3 years.
ReplyDeleteIsn't reinprecht on waivers? would he fit the bill of a vet who can fill those needs. Yes we are tanking without 2 of our top players, but a long month of losses will hurt a lot I think when it comes to the psyche of the team.
add a vet, play Belle and Dubnyk. see what we have and hope they get better. But add those vets to solidify the team mentally. Hell, go get Reasoner. He is unfortunately exactly we need right now. sigh.
What a disaster on the blueline.
ReplyDeleteOn Whitney, to rehash an old controversy, this is what I wrote about the trade for him on March 4:
"Ryan Whitney is a terrible acquisition. I almost would have rather seen anyone but him come to this team. He was a highly touted draft pick with some great young years in Pit, but it all fell apart after foot surgery. Foot surgery/problems are not like knee or shoulder surgery/problems. The problem he has in his foot is not easily "fixed" with a knife. You can realign things all you want, but it doesn't change the underlying problem. I suspect he is playing in a lot of pain. A player's willingness to play through pain is directly correlated to the quality of the team. Once the Oil is clearly in the shitter next year, he will not want to play with the pain he has. I would guess that he doesn't make it to game 41 next year before putting himself on the IR. I am certain he won't play to the end of his contract. Damaged goods."
While I admit to being suprised by Whitney's performance from about game 10 to game 34 this year, this trade still irritates me. I don't think anyone in the league would have touched Whitney with his foot/ankle problems and surgical history. He arrives here and immediately needs surgery in the offseason. He's clearly much slower than when he started his career, and still only in his mid-20's. Usually veterans slow down in their mid 30's. While he does compensate for his decreased mobility with excellent positioning and intelligent decisions, this cannot go on forever.
He is probably seeing the foot/ankle surgeon next week to see if there is any way to salvage his career, at least until his retirement contract. Maybe another surgery. Now or in the offseason will be the question. We could have received very good return on Lubo. I am usually quick to defend Tambellini/Lowe, but this was a last minute trade at the deadline, and I think the Oiler brass was under pressure to *do something*, but failed to do proper due diligence. If we wanted to give them a bargain, why not just take their first overall and 5-6 million in bad salary back? Then we'd be looking at Cam Fowler and Taylor Hall in Oilers silk. Bob Murray gets the last laugh after all.
I hope they learned their lesson for this year's trade deadline when one of Penner or Hemsky are on the block. That's the time to get the first round draft pick, not draft day.
Be damned if I'm going to watch a perfectly good rebuild ruined by dreadful trading of the few actual NHL players we possess.
Oh and Happy New Year.
Personally, I'm excited to see what happens when they put Steve Tambellini in the GM role. The decisions will fall like rain.
ReplyDeleteRaining frogs maybe, but still raining.
DBO: Just to play devil's advocate for a minute - what would you expect them to say in public about the player's they have?
ReplyDeleteWe saw last year how OTC constant ripping of the team in public drove the team into 2 camps (youth versus the vets).
Truly, if you're trying to unload them, you can't tear them down in public. At the same time, you can't con a bunch of con artists (GM's) either.
Agree with the overall that this is a team w/lot's of holes that still have not been adequately addressed...holes that have existed for a couple of years. The 3.0 PR machine made an effort to sign Malhotra and was sure to feed that to the fan base, but has done nothing since to EFFECTIVELY address the weakness there or on the blue.
When we sink to 29th with the absence of Whitney, I think the pressure will build on this management group. And as LT has said, while the kids future is guaranteed, I don't think 3.0's is and that should be remembered.
I was concerned about Whitney not being good enough, but there were a lot of people worried about his foot problems too. It turns out the latter is a much bigger issue. Do we have any info on his injury? Is it related to his chronic stuff or not?
ReplyDeleteInjuries = Management's excuse since 06.
ReplyDeleteGet a few injuries...Relief!
When you contunually employ flawed players your going to get offered crap for them.
whitney's foot injury had nothing to do with past stuff, he hit a rut in the ice. at least that is how they described it, and I think LT mentioned that is where the injury happened, same spot as vandermeer on the ice.
ReplyDeleteAnd i realize they have to say nice things, but you can still make moves to address it. saying nice things then not making the needed changes is hurting this team. or put another way, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
He also suggested the team felt good enough about resting Gilbert in OT because the other blue being on a roll.
ReplyDeleteStill take his pronouncements about 13 at face value?
Renney is the anti-OTC. I doubt anything gets said publically that isn't "on message"
No first pass = no neutral zone speed
No neutral zone speed = less offense from the Oilers.
This one could get ugly, but the Flames aren't good enough to make it ugly.
If 77 plays and 43 sits, they have a chance.
A dinged up 77 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 43
Go Oilers!
*clap,clap*
Steven Reinprecht and his 52% faceoff wins is on the waiver wire. Old? yes. Expensive? A bit. Useful and an upgrade to all of this teams supposed centers?definitely.
ReplyDeleteThe Whitney injury thing is obvioussly a bit of a concern, but at this point there is no sense jumping off a bridge in panic about the sky falling. This doesn't appear to be related to his feet, but rather it is much more similar to what happened to Vandermeer's ankle. If the team is committed to another tank job, give the best player on the team a bit of time to heal. Until he see's the specialist, there is no point in running for the hills screaming about acquiring damaged goods. The negative energy surrounding the team on the blogosphere is one of the main reasons I post so infrequently now. The team is bad, but there's a lot of great things happening underneath all of the shit. No need to start yet another year in crisis mode.
Oh, yeah, Happy holidays to you and yours LT, and to all of the readers and regulars around these parts. I may not be as regular around here as I was a few years ago, but this place is still required daily reading.
ReplyDeleteAlso,
ReplyDeleteNo use wringing your hands hoping they add useful pieces this year.
The flotsam v3.0 added to the roster this summer spoke volumes of the expectations and goals in terms of in season success.
Low and none.
Unfortunately 26 and 16 are on 2 year deals, I hope he can move them at the deadline or in the summer.
v3.0 got rid of the first set of obvious problems, I guess he needed another year of EVALUATION and another lottery pick before making tougher decisions like what 5,13,67 present, and the toughest decisions regarding 83,27.
The cavalry is coming, but its in the form of MBS on June 24/25 in Minnesota.
Next summer is crucial one, I think that they think they are on pace for what they expected this year.
They are probably actually thrilled that the kids progress so well while a lottery pick is all but certain.
Yeah, it's true...no cavalry coming up behind the ridge. I threw the Reinprecht idea out because it's so good that it's exactly what the (mis)management team won't do, despite the cap space available. The lack of roster room being eaten by 22 and 33 is a total handcuff, but, well, we all know this story.
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to return to peacefully watching games, cheering when they win, laughing when they lose, and occasionally writing about it from time to time.
I just hope that despite the odds, this team can start the new year on a winning note. There's truly nothing I loath more than losing to the flames.
"They are probably actually thrilled that the kids progress so well while a lottery pick is all but certain."
ReplyDeleteSure they could be icing a 'better' team, and they might even be several points in the standings better for it.
Here's hoping they get one of the top 2, either Larsson or that french kid.
Next season all bets are off: It's time to either start putting out a semblance of a real hockey team or else get new management. I wouldn't put it past crafty Katz to be thinking along these lines.
Paajarvi's doing pretty well considering the dregs he seems to play with.
ReplyDeleteI share your frustration with Toonces 'evaluation' style.
Let the countdown to Couturier begin. T minus 46 games...
Looking back, am I the only one who wouldn't mind seeing Potulny here as a stop gap at center?
@Shepso,
ReplyDeleteI just love it when people toss around Reinprecht's name...
He's the only player in the NHL who I actually played against or with in Bantaam.
No worries, I'll remind everyone any time someone mentions his name. :P
Reinprecht was the best player in the league and played on an opposing team. Knights of Columbus if I remember correctly. I played on South Side Athletic club or whatever
I vividly remember him because I played d and took pride in shutting him down. Ah the good old days...
Willis has an interesting take on Jones in Oilers Nation today.
ReplyDeleteAlso, aren't things going along with the plan? Tank for two years & get two lottery picks to build around? People here seem to fret every little thing. Tambellini is who we expected him to be - a good lottery pick gm. Katz finds another gm next year or year after who knows how to execute a proper game plan. I'll say one thing, beats being a flames fan. There's no hope there.
Bad Seed: If this was a management group that we could count on in summer then I'm all for it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they have had these holes for a long time and nothing gets done.
IF the Oilers went out today and acquired a solid bet for the 3line center job, would it make a huge difference in points? Unlikely.
However, it would give the team one less hole to fill in summer. Getting better doesn't take a holiday, unless you're in Oilers management.
LT: I hope Katz is smart enough to understand that management here is the weak link & he does something about it. Surely he's smart enough to see it. I hope his friendship with Combover McGee doesn't cloud his vision.
ReplyDeleteNext season all bets are off: It's time to either start putting out a semblance of a real hockey team or else get new management. I wouldn't put it past crafty Katz to be thinking along these lines.
ReplyDeleteI pray this to be true, in MBS' name, Amen.
IF the Oilers went out today and acquired a solid bet for the 3line center job, would it make a huge difference in points? Unlikely.
Good point about getting better not taking a holiday.
Question is, when are the pieces available to improve the club?
I would guess that most useful pieces are fully employed and needed by teams at this time of year, since they are useful.
If something becomes available, I hope they grab it, but I think it might be easier to get a decent piece when the games aren't being played.
Not impossible to get better now, but tougher for sure.
Tencer tweeting that 91 might be HS tonight.
ReplyDeleteAlso said that 43 is in and Belle sits, so 77 is playing.
27-13-83
4-89-14
28-42-67
22-16-46
That's probably the worst bottom two line in the NHL.
I'm okay with MPS watching from above, probably a good idea at this point.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about the callup of Belle. Why bother if you're not going to play the man?
Has to be an injury concern.
I do wonder about the callup of Belle. Why bother if you're not going to play the man?
ReplyDeleteHas to be an injury concern.
I would bet 77 is a game time decision.
43 sat while Belle played earlier in the season.
Would be perfectly fine if not giddy with glee if 43 sat while both Belle and 58 played.
The one wish I had for the new year was not to be subjected to lot's of 43.
ReplyDeleteSo much for a new start.
Reinprecht has one more year left on that deal, otherwise he would be a good pickup as a depth centre/FO specialist. But $2M for a guy that now struggles to be a plus player and would be on the 4th line with a healthy Horc... I don't think I could pull the trigger on that deal. If he was UFA at season end and could be re-signed cheap... then different story.
ReplyDelete"It's a dreary time, kind of like being 20 minutes into Citizen Kane and wondering why all your friends didn't warn you."
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. The best line in the history of this blog.
Happy New Year and thanks for the daily window into the hometown psyche.
Citizen Kane is arguably the greatest movie ever made.
ReplyDeleteStunningly, hunter, most people don't go to the movies to be intellectually engaged like a Faulkner or Tolstoy short story. They prefer to watch the equivalent of Mickey Spillane or Sidney Sheldon dime store novels with thrills, spills and chills.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love reading this website. LT, every post is thoughtful and well written and the banter between people posting comments is something that really does get me through my days a little easier but "ashley" really does ruin that a lot of days. Just negative comment after negative comment and the worst part is they aren't even insightful. I don't know how many times you have written Whitney is slow and doesn't move well. Do you watch the games? He was our best defenseman and if you ever went to a game
ReplyDeleteBut his skating is probably his best attribute along with passing. Especially for his size. Can you think of one time he was beaten wide this year? He is very smooth and moves efficiently. It is just further proof that in my
Opinion you really do have no clue what you are talking about.
Against teams with great faceoff men, why do we try to win them? I'm serious. If we started playing for thebother team to win them and all the players instead of reacting just planned on skating straight to their check, might we have more success?
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a shot.
The NYI roll into town Thursday. That game could be for 29th.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the Oil are trying to build some value for 43. He would be decent depth for a team looking for a #6/7 to cover off for injury.
Ducey...
ReplyDeleteI already have that one marked on the calendar as need-to-lose night.
I really don't see the need to be adding anything right now other than draft picks and clearing salary. No one useful is going to be traded at the deadline.
It's time to get down to serious business and lose.
Except against the fucking Flames.
1. Ashley, word is that Whitney's ankle injury has nothing to do with his foot problems. Of course, that could be spin, but I see absolutely no reason to believe that it is.
ReplyDelete2. I'm not a particular fan of "highbrow" cinema (I'm on record as believing that The Naked Gun is the finest movie ever made, and I pretty much am to movies as this guy is to music), but I liked Citizen Kane.
Also, LT, I have to ask: is it part of your contract with ON that you have to put a positive spin on things? Because it's not that what you write there is wrong, per se, it's just that it persistently emphasizes the positive. I see commenters respond to your posts with stuff like "Great article, LT, and you're absolutely right: the future is definitely going to be awesome!" Which, of course, isn't really your view (at least, I don't think it is, based on the sum total of your writing), but I can see how, reading only your ON stuff, people might reach that conclusion.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of a "The case against Steve Tambellini"-style piece over there?
Lot's of oilfans in the doldrums in this the foul year of our lord 2011.
ReplyDeleteMain gripe i've had this year is that the brass is telling the players they don't give two shits about what they do on the ice and they do that by doing nothing to help them out.
Send Omark down for being ignorant of his own zone. Fine but we've been watching Cogliano bumble around for 3+ seasons. Brule might be even worse...
So people are eyeing the Islander game as a battle of the basement game much like that Carolina game from last January. All that's missing is Asiaoil freaking out whenever the Oilers go a point.
Whenever the Oilers get a point is what I meant to type.
ReplyDeleteSteve Smith: I'm glad you asked. I don't really have a plan (shocker!) in regard to ON.
ReplyDeleteON management has never given me any suggestions in terms of content. No "be more positive" or "you're such an ass" although I suspect they think it sometimes.
:-)
I kid.
No, it's just me and the Smith-Corona.
I don't know the ON group well at all yet, so do probably frame issues in a less aggressive tone. It's also a paid gig, which I'm taking very seriously because it's something I'd like to make money from as time goes on (a pretty cool retirement gig, although I'm still years away).
Generally I am positive about the Oilers future, and not about the Oilers management. Maybe there is a split between where I write about management, but there hasn't been any pressure put on me to write that way.
Man the Islanders are only 3 points back of Edmonton.
ReplyDeleteThink about that for a second. A team that doesn't put players on the IR because of the cap floor and employees Robbie F'ing Schremp is only three points back.
You've got to be a special kind of terrible to be hanging with those guys.
The Flames have lots of holes, but now that the GM is gone I suspect that they will play a bit better. Uncertainty is better than hopelessness as a motivator.
ReplyDeletePokemon reference? I wasn't expecting that. Nice work LT
ReplyDeleteSend Omark down for being ignorant of his own zone. Fine but we've been watching Cogliano bumble around for 3+ seasons. Brule might be even worse...
ReplyDeleteBrule was rushed by McLean. Cogs could have probably used some time in the minors to learn how to check - rather that learn it on the fly.
Its arguable that not sending Omark down would be the mistake.
The Islanders are like 7-1-1 their last 9 games.
ReplyDeleteThey are playing very well.
New Jersey Has to get better don't they?? Once Parise gets back, they'll start earning points.
The team that worries me: The Maple Laughs, they just stink...Boston is laughing their ass off. Seguin and one of Couterier, Larsson, RHN or Landeskog on the cheap...
The Islanders have been playing well ever since that infamous incident at the local children's hospital on Long Island.
ReplyDeleteI figured having a nurse telling you to leave because they don't want losers hanging around the sick kids might have some sort of transformative affect on the team.
I am pretty sure such an incident would make almost anyone play above their natural abilities for at least a few weeks. Hopefully it lasts a little while longer so we can put some distance between them and us.
When Parise comes back we should have a very good shot at getting that French kid (plus I think the Devils will take Larsson anyway).
Going way off topic here,
ReplyDeletebut I see the Slovak League is more progressive than a certain hockey league we all know.
It looks like they are awarding three points every game.
HC Košice is in first place.
There record is
GP W OTW OTL L Pts
37 . 25 . 6 . 2 . 4 . 89
3 pts for a W = 75
2 pts for a OTW = 12
1 Pt for each OTL = 2
Total = 89 Pts
Tencer has some Renney audio in which he speaks well of 23 and says he went down due to needed to bring up another Dman
ReplyDeleteChoosing to send him down as opposed to 42 is interesting though.
Why have 42 up if you aren't going to use him on the PK?
Weird.
You'll always hear coaches and players talking about the dog days of the season that usually happen between Xmas the all-star break and the everyone gets rejuvenated after the break when people start smelling the playoffs.
ReplyDeletefrom the viewing perspective I'm really non-plussed about the way things are now and how they look down the road for 2011.
I was excited to see how this club would look once 10 got back but now 6 is out and 77's on the limp and the D's gonna be worse than ever and it doesn't look like it's gonna be fun to watch.
The nights when the kids don't flash will be miserable.
Imagine:
ReplyDeleteHall-Horcoff-Hemsky
Penner-Gagner-Eberle
Jones-Reasoner-Pisani
Cogliano-Brule-Stortini
Reddox
Whitney-Souray
Gilbert-Vandermeer
Peckham-Smid
Foster
Dubnyk Starter
Khabibulin Backup
Call ups: MPS, Omark, etc.
Any and every one of us would have done a better job fixing the bottom half of the roster than Tambellini did, icing something like the above team.
Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with intentional tanking this season, but everything we've seen in the past few seasons suggests that Tambellini doesn't know how to ice a decent, balanced lineup.
Happy New Year.
Kris: well that's the worry now, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSome of the holes have been open for fucking years and the team keeps falling in them but I guess it's OK because they Tried to sign Malholtra and of course 42 might be the PK answer!!!
And the D's not great but let's pick this year to die on a hill where we fuck a real dman out of the NHL and don't use his capspace in the process.
The real worry is that the wunderkinds will continue to exceed expectations and Stu MacGregor will save Lowe and Tambo's incompetent asses from getting sacked.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing Katz has been sold that the re-build is going to take a certain amount of time and will go in phases:
ReplyDeleteYears 1-2 (09-10/10-11): Tear down. Marked by the need to stay the course, stockpile draft picks. W/MBS running that phase, we stand a good chance of getting more hits than misses. Also marked by signing low risk FA's to short-term contracts that don't hinder the future.
Years 3-4 (11-12/12-13): Be competitive, miss playoffs in first year (barely), make playoffs in 12-13. Marked by adding important pieces to the puzzle (PK, 3C, Goaltender of future). What makes this dicey is what happens w/resigning of Penner and Hemsky OR if not willing to re-sign, what you get in a trade. Absolutely can't allow either of those 2 to walk w/no return or you'll get canned.
Years 5-6 (13-14/14-15). Compete, make deep runs in playoffs. Add final pieces.
We're technically half way thru year 2 and at this point, adding more draft talent is clearly the top priority. But in order to help the kids develop properly, work must be done to add quality talent through low risk FA signings. So far, 3.0 has failed at this (Foster, Fraser, McIntyre, Khabibulin).
In this regard, I actually think that Klowe and/or KP (guessing) were far better at doing this. When he operated on a tight budget and as caretaker of Sather/Fraser's last drafts, Klowe was forced to ID good cheap talent and did so. Someone needs to be put in that role once more to help the kids develop properly over the next couple of years.
Just my opinion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had read the Whitney "rut" story, but I had also read that he was having pain in the ankle for some time prior to the rut incident (although I can't seem to find the article). Based on this, I have assumed it is related to his pre-existing problem, but I'll allow that it may be unrelated which would be great for us if that is the case.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize I was such a Debbie Downer with my comments on this blog as suggested by "anonymous" above. I am just interested in discussing my passion about this team with some like-minded people, even if it is a bit of a boys club. Sometimes it is hard to see how you are being perceived. I don't know how I would change, so if the sentiment is widely held (which I'll assume by default), I'll find another outlet for my comments and read only. No hard feelings at all.
Thanks for the great blog LT and all the fine posters who provide their interesting analysis and thoughts.
Sheesh. Maybe they should have the Winter Classic in Atlanta or Florida next year.
ReplyDeleteAshley: Generally speaking, those who post "anonymous" items should be treated with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteAs for Whitney, I wasn't a fan of the trade but the guy has been golden since he arrived.
You do make a good point about the previous injuries and we'll have to wait and see if the new injury is/was related to something from the past.
Finally, don't let us males bully you. :-)
Love the old timey Caps uniforms. Wonder where Greg Joly is tonight.
ReplyDeleteThis is a helluva fight.
Ashley...
ReplyDeleteBy all accounts, Whitney's two foot surgeries were tremendous successes. I think, too, they would be saying foot instead of ankle if the pre-existing issue was still the problem. And it has been reported in the media the present problem is unrelated.
I think a case could be made though that he should have had the ankle attended to earlier and perhaps didn't because he is so used to playing through pain in the past.
Great fight LT, but that is some crap ice.
ReplyDeletespOILer: I read your comment seconds after McGuire said that Crosby told him it wasn't affecting the players at all.
ReplyDeleteWhew. He ATE the drapes.
Interesting that Motin is wearing the C down in OKC tonight.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat channel are you on, LT, that you are not dealing with Hughson and Simmer?
The Edmonton Athletics win the Mac's Midget tourney beating Saskatoon 3-2.
ReplyDeleteFirst time an Edmonton team won since 1991.
Final score 3-2
All three goals scored by Adam Tambellini, the son of someone involved in hockey in Edmonton in a vague capacity.
spOILer: NBC.
ReplyDeleteoilerdago - I think you are a full year early on the start of the rebuild.
ReplyDeleteHave they hired Tambellini yet?
ReplyDeleteLT - are you saying you think Tambo was brought in to rebuild it?
ReplyDeleteThat sure ain't how I remember it.
it has been reported in the media the present problem is unrelated.
ReplyDeleteYou lost me at media.
---
This NBC broadcast has some crazy cameras. The camera flying overhead was making me nauseous. The ice looks like Edmonton's.
Deano,
ReplyDeleteHe was brought in to EVALUATE.
Hiring good hockey players on the other hand...
it has been reported in the media the present problem is unrelated.
ReplyDeleteYou lost me at media.
Kris,
Stauffer was interviewing 6 and he said it was unrelated to the foot thing.
He said the foot thing was concentrated in the toe area, this new thing is where some ankle tendons attach to bone above the ankle a bit. (or where they are not that attached anymore...yikes)
I'm all for piling on hiring players with chronic injuries, but it seems that the only thing chronic here is the abysmal condition of the ice at Rexall.
Hotstove reporting Versteeg is being tentatively shopped and that teams are asking after Phillips. And the MACs Midget got a mention along with young Tambellini and Phaneuf.
ReplyDeleteWG - I think Tambo was brought in to keep Lowe from calling local sports talk radio shows with comments about Brian Burke - seriously.
ReplyDeleteSo are we completely F'd for TV coverage of the first hour of the game tonight?
ReplyDeleteWG - I think Tambo was brought in to keep Lowe from calling local sports talk radio shows with comments about Brian Burke - seriously.
ReplyDeleteBut Lowe's comments on Burke have been the most awesome part of his tenure here!
Schitzo, they said Alberta viewers will get their game in its entirety.
ReplyDeleteThanks spOILer. If you're right, I will toast you with beer. If you're wrong, I will resent you forever.
ReplyDeleteWoodguy said...
ReplyDeleteAll three goals scored by Adam Tambellini, the son of someone involved in hockey in Edmonton in a vague capacity.
I can't wait for Mike Winters' comics explaining the origin of Tambellini's kids. Family planning takes some decision making.
My theory is that he married his wife when they were twelve (arranged marriage naturally) so that they had a window 15-20 yrs later to get something done
Sorry if already dealt with, just getting in, what is the TV coverage tonight? Oiler game still 8pm Alberta time? Do we miss the first period? (I'm in NB...make a difference??)
ReplyDelete@jake
ReplyDeletei believe that only Alberta will be cutting to the BOA, and all other areas will see the "winter classic" in its entirety.
"Thank goodness we don't have to watch the garbage hockey of Edmonton-Calgary. Whew....dodged a bullet there.
ReplyDeleteThank you CBC for recognizing that nobody outside Alberta wants to watch that toilet hockey."
This is from CBC website HNIC broadcast details link comments section.....ouch. I am outside Alberta and I want to watch...lol.
Drew Stafford owns the Bruins. OWNS THEM.
ReplyDeleteNo Lorieau? NO LORIEAU!!!
ReplyDeleteDeano,
ReplyDeleteI was listening to Stauffer the day the Khabby DUI thing broke, a while after the actual incident.
Stauffer asked Lowe about it and he said "were justing finding out about this too.". There was a minute of dead air ask Stauffer almost choked. Ha!
Lowe is a lot like OTC, no media filter and can honest in an interview to a fault.
Anyone know if the game is available on shaw in hd?
ReplyDeleteDammit.
ReplyDeleteShaw CBC HD feed is TO station so no HD until they're done playing in the soup.
Belle playing? No 77 or 43?
Is petry hurt? or is he healthy scratch?
ReplyDeleteWonder if they think Petry's not physical enough to play Calgary?
ReplyDeleteRight now we look like an AHL team.
'[Gilbert's] been nursing a groin injury'
ReplyDeleteFour extra minutes of ice time a night oughta mend that right up pronto¡
Ahh, 58 sitting.
ReplyDeleteSo 43 plays over 58 and 22 plays over 91 and 23.
Good thing its a development year.
91 watching from up top isn't a big deal, probably help. 83 was HS a bit as a rook too, I just can't stand seeing 22 getting a regular shift.
I agree....rookie once a while in the PB is not a bad thing at all...
ReplyDelete22 had a nice shift out there and now he can go back to doing nothing for the next 10 games
Any eastern ppl here, the BOA game is on CBC-C in standard def right now. 245 on Bell.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of the worst matches I've seen. Ever. In any sport.
ReplyDelete45 wandering into the corner instead of manning his post.
ReplyDeleteOf course 13 is in no mans land watching the puck instead of finding a check.
Alex....Cogliano?
ReplyDeleteSCLPH!
ReplyDeleteit looks like this game is being played on Heinz field ice
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about this Flames winning streak is that it might confuse Feaster. They should be blowing it up already but they might end up being buyers at the deadline.
ReplyDeleteWeekes makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Such brutal coverage.
ReplyDeleteWell we're dead lucky to get out of that period only down 1.
ReplyDeletesometimes, i expect hall to have a little more finish...am i wrong on that?
ReplyDeleteI don't get how anyone is giving the Tamblowe a pass with a straight face.
ReplyDeleteWe only decided to be the blackhawks last year around what february. Prior to the New Year, they actually thought they had a competitive team. It wasn't until fate punched them so hard in the face that they had to accept that they should have been rebuilding that they embraced it.
The NK deal says a lot about the management's mindset and that still holds true.
I for one refuse to believe these guys have done anything but continue to prove they have no clue what to do. Giving them the benefit of the doubt is a train that left the station far too long ago.
Chartleys
Weekes really is bad. He makes Lee sound reasonable and that guy is terrible. It'd be nice if the Oilers could get a decent crew on HNIC sometime. Of course the Winter Classic cinched it tonight, but the Oilers always get these dunces anyway.
ReplyDeleteSteve Smith - forgive my ignorance but what does SCLPH mean?
ReplyDelete...and while we're at it ELPH too please.
Roli to Tampa Bay for Ty Wishart.
ReplyDeletewoah...roli to tampa
ReplyDeleteChartleys nailed it. Souray, Penner, Khabibulin (not to mention Nylander and Vanek) were all deals that the Oilers did not need. These guys have no plan.
ReplyDelete...and while we're at it ELPH too please.
ReplyDeleteThat's "Exciting Last Place Hockey", what the more optimistic of the rational Oilers' fans were hoping for this year.
"SC", in this context, stands for "soul-crushing" rather than "Stanley Cup".
Sweet trade for Tampa...
ReplyDeleteWith Oilers goaltending they would have had 4 more wins. I am guessing Roli will finally give them stability in net
I had also read that he was having pain in the ankle for some time prior to the rut incident ... based on this, I have assumed it is related to his pre-existing problem
ReplyDeleteDoctor to hockey player: The bad news is that you'll have pain in your foot for the rest of your career. The good news is that you're now 100% immune from every other possible foot injury.
Did anyone else notice when 45 was at the Oilers bench and Weekes called him Strudwick?
ReplyDeletePlease tell me someone else saw this.
I had the chances at 4-10 but it doesn't really matter because the Oilers are absolutely dead.
You know the WC is a good idea but if the ice is shitty every year it takes some of the shine off it; at least from my angle.
Good for Roli!
Andrew Cogliano is like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball. The birds-eye replay of the Calgary goal he coasted from our bench to the hash marks without ever taking his eye off the puck.
ReplyDeletewill they ever do the WC in a dome? and i agree completely about the ice situation -- it doesn't end up being the "showcase" that the NHL is looking for, because it ends up being such meat and potatoes hockey
ReplyDelete@ Dennis
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about WC. Its a very choppy game.
Cogliano loses his shit more often than Andy Griffith.
ReplyDeleteFor you local lads out there in Edmonton, what is the problem with the ice I hear about so often? Wasn't it best ice in the league for a long time?
ReplyDeleteLT: Just a small note, Pacioretty didn't bump Lapierre out of there.
ReplyDeleteThey recalled Desharnais and had to put someone in the minors.
+ Lapierre asked for the trade.
Islanders are hot and needed to make that trade to avoid moving ahead of Edmonton and into 28th.
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining "SCLPH". Very appropriate after that period.
Oil Blue is the worst since the end of the 06-07 season right now.
That seems like a strange deal for TB... sending away one of the top 2 Dmen in their system when Ellis has been playing well and Smith is due back from injury.
ReplyDeleteAnd not a bad idea for the Isles for a change.
Just when you thought it could not get worse. That was not pretty...
ReplyDeleteAndrew Cogliano is like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball. The birds-eye replay of the Calgary goal he coasted from our bench to the hash marks without ever taking his eye off the puck.
ReplyDeleteAwesome.
There has to be a nickname in there.
I like Spot.
See Spot.
See Spot skate.
Skate Spot skate.
See Spot chase the puck.
Your check Spot, your check!
You keep missing your fucking check!
That seems like a strange deal for TB... sending away one of the top 2 Dmen in their system when Ellis has been playing well and Smith is due back from injury.
ReplyDeleteTBY has one of the lowest shots against totals in the league and one of the highest GAA.
Ellis .886
Smith .883
No brainer.
I'm playing the "Oilers Drinking Game" tonight. Every time the Oilers give the puck away, miss a pass, or take a penalty it's a drink.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say I'm getting wasted. It's a nice little game for that.
Eberle's injury kind of trumps the game. Times a million. Frack.
ReplyDeleteYour check Spot, your check!
ReplyDeleteYou keep missing your fucking check!
I'd buy that for a dollar.
LT, frack - Battlestar Galactica?? I remember kids saying that back in elementary school when the original series was on. Too funny. But yeah, whatever the reference, Eberle's injury is worth more than frack...geezus.
ReplyDeleteJones has got to be the Brule of 10-11.
ReplyDeleteNice Play by Penner.
ReplyDeleteif jones is the brule of 10/11, it just goes to show what is available on waivers and for cheap signings. another reason to avoid giving "break out years" like brule's, two years and decent coin.
ReplyDeleteWG: Those aren't historical averages for those two. That seems like a lot to give up.
ReplyDeleteThe Eberle injury made me feel physically ill.
ReplyDeleteWTF is with this team.
Jones skates like a young Jason Strudwick.
ReplyDeleteChartleys nailed it. Souray, Penner, Khabibulin (not to mention Nylander and Vanek) were all deals that the Oilers did not need. These guys have no plan.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Lowe seemed to manage by Magic 8 ball. Every day was a different need and plan.
You are also right in that they had no clue how bad they were when the signed 35 to his way above market contract, and they just decided to "rebuild Chicago style" after Christmas of 2009, so only about 1 year now.
That being said, they haven't done anything really bad personnel wise since that time.
We can disagree about how they built the roster this year, there's lots to bitch about, but they haven't done anything monumentally stupid like Heatley, Vanek, Nylander since they realized "clarity" about their roster.
I'm holding out hope that they do this right. There is no evidence that they can build a championship roster, but so far they stopped making really big, really bad decisions.
Summer 2011 is a huge test.
Roster hole are obvious, players that need to move are obvious, they are well below the cap.
They opportunity to fuck it all up is coming.
I'm praying that they don't.
I'm not one to defend Oiler managment.
I'm watching UFC 125, and flicking back n forth so I missed Eberles injury. What happened? Does it look serious?
ReplyDeleteWG: Those aren't historical averages for those two. That seems like a lot to give up.
ReplyDeleteGood point, but I guess Yz has no faith in either.
Wishart has put up some good numbers in the AHL, any idea why he hasn't cracked the big club?
Yz brought in a few D this off season.
Maybe Yz wanted real NHLers instead of hoping a kid will swim instead of sink.
Imagine!
Kotalik was finishing a check, fell on 14 and 14's left ankle bent in a way it shouldn't when it got caught on the boards.
ReplyDeleteLooked like an ankle to me on the replay.
Might have twisted his knee too since his left leg was stuck against the boards and his body was twisting, but my $ is on ankle.
Eberle got tangled with Kotalik and fell awkwardly - looks like he twisted his knee beneath himself. F*ck.
ReplyDeleteDennis - I caught that as well, Weekes mistaking Belle for Strudwick.
ReplyDeleteHistorically bad, Weekes is.
Talk of Feaster on After Hours made me realize something: I wish that Sutter was still the GM of the Flames because Tambo might have been able to get a decent draft pick for Strudwick at the deadline...
ReplyDeleteWoodguy said...
ReplyDeleteThey opportunity to fuck it all up is coming.
I'm praying that they don't.
Yes, that's really the deal. You can't complain too much about mgmt this past year, but stinking to high heaven and dumping deals is easy. This year they will have to make actual difficult decisions. God help us.
Frack
ReplyDeleteSpot
SCLPH
You have to pay attention or you miss a lot of important vocabularly on this blog.
Ellis could never win the starting job for a franchise that makes goalies look amazing. Smith has never proven he's a starter. I think Ellis was acquired to be the starter and he's failed...miserably, sorta like fraser for the oil, so unlike Tambi, Yz has decided to go out and get a "proven" piece.
ReplyDeletei don' think you can put much weight in "historical" averages for either smith of ellis -- they needed one to step up and be a dependable starter for a team that has "cup aspirations", and neither has the grooming or the previous track record to support their cause.
Smarmy Boss said...
ReplyDeleteSo people are eyeing the Islander game as a battle of the basement game much like that Carolina game from last January. All that's missing is Asiaoil freaking out whenever the Oilers go a point.
----------------
Don't have a clue what your saying but it's nice to be missed I guess :)
Actually Lowe and Tambo have identified their strength as managers who can put together a putrid lineup so full of holes that it finishes last and allows the only guy with brains in the entire org (the bastard) to do his thing. Lowe and Tambo are jewels in our crown of shit and we need them to keep it up for another 4 months.
Now back to my bowl games :)
jewels in our crown of shit
ReplyDeleteYuck.
SO: Yeah, every year I'm excited for it and then I'm done at the end of the first period because there's so many problems with the ice.
ReplyDeleteYou have to pay attention or you miss a lot of important vocabularly on this blog.
ReplyDeleteMore telmuped words were never glorged.
More telmuped words were never glorged.
ReplyDeleteThose are perfectly cromulent words
Those are perfectly cromulent words.
ReplyDeleteWe're all about embiggening the English language here in the Oilogosphere.
@ Jake70:
ReplyDeleteThe ice was 'best in the league' until they started turning up the heat for a new arena (figuritively and I'm almost certain literally).
Paper, TV have been all terrible ice for a few years now. It's working. I've always been stunned how quickly people can be reprogrammed.
I keep a mental checklist of things that make me uncertain whether or not we are, in fact, already living in 1984. This is one of the infinite things on that list.
chartleys
The ice was 'best in the league' until they started turning up the heat for a new arena (figuritively and I'm almost certain literally).
ReplyDeleteThe ice definitely got worse well before Katz bought the team. I don't remember the EIG making any kind of push for a new arena, but I may be misremembering.
Pat: Yes!!! I was hoping someone else saw that:)
ReplyDeleteBTW, that 14 injury looks like a 6 to 8 weeks deal. The only time I ever saw a body part bend like that and the guy walk away Without a long layoff was when 46 had it happen to him a year or two ago.
I can't remember who it was against only that it was a home game.
Anyway, 14 being out for a long stretch along with 6 and 10 pretty much locks down a top 3 pick; which will be awesome come June but doesn't do much for us between now and then.
Also, I didn't believe in Karma until the CBC put Lee and Weekes together.
Also, 77 looks like he's hurting and I can't see him lasting past next Friday night.
ReplyDelete49's having a great game and me and Riv were texting and he made a great point of how 49 is so far ahead of where Matt Greene was at this point in GP.
45's having a bad night and his D parter is just being 43.
The Rexall ice guy got hired by the league.
ReplyDeleteSome incompetent schmuck is in charge now, apparently.
Other rumour I've heard is outdated equipment.
The ice plant needed work before the dressing room was renovated to attract the whales.
ReplyDeleteThe cement floor of the Coliseum is no longer level, which means the ice is not of constant thickness to make it level, which means it will be lousy ice.
ReplyDeleteThe Coliseum is old. Northlands doesn't believe in maintenance, or in making the neighborhood interesting, apart from slum development.
Northlands major tenant rents the place for $1/year.
ReplyDeleteThe Oil found $4MM for the dressing room renos.
The weird thing with the TB trade is that they just called up Cédrick Desjardins and the kid allowed 2 goals in 2 games.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a pretty useless trade by Yz, considering how well Tokarski is also doing in the AHL.
He could have at least waited out for Desjardins (Or just have tried earlier).
Dennis - that mistake was pure comedy but then after 14 went down Weekes blathered about how he is the Oilers' best forward.
ReplyDeleteAlmost as bad as Pierre Maguire saying at the last WJC that MPS would be the Oilers' best LW and Hall their best player if they were on their roster at that time.
How these guys keep their jobs is beyond me.
The equipment is outdated and the game heaps more abuse on the ice than it did in the past. Also, other arenas have improved making Rexall relatively worse.
ReplyDeleteAs of last year the Old Mellon still held the crown for worst surface.
ReplyDeleteI think the new King is the Garden in NY.
Rexall isn't probably far behind.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBased on tonight's HNIC broadcast, I have a question.
ReplyDeleteWill these fuckers on Calgary's 4th line go into the HHOF together?
Dog with a bone broadcasters.
The Oil found $4MM for the dressing room renos.
ReplyDeleteCity of Edmonton kicked in for some of that if I'm not mistaken.
Ice plant's been refurbished, but as godot said, sloping floor hurts.
I am also convinced that they keep it too warm in the rink.
When the EIG owned the team a major complaint was how cold it was in the building and they turned up the heat.
I don't think they ever turned it down.
Frost forms heavy within 5 min of puck drop every period.
You used to have to keep your jacket on watching a game, now its way too warm to do that.
It only got worse once one of them scored!
ReplyDelete14's out with bad left ankle as per Matty and Tencer tweet.
ReplyDeleteWe should actually be relieved Weekes isn't bringing up the Taylor Hall OT goal from December 4th. I don't think he wanted to give the Oilers the 2 points that night (because he felt the play should have been whistled down due to the injury to Andy McDonald).
ReplyDeleteNow he's talking about the Flames and why they've been able to "win so many games."
Hookay.
So I guess 23 didn't unpack his bag.
ReplyDeleteWG - you are right
ReplyDeleteI AM WRONG.
Both the Coliseum and the Saddledome got provincial money that summer whicj covered the renos.
i know that we don't trust the D, but do all the wingers need to play so low...when the puck comes out to the calgary point, they have all day
ReplyDeleteThe cement floor did not suddenly slope in the last few years.
ReplyDeleteThe equipment may be slightly worn down but if we weren't pushing for a new arena I'm quite certain they would put money into it.
I agree with WG on the heat in the building but still find that seems within the timeline of look at our broken down arena.
We did have our ice manager join the IHHF (I think that is where he went) but I have a hard time believing he did it all alone and/or they wouldn't have fired a few of them by now if they were at all concerned with the quality of the ice and that in fact was a major factor.
Chartleys
Also,
ReplyDeleteEven after our ice manager left, I'm quite certain we didn't enter the era of shitty ice for another year. (Not 100% but fairly certain)
Chartleys
We did have our ice manager join the IHHF
ReplyDeleteNope - NHL. Here's a bit about him from just today.
Ice plant is old. Buy us a new rink.
ReplyDeleteBrakes are shot. Buy me a new car.
Deano,
ReplyDeleteI said city money, so I got it WRONG as well.
Dan Craig (old Northlands ice man) works for the NHL now. He oversees and helps with all buildings and is responsible for the ice at Winter Classics.
Ice crew works for Northlands, not Oilers, so I doubt they are making the ice shitty on purpose.
Ref's are having to adjust Spot. Wonder if it will help?
ReplyDeleteStauffer: "It's obvious that the Oilers aren't getting any calls tonight. The Flames can get away with harakari out there."
ReplyDeleteHe might want to work on his metaphors.
Why not pull the goalie from the start of the PP?
ReplyDeleteDennis said...
ReplyDeleteSO: Yeah, every year I'm excited for it and then I'm done at the end of the first period because there's so many problems with the ice.
So who tracks the scoring chances for games 2-82?
Boy, even the gallows humour is wearing thin. There is precious little for an Oilers fan to be proud of these days. Basically, it's a handful of players (89, 10, 83, 27) and the rookies (49, 14, 91, 4) after that it's a mess everywhere in the org.
A perfect ending.
ReplyDeleteWeekes seems happy.
ReplyDeleteHow's ReKhab's back?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I can watch any more games.
ReplyDeleteIt's too heart-breaking. The injuries are killing me.
I can handle the losing, I can handle the occasional blowout, being badly outplayed some nights, but I can't watch key Oiler after Oiler go down.
as there been any updates on rekhab's court dealings? i never thought he'd be playing this long into the season.
ReplyDeleteThey gotta find a way to keep 27.
ReplyDeleteAs good as 4 and 91 will be, he has tools few in the league do.
I know that Hemsky is our most offensively gifted forward but he fucking drives me nuts on the PP. Him and Gilbert played pattycake with the puck and burned up 30 seconds or so and didn't even consider sending the puck towards the net. Shitty goals that bounce off of legs and go in count just the same as highlight reel goals.
ReplyDeleteNobody ever meshes with Hemmer. He seems difficult to play with.
ReplyDeletePenner is the silver lining to failing to sign Vanek
With regard to Eberle, surely his youth and the Hockey Gods will bring good news tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe Flames winning isn't all bad, they might convince themselves their group isn't that far away.
My new year's resolution is to avoid saying anything bad about Andrew Cogliano.
Ok, enough with the stupid conspiracies. There is no secret that Katz wants an arena. There is also nothing too complex about the unwillingness of the Oilers or Northlands to invest in a new iceplant and new climate control systems for a building that will not host NHL hockey in 4 years or so.
ReplyDeleteThere is no need to 'expose' this as a scam, because it's all pretty much upfront.
Deano,
ReplyDeleteNot signing Vanek is the silver lining to not signing Vanek.
7 years, $50m for 14-13-27, -11 in 38 games?
Bullet dodged.
The Vanek offer is when I realized KLowe had completely lost touch with reality.
I can normally just "tune out" Weekes but boy tonight he was just brutal, unreal..does he have any insight of his own??
ReplyDeleteStock surmising high ankle sprain for Eberle.
ReplyDeleteHigh ankle sprain?
ReplyDeleteDidn't that keep Crosby out for like 6 weeks?
LT: excellent work on that 4th line quip:)
ReplyDeleteOh, wait, not 6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteCros lost 37 games to that.
That story about Weekes explains everything.
ReplyDeletePenner is the silver lining to failing to sign Vanek.
ReplyDeleteMan, how stupid was that summer? When you trade Pronger and Smyth for futures in back to back years, you are rebuilding. Why on Earth would you go after RFAs? Just sheer insanity.
It's nice that Penner has turned out to be a very good player, but the timing of his acquisition was laughable. If he's around next year and especially the year after, he'll be more useful.
I'd like to see both 83 and 27 sign, but realistically one of them will want out. I don't know which one, but I find it hard to believe the Oilers will be lucky enough to retain both. What happens there will be huge. The defining moment for Tambo. If he gets it right, they are charging hard in 12/13. If he gets it wrong, we could see the window closing frighteningly quickly.
bookie - Its not a scam its mismanagement. How much would it cost to fix the ice plant for the next four seasons (your number) of hockey?
ReplyDeleteThe reality is the ice is worse than it was and will be in use for the medium term. Ignoring it is irresponsible.
Everyone is too effing busy trying to figure out how to get out of paying for a $400MM new arena to fix what's in use today.
Its just another reason to be disgusted.
The iceplant was upgraded. The problem is the slanting floor.
ReplyDeletePronger and Hemsky meshed pretty well. Pronger wouldn't play paddycake for very long though. He would shoot.
Pronger also could hit Hemsky at full stride to gain easy access to the offensive zone on the power player.
Worked great (for a MacT powerplay) until Anaheim and Carolina shut it down in the last two series.
book¡e said...
ReplyDeleteOk, enough with the stupid conspiracies. There is no secret that Katz wants an arena. There is also nothing too complex about the unwillingness of the Oilers or Northlands to invest in a new iceplant and new climate control systems for a building that will not host NHL hockey in 4 years or so.
Well, I agree it's not a conspiracy, but it's definitely stupid. There's no good reason that the ice plant wasn't upgraded in the last couple of years and there's no good reason that Rexall can't host NHL hockey for the expected lifetime of the building. Those are just facts.
Wow I hope Feaster gets hired longterm.
ReplyDeleteWow I hope Feaster gets hired longterm.
ReplyDeleteWhy? He has a track record of success, and has said intelligent things so far. Personally, I'm hoping that they're interviewing Doug McLean.
http://oilersnation.com/2008/9/6/rexall-ice-and-stolls-new-life/score
ReplyDeleteWe just had an interesting conversation with a refrigeration engineer who just finished up some major equipment upgrades to Rexall.
"There was some real issues with parts of the ice plant, and this had resulted in poorer ice quality in years past. Though the future of the arena is unclear, we were given the green light to replace some large pieces of equipment. This should significantly improve the quality of the ice next year and put Edmonton back near the top of the league."