Remember Derian Hatcher? How about Mike Keane? Kirk Muller? Never liked those guys. If you have to ask why, then allow me to inform you.
In 1997 spring, the Oilers won a thrilling series against Dallas. This was largely responsible for a second explosion of Oiler fandom, one which has had remarkable sustain as it survives to this day. I've met dozens of younger people who name the Marchant goal as the exact day they became Oiler zealots. Incredible. 5 Stanley's, most of the fanbase doesn't remember those and still the Edmonton Oilers are blessed with exceptional fans.
After that, Dallas and Edmonton met quite a bit over the ensuing springs and the Stars won them all. Every damn one of them. It was beyond difficult. It was noxious. I cannot cheer for the Stars this lifetime. Try me next time around, maybe I'll be over it by then. The Edmonton Oilers lost a stunning number of NHL playoff games to the Dallas Stars by one goal. Seriously. It was draining, like a mid-week visit from that uncle and aunt who never know when to go home. I hate the Dallas Stars.
--
The Oilers are moving Taylor Hall to center. The young man has shown solid growth during his first NHL season and coach Renney must feel this is as good a time as any to see if #4 can play the middle (several great C's have worn #4: Vincent Lecavalier, Jean Beliveau, Red Kelly, others). I think it makes sense in a few ways: Hall at C shifts the future and would mean one of the elusive player-types (big, skilled C who can play a complete game; complete defender who can move the puck and block out the sun; raunchy winger with skill and a machete) is already on the roster. We wait.
--
Taylor Chorney makes his 10-11 debut (probably) tonight, alongside someone claiming to be Kurtis Foster. If Chorney plays well (and he has in glimpses at the NHL level) there's a chance he stays for the rest of the season. I think Petry is already at the point where he won't be the guy to go back and Jason Strudwick is one day closer to a coaching career.
--
One day, when my kids are off living their lives and my wife is reading a book, I'll write a long item on the day Edmonton released Charlie Huddy from his coaching job with the Oilers. It was a mysterious move, and I've suspected from the day it happened that it had more to do with retaining Kelly Buchberger than flushing a guy who helped the young blue. Huddy is now a coach with Dallas and their young D is getting the benefit of all that knowledge. I know all decisions have consequences, but it seems to me that every decision made by Oilers management since the Pronger trade bites them in the ass. I know it isn't true, but it sure seems that way.
--
The top line tonight (Hall-Penner-Hemsky) will be fun to watch and I think the 2line (Gagner-Pääjärvi-Omark) should be a high event trio good and bad. There's not a lot of rugged there, but this is about finding out who can play the game. I have no idea why the Oilers didn't sign a Pisani, Grier, Rem Murray type for nights like this one, but I think the answer might have something to do with evaluation. That's the watch word for the Tambellini era: evaluate. Evaluate, think, mull, jot down a few notes, think some more.
When it comes to addressing in-season needs, the Edmonton Oilers management group is constipated; have been since Lowe was in office.
Why does everyone keep calling Taylor Hall big?
ReplyDeleteSilly American measuring system, where one inch adds a foot. 5'11? Small, undersized. Just ask Matt Duchene about his draft profile. But you hit 6 feet and you're suddenly a big body, it's as if you've actually gained a foot and 20 lbs.
By modern standards, he's average. I wouldn't be surprised if six feet was on the low end of the mean for player height these days.
Bad Wojo: Messier was 6.01, 190 as a rookie. Hall is listed by the Oilers as 6.01, 194. Here's Messier's rookie card photo
ReplyDeletehttp://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdLargeImage?AdId=253258634
What astounds me to no end is the love for Buchberger.
ReplyDeleteThe idiots running the team get rid of Charlie Huddy, the prototypical great coach(nothing to write home about himself, yet played and was able to stand with some of the best of them), all in order to keep the Oilers equivalent of Jacob from A Perfect Plan.
@Bad Wojo: Not too sure about how big Hall is, but since his Dad played CFL football, it's fairly obvious the kid's going to be big enough to handle anything the relatively puny NHl can throw at him.
PS: That's an English measuring system you're dissing, not American.
re Modano: Having seen this guy constantly destroy the hopes of the puny Oilers for nigh on a decade, seemingly at will, it's easy to see why anyone shudders at the current smurf lineup.
If funny that you mention Chuckles Huddy.
ReplyDeleteThe morning show on 1260 was mulling over why Dallas was much better this year and were talking about Crawford I was yelling "CHUCKLES" at the radio. (that and they have destroy the Eastern conference foes 10-2-1)
He turned chicken shit into chicken soup on the Oiler back end for years. Not that everyone was chicken shit, but they always seemed fairly calm (except when Grebs took the brown blotter) and knew how to move the puck out quickly.
For years Huddy coached Dmen passed the puck to hamfisted forwards who couldn't do anything with it. (Bad man Hemsky excepted)
Now we have some fleet of foot forwards and only 77 can get them the puck from the group that lines up tonight.
58 is coming on very strong (and is RH!!), and 6 was the Oiler MVP until he went down so the future isn't cloudy regarding puck moving on the blue, but I wonder how much better they would be with Chuckles teaching them.
Steve Smith is no crappy 2nd prize for a D coach (although he doesn't run the on the bench), but he's still learning how to coach and Huddy's been doing it well for years.
I think this is a high event game. Leftwinglock.com has Khabby as probable starter so lets call it 5-3 for the Stars.
I hope 4 can overcome the handicap of playing with the Oilers' two best players (bookiethingygodot!!)
GO OILERS
*clap,clap*
Hey.. I'm 5'8½. Hall IS big! ;/
ReplyDeleteOh well.. glad to see there's more people who doesn't like the Stars.. their current owner doesn't make things better. I hope they go bankrupt and go hide under a rock (a rock I would feel sorry for).
Also,
ReplyDeleteI predict a Staufferism will happen tonight.
The Stars will "run the Oilers' show"
They have big, physical forwards who are tough to knock off the puck and play the game rough.
One of my favorite NHLers, James Neal will physically beat every Oiler he comes in contact with.
The only answer to this is to have a forward corps mostly of guys 6'0 and over (certainly not 5'11"!).
Unfortunately the Oilers are two years away from this when the likes of Pitlick, Hamilton, Martindale might make the team at the 2012 camp.
Hopefully Lander and Hartikainen (the Finnish Mike Grier) will have already made the team by then.
A couple tall trees in Marincin and Plante might be on the back end by then too, and 58 seems to have some sandpaper to his game.
You certainly can't address this by dressing guys like 33.
Until TC 2012 I put the over/under on the number of times Stauffer says "run their show" at 3,123,523
Great, great read this morning LT. I'm one of those who became a fan of the Oil at the time of the Dallas series (after growing up a NYI fan from the dark early days one of the franchise in 72-73).
ReplyDeleteTo this day I can't stand Dallas. It's irrational and probably matches others hate of the Habs. I can take losing to anyone but Dallas.
Am curious to see the "new Taylor Chorney" tonite. If he's learned how to play, it's an important step forward for this team down the road.
Peckham has been a pleasant surprise (in another season of nadir) and Petry has progressed. With a healthy Gilbert and Whitney next season, add Chorney as a 7th D, Smid (if he'll sign a value contract as a 6th D) and then pick up something in the summer (assuming Foster is traded at the deadline) and the blueline is not in that bad a shape.
Now if Steve Smith can turn into the 2nd coming of Huddy...
I'm fairly certain that the English use the metric system....
ReplyDeleteI hate Dallas too. Not just because they're dinks. But because they're located in Dallas where people care more about riding lawnmowers than hockey. Its unfortunate that the NHL allowed the North Stars to disappear so much easier than they've let the Coyotes disappear. Its always galled me that just a few years later, the Wild came into existence and sell out every game. While the Stars rink teeters on empty.
ReplyDeleteOther teams I hate:
1. Coyotes, because they should be Jets.
2. Hurricanes, because they should be Whalers.
3. Avalanche, because they should be Nordiques.
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ReplyDeleteThere were two players I hated on those Stars teams.
ReplyDeleteHatcher and Lehtinen.
Hatcher would brutalize any Oiler forward that came near him. If he did any of that stuff on the street he would get 5 years, but in the pre-lockout NHL it didn't even warrant 2 minutes.
Lehtinen wasn't "hated" for being a dick or dirty player. What that bastard did was score in the 3rd period of every fucking game that was tied.
If it was the playoffs and the score was tied between DAL and EDM, you can be positive Lehtinen either scored or set up the go ahead goal.
Fucking Finns are soooo clutch!!
That's why the Stars did well those days. Lehtinen, Numminen and Kapanen. They knew you needed Finns to win.
Hartikainen can't come to quickly!
Good time as any to bring up C Huddy.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very curious move. Co incidently, Gilbert and Grebs had their best season when he was here as the d-coach.
I miss that guy. He has helped their young core of D men a lot. Grossman and Daley have flourished under him. Only D man who has regressed since Huddy joined is Niskanen.
Hunter...
ReplyDeleteNothing to write home about? Huddy was great out there. I think he was +457 one season and +129 in the playoffs. He kept it simple...real simple. An absolute dream to throw out there. He played NO event hockey.
Seemed like a great coach too.
And all that...he played with Gretzky stuff...well someone needed to play defense. I think he scored 20+ once too.
Met him in a pool in LA once...hairy like a bear.
Lots to write home about!
The pre-lockout NHL rewarded teams like Dallas and NJ who perfected clutch & grab, hack & whack hockey. Just brutal to watch.
ReplyDeleteAdd to that the trap which enabled a league that expanded beyond the talent pool and allowed piss poor teams to compete immediately and it led to very dull hockey by the lockout.
Hall is listed at 6'1, but at the combine he measured in at 6' 1/2" IIRC.
ReplyDeleteBut that's beside the point. In today's NHL, that's average.
Magnus is big. Hopefully he learns to play big.
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ReplyDeleteLowetide,
ReplyDeleteI don't have your e-mail handy, but I wanted to extend to you a profound apology for what I (and others) have said about you on our forum. I couldn't think of any other way to reach you, so here I am. I'm sure you've been made aware of the off-color and immature things said by some of us via Willis's Oilersnation article, and I felt that it's only proper to apologize for my actions.
The fact that I believed the forum to be private and closed from public view does not excuse what I said. You did not deserve it.
I could never hate Kirk Muller, just because he's one of the most under-rated video game players of all time.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can begin to calculate the number of goals I scored with him going staight up the middle with a slapper in NHL '93.
And the reason we never beat the Stars again is simple: they went out and got Belfour.
I did not like Huddy being cut either. I knew it was going to hurt the D. It didn't take him long to get another job, but yeah, would have preferred it with any other team. I still hate those damn Stars. One goal games and a tough series no matter the length....one thing that consoled me is the Stars only won one cup and the Oilers usually wore them out for their later series.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment on Landesborg from his coach.
ReplyDeletehttp://tsn.ca/blogs/bob_mckenzie/?id=348882
@gsc
ReplyDeletegood on you.
Here's Messier's rookie card photo
ReplyDeleteI notice he's listed as a centre.
I'm fairly certain that the English use the metric system....
You're right only in the most formal sense...all of their highway signs are in miles, for example.
WG - Its guys like Stauffer that give bubbas a bad name.
ReplyDeleteNo Star hate here. They always brought out the best in our EIG-budget-challenged, rag-tag group of over-achievers. Nosirreee. The battle was relentless from both sides, coming in waves, first tipping one way, then the other. Those games are the iconic battles that beer commercials are made of.
@ GSC
ReplyDeleteAgreed - Good on you. With that said, having read the one blog post that had been linked I thought it was largely overblown and that it was mostly 'locker room' talk laced with profanity, but with nothing hateful said. I may have missed something, but I suspect that none of it was meant too seriously and I hope that none of those targeted took it too seriously.
Can't we all just get along!
The Stars in the late 90's early 00's perfected the 'cagey veteran play' much like the current Red Wings have done.
ReplyDeleteThe English use metric for somethings, but they hold onto the imperial (or English) measurement system for a lot of things. They are caught somewhere between the USA and Canada. If you have a British aunt or something, don't be surprised if she says you look like you gained two stones (don't worry she's not talking about your weed)
ReplyDeleteI for one think its time for another metric push in Canada. We need to get rid of the Lbs in supermarkets.
having read the one blog post that had been linked I thought it was largely overblown and that it was mostly 'locker room' talk laced with profanity, but with nothing hateful said. I may have missed something,
ReplyDeleteI think you may have.
They deleted the worst posts.
It was a horrible way to treat someone who has given so much to the Oiler fans.
Disagreeing with people is one thing, this was something else entirely.
GSC: It's all good. I'm impressed by your post and appreciate it (and an email from Traktor was also passed along to me).
ReplyDeleteI suggest we proceed like the men of my father's generation. With beer. :-)
I hate the Dallas Stars.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
Huddy is now a coach with Dallas and their young D is getting the benefit of all that knowledge.
Huddy is also getting the benefit of a group of young D who took their lumps with on the job training.
alongside someone claiming to be Kurtis Foster.
I don't know why, but I can't stop giggling at this. I think it's the absurdity of the whole thing - a signing we thought was a good one just completely breaking down. What's the opposite of the midas touch?
Hartikainen (the Finnish Mike Grier)
If this comes to pass, I'll probably be in tears. And then I'll meekly rage when this management group lets him walk.
Fucking Finns are soooo clutch!!
That's why the Stars did well those days. Lehtinen, Numminen and Kapanen. They knew you needed Finns to win.
Hartikainen can't come to quickly!
You ain't kidding Woodguy. I think they should draft Jyrki Jokipakka, the defenseman, in the middle-to-late rounds and take a flyer on Iiro Pakarinen in the seventh. Can never have enough Finns around.
Ironic how Canada implemented the metric system entirely due to the fact America was planning to do the same.
ReplyDeleteThen the Yanks decided they didn't want to use it and Canada was left standing in the rain like jackasses.
I was a fan of Huddy's when he played here and appreciated what he was able to do with the Oiler's dmen the past few seasons prior to being let go.
ReplyDeleteI also felt he should have been retained and Bucky shown the door.
Here's an interesting article I stumbled across last year that certainly is different that our viewpoint. I would be curious to see if the author feels the same based on this year's dmen results ?
http://www.defendingbigd.com/2010/3/12/1363110/is-charlie-huddy-to-blame-for-the
I remember Mark Lee orgasming when Hatcher would charge across the ice, leave his feet, and elbow guys like Todd Marchant in the head. No call of course. Then Laraque would come out and Hatcher would look confused and despondent at the ice.
ReplyDeleteFuck that guy.
The Stars also perfected icing the puck constantly and if that didn't work they'd shoot it over the glass. They were so bad (or good) at it that the league finally looked at changing those rules.
Hunter - pretty much the whole world adopted the metric system - Canada was very late in the game - I am pretty sure the Americans are the Jackasses in this case.
ReplyDeleteThen again, they still use paper dollar bills...
Hope Canada gets rid of the penny soon.
LT mentioned something about beer - is there a way to drink beer online?
You should try driving around Ireland. I believe that they are planning on standardizing road signs now but when we were there in 2002 we got pretty confused when on the way to Kinsale we passed signs that were in miles and in km but without any marker as to which.
ReplyDeleteSo it would say: Kinsale 25
Then Kinsale 33
Then Kinsale 28
Then Kinsale 15
And so on.
I never drink and drive and I definitely don't take peyote across any borders. That was one screwy drive.
I find my hate for Dallas waning these days as the players I once loathed have all but dissapeared. They don't even have Turco any more!
ReplyDeleteThose playoffs were great times as many new fans were quickly being recruited. Friends of mine that usually looked awkwardly at me when I said I was going to watch the Oilers game were now asking about the players and watching along with me. The players were as blue collar as they get and they were easy to cheer for,even when they didn't seem to have a chance in hell. Good times.
I do sometimes wonder how the Oilers could have done if they didn't have to play Dallas every gad dammned year, though.
@ Lowetide
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me. I've got the first round. :)
Gene Twits...
ReplyDeleteHemsky is going to the All-Star game as are Eberle-Hall..the two kids will compete in skills as there is no longer a rookie game..
They don't even have Turco any more!
ReplyDeleteI never really minded Turco, probably because I was subconsciously comparing him to Belfour.
@ bookie
ReplyDeleteYep, that's a pretty good summation of what that forum is all about. It's not meant to be malicious or hateful in any way whatsoever.
It's hockey talk interlaced with a lot of locker room banter.
So Hemsky was named to the all start team.
ReplyDeleteHope the All Star captains don't know that he's a square peg that's tough to play with, he might get picked last!!
4 and 14 also invited to the young stars game.
Oops, I guess there is no young stars game, just skills.
ReplyDelete"Steve" - Ah, yes. Belfour definitely had to be worse. I always wished they would just go rattle him a bit early into those games.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how they chose between Hemsky and Penner to go to the game...
ReplyDeleteI wonder how they chose between Hemsky and Penner to go to the game...
ReplyDeleteHemsky's less fat.
More seriously, he has more pure skill, which is probably what the All-Star game is about, more than Penner's quiet effectiveness.
Before my pathological hatred of the Stars, I had a similar hatred for the Hawks who bumped the Oilers in Round 3 in 1992 (not even close, that series) which was my first series of following hockey and the only time I saw the Oilers in the playoffs until the 1997 series. Belfour was on both that 1992 Hawks team and then the 1998–2001 Stars teams that plagued the Oilers. I therefore cannot stand Belfour. Doesn't help that he played for the Leafs later.
ReplyDeleteSteve Smith also played for the 1992 Hawks and stifled our offense in that series. I've since hated him too. It has been hard for me to accept him back in the Oilers fold.
It has been hard for me to accept him back in the Oilers fold.
ReplyDeleteI especially hate that he played and worked for the Flames.
Before my pathological hatred of the Stars...
ReplyDeleteThat is really funny to anybody who knows Mustafa in real life, because, where lesser men have emotions, Mustafa has a beard. But I wouldn't expect the rest of you to understand.
I've since hated [Steve Smith] too.
The truth comes out, you Judas!
It might not seem so today, but once upon a time the USA was the envy of the world.
ReplyDeleteThen they decided to blow their moral authority in Vietnam, and post-9/11 simply went off the proverbial deep end.
Now the world wonders what happens what this bankrupt empire does next, being that it's still armed to the teeth. And stupider than ever.
Why the hell is the team actually considering moving Hall to Centre, when we've seen Penner playing centre on and off for two seasons and doing a decent job of it?
ReplyDeleteWould you rather see Taylor Hall in traffic in front of the net fighting with those 6'2" - 6'4" D men, or Have Penner there "Running their show"?
I think there's merrit to moving one of our left wingers to centre, I just think this is the wrong one...
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteHall is young. It's much easier to learn new skills when you're young. Now that he's adapted to the pro game, it's the best time to test him out at the centre position. Imagine, if he turns out great, there goes our need for a franchise centre. Then we can decide whether to draft Landeskog or Larsson, leaving the "need" completely ouf the equation.
Hope the All Star captains don't know that he's a square peg that's tough to play with, he might get picked last!!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with gotdots analysis is that he oversimplifies.
The reality is that Hemsky is not a round peg - round pegs are pretty easy to play with (no sharp corners), he is more like an octagonal peg with slightly rounded edges (easy to see how he could be confused with round). Horcoff is ok with this because he played his junior hockey with a heptagonal peg who had a chipped edge, which pretty much made him octagonal.
Hall though has way more trouble as has played primarily with square pegs and thus is not near as adaptable (well there was that one time in his first year in junior when he spent some time with a icosagon peg, but that was a little too weird for him).
Penner, on the other hand, is multipegdextrous and has no problems playing with any pologonial peg shape at all. He was once was on a line with a right wing triskaidecagon and a enneakaidecagon as a center and he made that line shine.
Its hard to find good stats on player pegdexterity, but I suspect that Detroit and Pittsburgh have really delved into peg shape stats big time and that Tambellini and the Oilers are light years behind on this.
Interesting move to test Hall at C and I like it. That could solve many problems. I see pros and cons of Hall playing C. He has a game changing element to his game (kinda Bure-ish) which might contradict the responsibilities of playing C. But lets see what happens.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think the Oil would be a lottery team but the 6/10 injuries are impacting in a big way. 29 is a great position to be because Id be happy with SC, AL or GL. Still cant cheer for loses but it makes sense.
Looking forward to 10's return and the deadline (6 weeks). Adding another bullet for MBS is key. So is addressing need.
Anyone else win the WJC lottery?
Hemsky's a Poiuyt.
ReplyDeletebook¡e, that was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for making my day better.
BW, I understand why they see he could be very good there. However, I do not beleive he is the best option, and if for any reason this does not work... I am much more concerned about the potential downside. As you said, it can be easier to learn at a younger age - what if he doesn't learn this, and that development time is effectively lost as a result?
This is a boom-bust type move, and I don't like it - safer to move penner there, since he's played there before at the pro level, and not risk Halls development.
In hockey terms Hall's a genius.
ReplyDeleteTherefore it wouldn't surprise me if he excels as an NHL centre, within ten to twenty games.
We all knew that they were going to try Hall at C eventually. How many thought that it would be 40 games in? He's not a competent winger yet.
ReplyDeleteDrafting for need is a mistake - especially at the front of the draft where talent drops off rapidly.
Rushing Hall to C so we can make the right mistake in June rather than the wrong mistake in June is extremely bad management strategy.
Putting the pressure on the kid to become the 'franchise' center to save the team from the string of bad management decisions is irresponsible.
I really hope that this is not the line of reasoning behind this move as I already think so little of the men running the show.
Hall's ability to play C is unrelated to who we select in June. BPA.
Good thing we are not rushing the rebuild¡
Deano,
ReplyDeleteThe scouts are saying that they can't see much difference between the top 4-5 guys in the draft.
If there's no projectible difference now, if we can't tell right now who is going ot be better, then wouldn't it be stupid to NOT draft for need?
Calm down Deano. He's playing in the middle of the ice. It's not the coming of the apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRobert Smith is a Dallas Fan?
ReplyDelete...Robert Smith is a HOCKEY fan? That's awesome.
Oil Twit...
ReplyDeleteKhabibulin to start for #Oilers vs. #DallasStars tonight.
27-4-83
91-89-23
85-13-28
22-16-46
I agree with everyone on the hatred for the Stars. I never thought m hatred for Billy Smith and Denis Potvin would ever be replaced, but alas, Modano, Hatcher, and Keane found their way onto my hate-em-so-much-I-could-puke list.
ReplyDeleteI hated the Stars and Devils style of clutch and grab so much that I refused to watch the 2000 SCF. Jaques Lemaire and Ken Hitchcock tried their best to kill offensive hockey, but they failed ( I see a Tenacious D song here somewhere).
As far as having Taylor Hall at centre over Penner, well I'd rather throw a guy out there with some tenacity rather than a guy who sometimes feels like playing.
I don't know how many big goals Benoit Hogue scored for the Stars against the Oilers during all of those soul crushing losses. Between him, Modano, Nieuwendyk and Lehtinen, the Oilers never had a chance in a 1 goal game.
ReplyDeleteIf there were a top 3 list of reasons to dislike Steve Smith, playinng for the hawks in '92 would be a distand 3rd, 2nd is playing for the flames...
ReplyDeletescoring the game winning goal, against his own team, clinching the BOA, in a game 7, for the Flames? That's hate material right there.
Lots of debate on Hall at center. I'm not sure why some are so concerned. If it's an epic fail, then I'm sure it won't last long. Just a case of no harm no foul...
ReplyDeletePenner will obviously provide some much-needed shelter. The fridge can keep any two Oilers above water for scoring chances against tough comp.
It's hard to expect that it will pan out immediately if at all, but the marketing effect worked on me. I'm anxiously looking forward to watching a game that I otherwise wouldn't be...
In the past, Copper and Blue made valid arguments that Horpensky was a reasonable PVP line in terms of sawing off tough comp--but probably not as a true PVP line.
With our depleted roster, we'll get a poor man's version of a top line again (since Hall's still a rookie/winger). When was the last time the Oilers iced a true PVP line?
D pairing as per Stauffer:
ReplyDelete49-77
41-58
5-26
For the two games that 5 and 58 played together, their heads were way above water in terms of scoring chances.
Its been the best pairing for 5 all year.
Why throw that out with 41 arriving?
If 5-26 get 2nd minutes, the this game will be a laugher.
Mind you Gregor mentioned on the show that 5's neck is still bothering him from the NYR game.
41-26 has the making of another "THE SHIFT", so maybe its for the best that 41 is with 58.
3 games into his NHL career and 58 is the key guy on a 2nd pairing.
Excellent planning 3.0!
Thank god 58 looks like he's swimming and not sinking.
Also,
ReplyDeleteBookie wins the thread.
Brilliant!
I think the Stars hate for me started back when they were still in Minnesota and they applied the coup de gras to the last decent Oiler playoff run for years in 1991.
ReplyDeleteAfter slapping the Flames and Nucks to the curb, I actually went out and got some SCF tickets...but of course they went unused.
Mark Tinordi was a freakin' beast that year.
Jay - The concern is that the dim plodders running the show will crush the talent trying to save their own jobs.
ReplyDeleteNote how easily you have 'bought in'.
My objection was to the elaborate 'strategy' that had been constructed around the foolishness of drafting for need.
I expect Hall to be #1C. But not yet.
I expect only a couple of prospects to remain at the top in June.
Jay - last true PVP line would have been right around the Pouliot Penalty Shot game on HNIC, spring 2007, I think they played one more game, perhaps against Buffalo, and then Smyth was dealt.
ReplyDeleteSmyth/Horcoff/Hemsky
I was at that game and it did not matter who the Leafs threw out against them those three had Toronto hemmed in their own end all game.
Now that is if you do not subscribe to Penner, Horcoff, Hemsky being the same, which I think plenty do. Problem is if all three of those guys are together this team is mighty thin or has been the past few years.
Re: BPA vs. need.
ReplyDeleteObviously I'll take BPA, but I'll take the guy with the better attitude/character before need. You can never have enough never-say-die guys on your team.
If you told me Landeskog is going to be a 2nd-liner at his peak, and Larsson was the next Tom Gilbert (a lead for the second pairing), even though second liners are easier to find, I'd still take Landeskog.
I'm fairly certain that the English use the metric system....
ReplyDeleteOnly when we're doing calculations and science - because base 10 is easier on the fingers.
I always wondered why the anti-empire Americans stole all of our Imperial Standard measurements.
And why they sucked the u's out of words.
Oh, and 190 pounds is 13 stone 8 if you guys want to do this properly.....
I gotta say that I don't really hate Dal as much as I used to because most of the old cunts have left and even a guy like Morrow is now a fellow I can like.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when the Stars would go 2/3 on the PP and Zubov/Modano would lead that charge and you knew it was coming and it goddamned well killed me.
Plus, it was extra hurtful for me because look at how many old Cuntreal players wound up with Dallas and that just drove the knife in further.
The years that really stand out to me were '01 and '03.
In '01 there were four good teams in the Conf - Det and Stl and Col and Dal - but then the Oilers were as good as anyone else and their GD might have been the best of the rest from Xmas on because that was the year they had the nine game winning streak and Comrie had Smyth-Carter with Weight taking on a seemingly emerging Cleary and Zholtok and then we had a bunch of good foot soliders in Murray-Grier-Marchant-Moreau.
The D wasn't that deep but there were three or four good ones there and then of course that goddamn Tommy Salo.
Anyway, G5 and the series at 2-2 and the Oilers down 2-0 after 40 and then Carter starts an improbable third period comeback that looks to be finished off by a seeing eye blueline wrister by Brewer and fuck if I didn't believe. Then Carter gets caught on a bad line change and Salo lets one in to MacLean and Muller finishes it in OT.
And of course Mike "The Cunt of Cunts" Keane assists on both goals.
And then in '03 and G6 and the Stars are up 2-0 before the ice even dries and Salo in fine fucking form.
Salo's PCT was .899 that year and he was just killing us.
Anyway, as for tonight it looks like a good time for an Over 5.5 plus Stars in reg parlay.
Dalllas hasn't been playing great at home as of late but they are really balanced and the Oilers D gets thinner and younger by the game.
And why they sucked the u's out of words.
ReplyDeleteBlame Noah Webster. Dude was passionate about 'smoothing out' english spellings and standardising things. He basically was responsible for re-inventing the way 'proper' english was used on this side of the pond through his manuals on teaching spelling. Also the mind behind the Webster's Dictionary, and for creating the sporting phenomenon of the spelling bee, which I suspect still outdraws the NHL in most of the lower 49.
And sure, put Hall at centre. What more harm could it do than the wretched defense the GM game the team? Might even work.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteGood call.
Khabby = hit the over.
Last 8 games:
Khabby 0-5-0
Doobie 1-0-2
For the year:
Khabby 27gm .895 SV% 40th in NHL
Doobie 13pm .918 SV% Tied 17th in league
MVP!
MVP!
Development year!
Oiler Mag, and they can't even get their gallons straight.
ReplyDelete3.78 litres per gallon? Pheh!
Dennis - Morrow just took over the whiny-wuss role. He's still completely hateable.
ReplyDeleteWhat Hatcher used to do was completely illegal even then. If he'd done in to an eastern team over and over like that he'd have racked up 40 games worth of playoff suspensions alone. Guy was the biggest twit going. He needed a stick through the teeth from some random call-up.
Any theories on what made the Dallas goalies (Belfour, then Turco, who taunted the Edmonton crowd after they'd win) such jerks?
When was the game where the Oilers came back from I think it was a 3 goal deficit with only a few minutes remaining?
ReplyDeleteCan someone refresh me on that, stuff going on that year and didn't follow as closely.
Any theories on what made the Dallas goalies (Belfour, then Turco, who taunted the Edmonton crowd after they'd win) such jerks?
ReplyDeleteSame explanation that the zookeeper gave when discussing Bart Simpson's pet elephant, Stampy, "Some are just jerks".
Sucking the u's out of words doesn't compare in my book to the pure arrogance of changing the name of a letter from a language that you didn't invent.
ReplyDeleteAt what point did the Americans decide to go with "Zee" instead of "Zed," and what must that process have looked like?
Baffling.
@Deano,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry too much about this experiment adversely affecting Hall. I wouldn't argue against the potential damage last season though from putting the anchor around Chroney's neck and throwing him in the deep end (pairing him with Strudwick).
@BDHS
I didn't articulate that thought very well. I guess I meant something more along the lines of an 'elite' PVP line. Horpensky was a decent PVP line, but a little low on the fear factor scale for opposing teams.
Probably something more along the lines of last year's Marleau/Thornton/Heatley or this seasons' Sedin/Sedin/Burrows.
I'm not sure what math would be used to delineate an 'elite' PVP line other than simple boxcars (top 5 line in combined points?).
Having the mullet was probably closer, but probably still not quite in that territory.
Bookie wins the thread.
ReplyDeleteWhoo Hoo, Grab your mugs, this round of beers is on me!
Whoo Hoo, Grab your mugs, this round of beers is on me!
ReplyDeleteThis is the part when you promptly lean over to Pat and and mention how you forgot your wallet at home right?
From what I've seen, while Hall's on the ice at the same time as Gagner, Hall is playing low in his own end and Gagner is covering the point. This 'experiment' isn't anything new, they've been trying him as a center for a while.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure what the difference between "keeping your head above water" and "not drowning" is, but from my eye he seems to be doing at least one of those with a center's responsibilities.
He may not win all his battles yet, but at least he's battling. We have a hell of a player in Hall, he'll do fine as a pivot. Apparently the people making decisions don't care about winning faceoffs, but maybe Penner takes Hall's draws for a while? We'll see.
From what I've seen, while Hall's on the ice at the same time as Gagner, Hall is playing low in his own end and Gagner is covering the point. This 'experiment' isn't anything new, they've been trying him as a center for a while.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if that counts as playing center or just perhaps the way the game is taught today. Often when you are teaching defensive zone coverage you refer to the players as F1, F2, and F3. F1 is generally the first forward back and is responsible for the support behind D1, F2 takes the point and F3 sags down into the slot area. The tricky part in teaching this is to get players out of the idea that the center supports down low, period.
The game has advanced in terms of defensive coverage.
I can't think of a good reason to fret over Hall at centre. It's worth a try. He doesn't strike me as a centre, but why not? Maybe he takes to it. I'd try Eberle at centre sometime too.
ReplyDeleteOiler Mag, and they can't even get their gallons straight.
ReplyDelete3.78 litres per gallon? Pheh!
Yup!! And 1.5-1.8 gallons = 1 damngoodnightout
Jake70: that was the '97 series. It was my first year back in the city and I was living with fucking deadbeats who wouldn't pay their share of the heat bill and I watched that series from the couch wrapped up in blankets.
ReplyDeleteThe shit you put up with when you're young:)
Anyway, I remember Weight scoring the first goal of that period and looking up at the clock and then the Oilers just kept coming. Buchy scored in overtime and it was bliss. That was the year I fell back in love with the club because I went to the bar and watched maybe 50 games that year - along with what I could see at home on CBC and TSN - so I knew those teams inside out.
@Hunter: Charlie Huddy - nothing to write home about
ReplyDeleteHuddy wasn't competing with Buchberger for a job.
ReplyDeleteHuddy is a proven coach. Buchberger is a developing coach.
Huddy was caught up in change. The change was probably good for Huddy's long term coaching career to have a track record away from the Oilers and away from MacT.
I don't know why some people give Buchberger such a rough time. He nurtured Reddox and Peckham, and Springfield was actually worse in the subsequent two years than they were under him. He didn't take Huddy's job.
Landeskog sort of does fill as much of a need as Couturier and Larsson.
Gotdot - Agreed, I don't understand the hate for Bucky.
ReplyDeleteAnyone got a feed other than the bad dallas feed from atdhe???
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why 33 plays in place of 46.
ReplyDeleteI just don't.
Can someone remind me why Macintyre is on the roster?
ReplyDeleteBookie, your work on pegdexterity is one of the best comments in the history of this little piece of the internet.
ReplyDeleteWoodguy: Sideburns.
ReplyDeleteNice start so far for the 89 line or are my tired eyes lying?
ReplyDeleteLT
ReplyDeleteThey DO look good. Hell, Gagner is winning faceoffs!
We're outshooting them 7-2 and we've killed one penalty to their none? Is this game going as well as those figures would indicate?
ReplyDelete"guys like it when MacIntyre plays because he doesn't necessarily play every shift so they get to play more"
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really valued member of the team.
Hemsky Must be hard to play with both 16 & 22 looked absolutely clueless out there with him, For 10sec until they Both went in offside???
ReplyDeleteHow do you spell goal against?
ReplyDeleteC-h-o-r-n-e-y
Wrath said...
ReplyDeleteHemsky Must be hard to play with both 16 & 22 looked absolutely clueless out there with him, For 10sec until they Both went in offside???
Those two can make anything hockey related look difficult.
It is astonishing that the Oilers still insist on playing 22 and SMac. Both of those players in the lineup is a handicap.
That's the best period they've playing in a looong time,and they go in down a goal. Figures.
ReplyDeleteFor those who don't remember, it would be useful for one of the OTFs (onion toting fans) to recall how many of those narrow losses effectively knocked the Stars out of contention in the next round. Mutually assured destruction.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like the Stars were happy about those matchups, either. Is there not a former player or two from the Stars who still wakes up in a cold sweat with images of Mike Grier on a hard forecheck?
What I recall is that Hitch always managed to make an adjustment in game 5 or 6 that the Oilers somehow couldn't match. Probably because Modano had that little bit more in the reserve (aka talent) and Marchant didn't, even if some of his performances were gutty.
http://www.alpha2zulu.net/a2z_channel_3.html
ReplyDeleteand if you have veetle:
http://www.veetle.com/index.php/channel/view#4cb79d6dbb0af
If you don't have veetle, get it.
I was being sarcastic...but it pisses me off to no end to those 2 float around the line like bobbleheads while "the square peg" is trying to break in. Get Off the ice guys C'mon...
ReplyDeleteThanx Deano.
ReplyDeleteHow long has it been since Gene Principe did a straight up interview without some kind of stupidity?
ReplyDeleteMan.
The NHL box score for this game doesn't even have MacIntyre in the lineup yet (though it has awarded him a penalty). They have the Oilers with seventeen skaters. That's maybe being generous.
ReplyDeleteLudlow & Rattigan "worst...commentary...team...ever?
ReplyDeleteWait, Prince George? Is a Marincin game being televised after this? I wasn't paying attention.
ReplyDeletethat was very good job 58 did on modano. before the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteWow there's really not anybody at this game
ReplyDeleteWho is this color commentator with Rod? Everything he says reminds me of that guy in "Best in Show" commenting on dogs in a dog show like they were baseball players.
ReplyDeleteA few errors so far:
1. I watched 'Dan Petry' play for Oklahoma earlier this year.
2. Commenting that hockey sticks are much longer these days, saying that they must be at least 6 feet tall. 6 feet? Isn't that a pretty short stick? And sticks aren't 'tall' they are long.
It might be tough to get through this one.
CogliaNO!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Stars/Oilers memory is driving up from Medicine Hat with a fellow MHNer and watching the Stars end the Oilers dynasty in the spring of '91.
ReplyDeleteI hate the stars as well. Being down by one goal in those series always felt like being down by 3. If the Oilers ever managed to grind out a goal, the Stars would score another one fairly soon after. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI'm too lazy to look, but The man formerly known as Foster has got to have one of the lowest PPPts/60 in the league
ReplyDeleteFFS, NHL officials. Lots of rookies? Well prepare to get the shaft. Been happening to young Oiler teams for years.
That is absolute horseshit.
ReplyDeleteThat puck is in the net before the contact. jobbed again
ReplyDeleteThey're calling the goal off for THAT? Really?! The inconsistency in reffing is really, really, REALLY bothering me this year. Fine if you want to wave it off, but that should be a reviewable play.
ReplyDeleteBah. Anyways, great read as usual LT. I am one of those fans who was in third grade during the 97 playoffs. First time I had ever paid attention to the Oilers and I've been diehard ever since Marchant's breakaway. Because of all those first round exits, I hate the Stars in a way I don't hate any other team other than Calgary (and maybe Vancouver)
My favorite Stars/Oilers memory is driving up from Medicine Hat with a fellow MHNer and watching the Stars end the Oilers dynasty in the spring of '91.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a horrible memory to have as your favourite, but alright.
My favourite oiler memory was when MAB pushed that hurricane into Roloson and killed our chance to win the cup in 06.
ReplyDeleteAh, now I see why they play 22.
ReplyDeleteWTF was that. good job telling him he was mean JFJ.
ReplyDeleteNever mind. This commentator is funny.
ReplyDelete"A disturber of the highest order"?
Im sorry, but Jacques didn't deserve a penalty for challenging Ott to fight. Since when is pushing a guy in the chest a penalty.
ReplyDeleteThese officials are awful
Nice to see a good crowd deep in the heart of Texas.
ReplyDeleteMaybe 10,000 people?
Nice drive to the net by Reddox.
JFJ is a perfect example of why you never get a frenchman to do a farmboys job...Hit Somebody.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Stars/Oilers memory is driving up from Medicine Hat with a fellow MHNer and watching the Stars end the Oilers dynasty in the spring of '91.
ReplyDeleteAfter a day of pulling legs off of insects and throwing firecrackers at puppies?
Tambi has got the refs on the same page for the dive to the bottom.
ReplyDeleteSweet Lou is gonna realize he's in a dog fight greater then any cup season in this quest for last.
Boring.
ReplyDeleteTerrible game so far.
If you want funny commentary watch the FoxSports feed @ atdhe.net few choice qoutes "good penetration action"(oilers applying pressure) "so&so falls under reddox"(don't remember who he hit but I still think it was a check)
ReplyDeleteMan Cogs is useless. He won't be missed at all when he gets flushed.
ReplyDeleteCogliano with another superb backcheck.
ReplyDelete13 lost his check and cost us a goal?
ReplyDelete:Look kids. Parliament, Big Ben"
I just told Dennis that Chorney and Foster go together like a toaster and a bathtub.
ReplyDeleteCogliano just assumed the position for that GA too. That guy can't check his hat.
Excellent Griswold reference.
ReplyDeleteNice RiversQ
Did cogs ever get hit in the face with a puck? It seems like he's afraid to take his eyes off the puck.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Dallas even has a hockey team still bothers me. I hate Hatcher so god damn much
ReplyDeleteSo, its literally a guy with a bike horn signaling the end of the period?
ReplyDeleteThe more I watch this team play, the more I want Landeskog. Outside of Stortini, there isn't a forward this team can/will throw a fucking check.
ReplyDeleteThree players get run and ZERO physical play going the other way.
Dont challenge them to fights. FUCKING HIT THEM BACK!
Brett Gee.
ReplyDeleteWas thinking the same thing. I was expecting a clown to come out on a unicycle honking his little horn for the intermission show.
kind of fitting for the officiating in this game.
The called off goal for both teams was BS. As was the calls on Smac and JFJ
At this point, the coach has so little love of Fraser that he might as well be waived and sent down. Jacques too. And they might as well trade Stortini if they're keeping Renney.
ReplyDeleteThe box score has only about 15 skaters seeing serious time on ice.
ReplyDeleteMPS needs some more muscle.
So far JFJ and Mac have a combined 3:53 TOI and 4:00 in penalties.
ReplyDeleteOf course, MacIntyre's penalty was officially "two minutes for jostling for position", but it doesn't seem like he's helping.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Bruce.
ReplyDeleteSmac might not have entirely deserved that penalty, but more importantly, he definitely doesn't deserve a spot in the lineup
The play by play guys on the Stars tv feed make you hate Dallas even more.
ReplyDeleteSmug bastards they are.
did JFJ just score??
ReplyDeleteThe booze must be kicking in.
Fourth line gets a goal. Lowetide blog explodes.
ReplyDeleteDidn't want to watch the Oil lose again so I watched 'The Town.' Good movie.
ReplyDeleteTurn on the game after. 2-nil Stars. Think I've seen this movie before. Still strangely mesmerized by it somehow.
Now JFJ just scored. Ok that clinches it, I've never seen this movie before.
I think all the planets have aligned.
ReplyDelete33 had a scoring chance!!
ReplyDeleteIn other news, frogs are falling outside my window...
I am really liking Omark's play tonight.
ReplyDeleteAnd Smac's face after JFJ's goal warmed my heart.
That goal earns JFJ looks for another month or so.
ReplyDeleteJFJ, you... You... You just totally redeemed yourself! It's all been building to this moment. He's a late bloomer.
ReplyDeleteThat will probably keep 22 on the roster when 14 gets back.
ReplyDeleteDamn.
Atta boy Jonesy!!!
ReplyDeleteIs Jacques signed long term? If not why not?
ReplyDeleteJones!!! Sign him too!!!
The next Tommy Albelin with the second assist too. That's a goal for Ripley's Believe It or Not.
ReplyDeleteOk, this movie's getting good now. Might watch this til the end.
ReplyDeleteJones for Captang!
ReplyDeleteI am three quarters serious.
That Hemsky is sooo hard to play with.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with Dallas and late comebacks?
ReplyDelete1. Boring game.
ReplyDelete2. The Stars suck and shouldn't make the playoffs if this is at all reflective of their team.
3. Hall has looked okay at C and Omark is pursuing the puck nicely.
Here comes the fricking penalty. JF Jacques giveth, JF Jacques taketh away.
ReplyDeleteMan Neal wired that.
ReplyDeleteI don't like this character named James Neal. Bad plot twist.
ReplyDeleteCrawford seems like the kind of guy I'd enjoy punching in the face.
ReplyDeleteRenney really needs to learn to cash in his chips early.
ReplyDeleteEvery time the 4th line scores get them off the ice and send them to the dressing room.
Things only go downhill when they get left out there.
Games like this show how far away the Oilers really are. They're about 6 forwards and 4 dmen short of being any good. 10, 14, and 6 would fill three of the 10 missing skaters, but still it's a tall order.
ReplyDeleteRiversQ
ReplyDeleteThis is the ONE game that they've actually taken the play to the other team. They've been the better team all night.
You could have typed that any other game, not this one.
Crawford seems like the kind of guy I'd enjoy punching in the face.
ReplyDeleteHis stint on HNIC didn't already have you convinced of that?
I wonder how different a coaching style we'll see from Renney once he has a team with the pieces to sustain wins. I suspect things like keeping the fourth line out will be much rarer occurrences. Honestly, I admire his guts and commitment in getting players time in a lot of different situations, knowing that knowledge and experience will pay off in the long term, not necessarily the short term.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of coaching, every time I see Marc Crawford I think of Micheal Douglas' character in Falling Down.
The Stars are ripe for the taking. Apparently they have the best 1-goal game record in the league this year, which is primed for regression.
ReplyDeleteNot watching, but I take it they're taking a bunch of stupid shots?
ReplyDeleteJFJ is no Sea Bass.
ReplyDeleteItsaleaf, I have a suspicion that the SCs aren't that flattering. The Oilers haven't had that much going tonight despite what the PBP crews are telling us.
ReplyDeleteeverytime I see Neal take a dive on the second Jacques cross check. I get double mad.
ReplyDeleteJust got on, how has Chorney looked tonight.
ReplyDeleteI just caught his last couple of turns and he made a couple of plays and stood his ground OK against Morrow.
Missed emptynetter. Any second now, Smyth will pass to Hemsky...
ReplyDeleteWe must lead the league in moral victories.
ReplyDeleteWould have been cool to have a brawl there.
ReplyDeleteMorrow, still a Masegnil Man.
ReplyDeleteDid an Oiler get a punch in in that scrum? Pansies.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind that third period. I've been socialized to believe interference doesn't occur in this city, anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhat year is it? We've been reminiscing about the playoff battles and tonight's game mirrored that pretty well. The Oiler's held their own but Dallas figured out a way to win in the end. Fuck I hate those guys. Seeing them 2x more this month should make for some fun hockey to watch. Even Penner got pissed off for a bit there. Ribiero screamed and bitched at the linesman and I was wondering what it takes to get an Unsportsmanlike penalty but I guess I know better than that. He seems like such a whiny douche though.
ReplyDeleteMorrow threw a cheap shot between the refs/players and dropped Foster.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably what Peckham was arguing about. Disappointed Teddy didn't take a few runs at Ott/Morrow during the game.
I heard the name VanMassenhoven...shouldn't have bothered paying attention to this one even if by radio.
ReplyDeleteThere's almost no way for a team to get that many shots and only score twice without the majority of them being bad shots. I'm guessing we made Lehtonen look pretty good.
hoil: Classic quote. Right there with Riversq and the Griswolds.
ReplyDeleteClassic
Hall didn't do too badly on faceoffs given that it's his first stint. Only 8-13 for 38% with 6/9 offensive and 2/11 in the neutral zone.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the line combos seemed to work pretty well given their lack of depth and additional injuries.
Petry looks like he could be a player in the Gilbert mold albeit a little more physical.
Omark played a pretty good game. The bad czech was a turnover machine tonight. :p
Your FO numbers are a bit off there Jay.
ReplyDeleteNope, Jay's FO numbers are bang on. Hall only took one D-zone draw.
ReplyDelete22-16-33 got a shift against Neal-Richards-Eriksson, started in Dallas zone and 11 seconds later it was in our net. If it hadn't gone in, they took a penalty. Great shift.
41 shots, every Oiler skater with at least one except Ales Hemsky. Penner with just one shot. Seems like a high price to pay for the Hall at C experiment, though it's just one game.
58 is the Oilers best PP Dman.
ReplyDeleteHe moves well to open up seams, passes well, and has a good shot selection.
83 seems to like playing with 58 on the PP. 58 must be rexatoutalagon.
23 better not see OKC again, I've got 5 forwards who can be waived before he shouldn't be on the club.
91-89-23 exceeded expectations, like to see them try that again.
28 with 10 goals with a 16.5SH%.
He is one of the worst on the team in terms of Corsi,Fenwick and Dennis' SC ratio.
I would be just like the Oilers to give him 3 years at 1.5MM/year now.
Oilers now tied with NYI for 29th in the league for point %.
Bottom 5 are (Leafs still in play tonight):
TOR .463
OTT .442
NYI .402
EDM .402
NYD .286
*clap,clap*
Horcoff, Eberle, and Whitney please come back. And bring at least two more players with you!
ReplyDeleteFaceoffs 15-1 for Brad Richards tonight. I think he'd look good in Oil blue.
ReplyDeleteDTD4L: Doing the Dog 4 Landeskog
ReplyDeleteISWT: In Stu We Trust
Excuse me, it's time for my emery cloth exfoliant and vinegar bath.