Why a Kings photo in a Jackets game? It has to do with HNIC. Tonight's game in Columbus is a HNIC game (although possibly regional) and they really don't happen often (especially if the Leafs aren't involved in the game) in non-traditional hockey cities.
I remember the Habs playing in Minnesota against the North Stars maybe 1973 on a HNIC late start (one hour later). During that game, Yvan Cournoyer took a shot from just inside the blue line that hit Cesare Maniago square in the face. I though it had killed him.
Another time, the game was broadcast from Los Angeles and those gold uni's were on display. I don't remember much about the game, but do recall I had to beg and plead my Dad to stay up that late (I think it started at 8:30 my time). Funny what you remember.
HNIC when I was a kid? It was the game of the week. My brother and I would begin the proceedings by playing hockey in the basement (he always got to be Bobby Orr, it still pisses me off. How fair is that?) for an hour or so. Mom wouldn't let us use a puck (until we got a soft puck, that was a great invention) so we used rolled up socks. Fun times.
Bugs Bunny came on an hour before HNIC and we always watched it, but the truth is I was too excited most games to pay attention. I always loved it when a non-traditional team was featured, and back in those days non-traditional meant any game that had one team not named the Canadiens or Leafs. I didn't see the Rangers much in those years. What a crazy thing.
--
The Oilers have been playing better at even strength but the PP and the PK are in love with the first overall pick and the hear wants what it wants. I look forward to a day when one of the special teams has a snowball's chance in hell of doing its job.
--
Linus Omark is having a very nice run recently. What are they going to do with all of these rookie forwards? Hall, Eberle, Pääjärvi, Omark in one season? Crazy. Just crazy. I wish they could mail just one of them back to 2000.
Great post. Reading your memories reminds me of all of mine.
ReplyDeleteCall me old fashioned, but even with all of his bumblings, Bob Cole is still my favorite. All good things must end sometime I guess.
After last nights game the Oilers are dead last in both PP% and PK%. So, congratulations, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWe are officially last now!
ReplyDeleteLarsson here we come!
Sagarin's computer has Ottawa currently weaker than us. Maybe the Sens will win on Long Island tonight.
ReplyDeleteTraktor mentioned it at the end of the last thread but RNH had a huge night with 3g and 3a against what is normally a very good Moose Jaw team.
ReplyDeleteHe's closing the gap on the big frenchman.
@ Smarmy Boss
ReplyDeleteRNH has had a great 3 weeks and has been performing at that next level everyone has been waiting for!
As of this morning:
ReplyDeleteBottom 5 pts%
TOR .461
OTT .404
NJD .385
NYI .382
EDM .373
With DiPietro going down (again), I think young Poulin will help the Isles get more wins, and they are getting healthier too.
NJD is playing like we expected them to
OTT is the biggest threat to getting 1st overall, especially if they have a yard sale at the deadline.
For fun, bottom 5 PP% and PK% as per NHL.com
PP
NAS 14.4
NJD 14.4
CBJ 13.5
FLA 12.4
EDM 12.3
PK
CHI .782
COL .780
TOR .776
ATL .760
EDM .733
Stink, Stank, Stunk
I knew the PK was bad, but it is bad by a country mile. Whoo.
ReplyDeleteI expect another thumping at the hands of the Jackets tonight too, because young Devan has effectively shown his supporters to be "fools" and earned NK some more starts.
Although, after watching last night's game, I cannot believe how much better than most of the team Hall and Eberle are. Hope for the future.
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ReplyDeleteAlso,
ReplyDeleteBottom 5 NHL teams PP%+PK%
PHX .960
STL .952
TOR .950
CBJ .930
EDM .856
Even among the worst in the league the putrid Oiler special teams manage to distinguish themselves with significant separation to create a whole new level of horrible.
But special teams aren't a big story right?
Has anyone figured out how we can get anything from Slats for putting Big Sexy on re-entry waivers?
ReplyDeleteMan, last night's game was weak.
ReplyDeleteThey did just enough to keep you from turning off the game in disgust, but then let us down again and again.
When can we expect the typical head coach flip-out?
I want the Oil to get Larsson, but not this bad.
What makes Chicago's PK so bad? They have the same fairly elite D as last year. Obviously they lost Ladd and Madden but still have Bolland, Pisani, Toews, Sharp, and I'm pretty sure Brouwer kills penalties. Maybe it's not as simple a fix for us as getting a guy who can win faceoffs and PK?
ReplyDeleteSo, other than cheering for the 3-point game, is the consensus that we cheer for OTT tonight? They've been in quite the tailspin the last couple months and look to have the harder schedule going forward.
ReplyDeleteI'd bet pretty big money that NYI/OTT/EDM will be the bottom three in some order, though.
@ WG
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is worse. The fact that I spent my free time putting together an excel spread sheet to add up the PP/PK % of the worst team in the league, or the fact that someone already posted it.
I got nothing Deano,but Matheson's
ReplyDeletelatest indicates Tambi is willing to recall him,but there are no takers.
Deano:
ReplyDeleteNo dice. I can't see Slats passing up Souray on re-entry waivers, giving us a piece/pick and taking on his full salary out of the kindness of his heart.
The Oilers have no incentive at all to let him go on a waiver claim.
If we have any kind of GM (debatable), they'll wait until after the season to deal him so we can get something back and ditch that contract.
What makes Chicago's PK so bad?
ReplyDeleteGoaltending.
CHI PK SV%
Crawford .867
Turco .850
EDM PK SV%
Khabby .806
Dubnyk .875
Fun Fact:
ReplyDeleteMVP Khabby ranks 70 out of 79 NHL goalies who have faced a PK shot with his .805 SV%
DD ranks 43/79 with his .875 (tied with Carey price)
There are some players who played very little in this metric, but I'm too lazy to pull them out.
Excellent post LT. Brought back a whole lot of good memories. Basement hockey, Bugs Bunny, HNIC and it was "bath night" to! All good.
ReplyDeleteHope to see a team with a good effort on the national stage tonight. Go Oilers!
Has anyone figured out how we can get anything from Slats for putting Big Sexy on re-entry waivers?
ReplyDeleteWe can wait until summer and then trade him. Sather's just being smart enough to go watch him play while he is actually playing to see what he has left in the tank.
John Moore making his NHL debut tonight! I was hoping the Oilers would somehow grab him in the draft. It will be interesting to see how he's progressed since then.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteCut n paste NHL stats page into spread sheet, add a SUM column.
Took 1.37 minutes.
:-)
I remember the last days of the Lowe regime (before Tambo 1.0?) when LT was pissed at the Oilers and was convinced Scotty Howson was going to turn CLB into something - and LT even considered cheering for CLB as kind of a 2nd team.
ReplyDeleteGiven their subsequent performance, I am not sure Howson or the Oilers have done much to ease LT's pain :-)
If we have any kind of GM (debatable), they'll wait until after the season to deal him so we can get something back and ditch that contract.
ReplyDeleteIf they had any kind of GM, they would not have let it get to this point in the first place.
v3.0 quote as per Matheson article that Gerta linked:
ReplyDelete“I would like to get an asset for Sheldon. If that’s not a player or draft pick, then the asset is the money we would be saving — half of what he’s owed,” Tambellini said. “If something doesn’t work out now, then we will try again this summer.”
Sounds like he's willing to let him go back to re-entry with nothing coming back.
According to Matheson the Oilers would be on the hook for about $3MM left this year and next for Souray.
A reported $3MM loss last year is one of the reasons the Oilers want a new building that they control.
This stuff writes itself.
I think it's pretty silly to believe that no one would pick Souray up for half the price. Either Tambellini is bold faced lying to us or he hasn't figured out how to use his BlackBerry yet.
ReplyDeleteNo long distance calls allowed Ribs.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Souray thing just makes me sad.
The only benefit--and this is cold comfort--is that the situation would be resolved.
Given their subsequent performance, I am not sure Howson or the Oilers have done much to ease LT's pain
ReplyDeleteYeah not much. Columbus did make the playoffs once. Also way better GD over the time period.
Speaking of which, last year the Oilers were -70. This year's edition is -50 after 51 games.
In other news the Flames are back in the hunt.
If Tambo was serious about letting him go for half his salary, Souray would have already been on re-entry waivers many times.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers are 10th.
I don't think he makes it past the other 19 teams (excluding us) to get to them.
The one thing not mentioned about RNH scoring last night, five of the six points were on the PP.
ReplyDeleteWell, the Oilers are weak there.
WG: They're also paying Stortini, Giroux, and $400K for Nilsson next year not to be here.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers are still the least efficient team in the league. Their player cost per point under Tambo is staggeringly high.
In other news the Flames are back in the hunt.
ReplyDeleteWestern Conference standing via pts%
VAN .726
DET .667
DAL .625
NSH .587
MIN .578
SJS .577
ANA .566
LAK .558
_____________
CHI .558
PHX .557
COL .579
CGY .547
STL .530
CBJ .520
EDM .373
Any combo of the teams 4-12 can make it.
Should be fun to watch and could come down to the last day for as much as 3 spots.
As soon I wrote SJS off the went from 12th to 6th.
I like to gamble, but I wouldn't touch picking who makes it and who doesn't.
I guess the argument though Deano--and this is assuming you take Tambellini at his word--if the Oilers are serious about putting him on re-entry,what do they care who claims him...the money spends the same regardless of which team takes him.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm left thinking that Souray hasn't been on recall waivers because nobody has called Tambi and told him they would take him.
@ WG
ReplyDeletethe Chicago PK sv% is very close to league average. So i am guessing they are letting in a lot of shots
Souray doesn't make it past SJS if he gets recalled.
ReplyDeleteI see no win to recall him this year. The extra money saved isn't worth it to lose him with no return.
Recall him in the summer, try to trade the whole contract (with just 1 year someone might bite).
If that doesn't work, put him on re-callable waivers the first chance you can early in the season and be done with it.
Also:
My wife told me our 23 month old put her boots on herself on the right feet twice in a row.
I told my wife "I deem your sample size insufficient"
She laughed. A good wife is gold.
ReplyDeletethe Chicago PK sv% is very close to league average. So i am guessing they are letting in a lot of shots
Sum,
According to BTN, CHI is ranked 27/30 with 4v5 SV% of .854
Median 4v5 SV% is .881
EDM is 30/30 with .833
Does that jibe with your numbers?
I think it's pretty silly to believe that no one would pick Souray up for half the price.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Souray would cost $750K this year and $2.25 Million next year.
But the timing is wrong right now. Most GM's are likely going to see what they can get Feb 28th. They don't want to tie up salary this year and next for Souray when they could get someone better for less (considering next year) in three weeks.
As much as Sheldon has some positives, he still makes Depietro look like an iron man, has had some bad seasons, and carries some baggage.
If I am a GM I wait until after Feb 28 and see where my team is at and what I get at the deadline. The cost this season always is going down and I get more looks at Souray in Hershey.
I agree WG-we've come this far--unless Katz has BMW payments to make I don't see the point of saving a couple extra dollars.
ReplyDeleteThey're also paying Stortini, Giroux, and $400K for Nilsson next year not to be here.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget JDD.
I agree WG-we've come this far--unless Katz has BMW payments to make I don't see the point of saving a couple extra dollars.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Plus there's the added bonus of firming up Katz's hypocrisy with respect to begging for public funds while having a clear cost management issue. Just wait - next year they'll have the dilemma of sending NK down.
Do you suppose a half-drunk Ralph Klein would walk into Katz's office and dismissively throw pennies on the floor or would he just kiss the ring?
If Tambellini gives up 3MM in cap space next year by losing Souray on reentry instead of just trading Souray in the offseason, even for a 7th round pick and someone who's slightly overpaid himself, he's the worst GM ever.
ReplyDeleteThe Oil will have a good core of players signed next year, and they'll likely have roughly 19-20MM in cap space, assuming a slight bump in the cap to fill in the lineup. (And they may have another top 3 pick who can contribute.)
Any GM in the league could use that cap space to build a cup contender. Even if some of it had to go to sinking Khabi. But not Tambellini. He won't go for one-two year overpays to fill in the lineup. He'll talk about "patience" and building slowly, until Hall, Eberle and the rest rightly demand massive contracts creating a cap struggling team. And we'll lose one of the best windows to win since the cup run. IMO.
note to self
ReplyDeleteNever question WG again
Cournoyer took a shot from just inside the blue line that hit Cesare Maniago square in the face. I though it had killed him.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who this Maniago character is. Is this incident in any way similar to the time MA Bergeron kabong'd Mike Smith with a slapper and dropped him like a stone? That'll always be imprinted in my memory.
dorito: Maniago was a big goalie (and a pretty good one) for years with Minnesota. They got him from the Rangers in the 1967 expansion draft and he played in Minnesota for almost a decade iirc.
ReplyDeleteThe play--and this is as I remember it--went like this:
The puck was turned over in the Montreal end and all of the North Star players were caught. Cournoyer was flying (as always) and was clear of any North Star by center ice.
The puck was bouncing maybe 12 inches from the left board and maybe a foot inside the blueline. Cournoyer came from Laredo and one timed it.
It hit Maniago flush and (remember he was a big man) he fell exactly as if he'd been shot (backwards and quickly).
LT:
ReplyDeleteIs the goalie's reaction pretty close?
I wish we could win a faceoff clean like that these days.
ReplyDeleteFor a little fucker who couldn't play defence, I'd still take him over Foster.
Any GM in the league could use that cap space to build a cup contender.
ReplyDeleteSure, kris.
Tambo will just sign a bunch of FA's, trade some assets to bring in some big names and presto, Stanley Cup. If only Brian Burke was our GM, eh?
Only problem is that no FA's will come to Edmonton for a rebuild (20% in the latest poll said EDM was the Last place they would come, & it likely wouldn't be high on the list for the other 80%), you don't take draft picks out of MBS' hands in a rebuild, and the kids are not ready.
Whale hunting has not worked here (or that well anywhere). See Souray, Heatley, Bulin, etc.
note to self
ReplyDeleteNever question WG again
Bad idea, I'm often full of shit.
Agreed that MAB is both a PP and 5v5 upgrade over 26.
Only problem is that no FA's will come to Edmonton for a rebuild (20% in the latest poll said EDM was the Last place they would come, & it likely wouldn't be high on the list for the other 80%), you don't take draft picks out of MBS' hands in a rebuild, and the kids are not ready.
ReplyDeleteBullshit.
NYI signed some good FA's like Mottau and Wisneiwski and they rank worse than EDM.
The holes in a fully healthy Oiler line up are:
1st pairing D
3/4 C who also is 1PKC
If you fill those holes and go:
27-10-83 1st/2nd toughs
4-89-14 2nd/3rd toughs
91-Lander/1st OA C-23 3/4 toughs
13-FA C-85 1st/2nd toughs
6-FA D
49-77
5-58
DD
MVP
That team can make the playoffs if they get a special teams coach.
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ReplyDeleteI loved Bergeron, and would have him on the Oil, defensive warts and all, any day over Foster. Foster's big, but he's worse defensively...and arguably offensively too.
ReplyDeleteThe guy I really miss is Roloson though. Hmm...1.2 per for 2 years for Roli, or Khabibulin at 3.75 for 4. The last time the Oilers had a good starting goalie.
Roli Interesting Glove Save
Roli with a mic
I suppose Hall and soon Larsson wouldn't be here with Roli; the entire team would be calmer with him in net.
Hartikainen is AHL rookie of the month for January.
ReplyDelete4 goals, 10 assists, +8 in 15 games. Might get a cup of coffee this year, put in another season (or part thereof) next year in OKC, and make the team late next year or the year after.
I haven't seen him play, but from what I've read, he'll be a Ryan Jones type player, only with more size. (6'2 215 at age 20). Apparently his skating is the only thing holding him back.
WG: They're also paying Stortini, Giroux, and $400K for Nilsson next year not to be here.
ReplyDeleteGiroux was hired to be a ringer on the farm team. I am pretty sure you know this.
That team can make the playoffs if they get a special teams coach.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. Its still too small and too inexperienced.
In any event I don't see the "Cup Contender" kris was talking about.
prospects: Lander a defensive Forward???????????????
ReplyDeletego back 25 year in SEL. what Forwards production for Age 19 & 18
age 18yr group
pajarvi: .59ppg 2009
J. Josefson .47ppg 2009
Backstrom .57ppg 2005
A. Kopitar .43ppg 2005
h. sedin .69ppg 1993
d. sedin .84ppg 1993
forsburg .69ppg 1991
naslund 1.03ppg 1991
renberg .59ppg 1990
m. Sundin .53ppg 1989
19 year old group
Jarnkrok .57ppg 2010
Lander .55ppg 2010
m. kruger .8ppg 2009
m. johansen .48ppg 2009
l. Eller .8ppg 2008
l. Omark .35 ppg 2006
l. Erickson .35ppg 2004
A steen .50ppg 2003
R. Nilsson .51ppg 2002
S. pauhlsen .35ppg 1996
N. Sundstrom .60ppg 1994
F. Bremberg .50ppg 1992
U. Dahlen .32ppg 1985
Lander offensive numbers @18 and 19are in the top in Sel history! In a defensive role.
I would expect him to develop into a .7ppg hard comp Center. Horcoff, Zajac, Bolland, Koivu.
RQ's point was about Katz complaining about financial losses while paying for ringers on the farm team, amongst others. But I'm pretty sure you know this. ;op
ReplyDeleteSorry, ricki, but where was Lander in your 18 yo list? I don't see his name. Also his 19 yo numbers aren't the top... he would have to score 60 % more to reach the top two guys on your list. Hey I hope he's the goods on both sides of the puck, but he still has to prove he can skate well enough to play C at the NHL level.
ReplyDeleteIs the goalie's reaction pretty close?
ReplyDeleteCrazy game to be at. Same night Stefan blew a tire on the empty net.
Next year will be interesting. I really think they won't add a single UFA next year. Tamblowe will talk of another year of development and the addition of some older rookies. I really hope they cash in on some of the pieces they have that can garner a return. Jones, Cogs and maybe Smid and anything for Foster (I still say the Habs may work with their PP problems and dmen who are hurt).
ReplyDeleteIf you replace Lander for Fraser, Hartikanen for Jones, and possibly Hamilton for Reddox, you increase your size and skill right off the bat and that could literally be your 4th line. All PK, all play two ways and all have better size then who they replace. I still think a better two way centre with size instead of Cogs would make us a possible playoff contender, but who knows what management will do.
RNH concerns me. 47 of his 69 points (someone on HF did a breakdown) have come on the powerplay.
ReplyDeleteSC appears to be a vastly superior prospect IMO.
Ducey said - no FA's will come to Edmonton for a rebuild
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is accurate. Its what mgmnt want us to believe.
I think players don't want to play for bosses that screw with their private lives by creating invisible mistresses to protect Edmonton's reputation with their gullible fans as a desirable destination for spoiled, rich, trophy-wives. The behaviour is classless and petty and the local media should be ashamed for participating and linking that young reporter to it.
In short, the mess is management's fault for not respecting the boundaries around a player's private life.
Given a choice, would you work for dinks that pull this kind of crap?
The holes in a fully healthy Oiler line up are:
ReplyDelete1st pairing D
3/4 C who also is 1PKC
Penner-Horcoff-Hemsky
Hall-5MM-Eberle
MPS-Gagner-Omark
Hartikainen-Reasoner-Reddox
Fraser, Goon, Lander, etc.
Whitney-5MM
Gilbert-Smid/2.5MM
Peckham-Petry
Foster
Vandermeer
Dubkyk
2MM
Khabi salary
That might not quite fit under the cap, but it's close. If Hall and Eberle continue to prgoress, and the 5MM rental guys are really solid, that's a dangerous team.
I would really like to see Lander spend at least a part of next season in the AHL and see how he does before inserting him into the line up.
ReplyDeleteStrome "Player of the Month in January. Scored 26 points in 13 games.
ReplyDeleteTo my mind it doesn't matter Strome or Nugent. Hall needs someone that can skate with him.
Cogs looked pretty good last night - Just saying.
Oiler site saying the Horpensky line is back together. Just in time!
ReplyDeleteThe Pump n' Dump line is staying together. I hope Cogliano can get some good return at the deadline.
Khabibulin starts according to Tencer. Jones and possibly Fraser out for Jacques and MacIntyre.
Strome is making a very strong case for himself. And he's playing with nobodies. Some team outside the lottery is going to get a very nice player.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Boston would give to flip picks.
PunjabiOil: For argument's sake, what's wrong w/picking up RNH if so much of his offense is on the PP? Right now our's is so bad I don't think it'd necessarily be a bad thing to grab someone who knows what a real one looks like.
ReplyDeleteCertainly the PP has been hurt even worse by the loss of Whitney, but right now the lack of respect team's have for our PP and the dysfunction of it are alarming.
I didn't see it mentioned here but what about the hands on Magnus Paajarvi Marchant on that chance early in the third period?
ReplyDeleteDear Jesus.
For a guy that had a little bit of money on the table that was hard to take.
Ducey said - no FA's will come to Edmonton for a rebuild
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is accurate. Its what mgmnt want us to believe.
There is a freakin survey that says that 20% of players list EDM as the least desirable place to play. This is consistent with such suveys before (even before Tambo or Lowe).
There is a rebuild, two last place finishes, more travel, lousy weather, and more scrutiny than US markets.
There is history: Hossa, Heatley, Vanek, Chris Neal, Boogaard and a long list of others.
Maybe you need Lucy to put the football down a few more times so you can try and kick it. Not me.
I'll let MBS draft a bunch of hungry kids out of the Canadian Hockey League and be patient.
Kris
ReplyDeleteThe problem with saying "get a 5 Million guy to play center" is that there aren't any FA options.
Tim Connelly? Handzus? Fleishmann? Arnott?
None of those guys is WORTH 5 million per. They will have to trade for or develop a center. End of story.
If the Oilers did draft RNH, then say goodbye to Gagner.
The more the season plays out the more I am CONVINCED one of Penner/hemsky will be moved.
Hall xxxx Eberle
ReplyDeletePRV xxxx Omark
Jones Cogs xxxx
Hart Lander xxxxx
Draft the 6'4 C from the Q
Package Penner, Hemsky and Gagner for a real C
Trade Horcoff for Komi
PunjabiOil: For argument's sake, what's wrong w/picking up RNH if so much of his offense is on the PP? Right now our's is so bad I don't think it'd necessarily be a bad thing to grab someone who knows what a real one looks like.
ReplyDeleteBecause you want your #1 lottery pick to be able to carry the mail 5 on 5. This translates to a better chance of success in the NHL.
The PP will come around at some point. I'm guessing about the time Whitney is back.
DBO: Yes, unless we have a nice run down the stretch I don't think Lowe or his puppet will try and plug the gaping holes with UFAs.
ReplyDeleteFor the guys putting Lander in the lineup, I'd like to see him win some draws and/or kill some penalties in the A before he makes the big club. At some point we need Proven abilities to be attached to our top 12 forwards.
Looks like an interesting lineup tonight. 13 gets to keep playing with the kids while the old top line gets back together and the Rolling Stones line - Gimme Shelter - of 91-89-23 stays intact.
Speaking of that, we should keep in mind that this trio Will need to be sheltered if they stay together for next year and we're gonna need a coach that realizes that.
Let's say we have a 22-85-33 4th line for tonight, well, there's no way those guys play four min together so you'll basically see a 10 man forward unit with 85 getting spot duty in the top nine.
Now, I'm not saying the BJ's will be afraid of the 13 line but they should be killing themselves to get Nash out against 89's troika.
Can anyone who thinks this team is a few savvy free agent signings away from being a playoff team point me to any examples of teams that have finished last (or even secod last) in the league, then added a couple of bottom six forwards and a couple veteran defensemen, which had the effect of transforming them into a playoff team the following season? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteTake Toronto. They looked at their team last season and thought they had a good core of veterans about to enter their prime (Kessel, Phaneuf), a bunch of promising rookies and second year players (Kulemin, Grabovski, Bozak, with Kadri on the way) and Stanley Cup winning veteran goalie paired with a hot young rookie (Giguerre and Gustavsson) and thought that a few veterans bringing in some toughness and experience would make them a playoff team. Does anyone else see some parallels here?
So they added Komisarek, one of the top rated free agent D last season, and Armstrong, one of the top rated forwards, plus Versteeg, MacArthur and Orr. That cost them more than $12M in cap space for the next three seasons but at least they made the leap from being the 29th best team in league to being the 26th best team.
What makes this year's Oilers so different from last year's Leafs that you can reasonably expect a wildly different outcome from the addition of a few free agents?
Ducey: In other words - we don't want another Schremp?
ReplyDeleteDucey - Hossa, Mrs. Nylander, and Heatley all turned them down after Pronger's 'affair' but before the rebuild even started.
ReplyDeleteIts time for you to stop listening to Charlie Brown's excuses.
If Tambellini gives up 3MM in cap space next year by losing Souray on reentry instead of just trading Souray in the offseason, even for a 7th round pick and someone who's slightly overpaid himself, he's the worst GM ever.
ReplyDeleteIt's early but you just made Mike Milbury's year. I'm not the Worst! I'm not the Worst!
Marc: off the top of my head, I'm gonna say that those old Leaf teams and the current Oilers teams had some differences that make each situation unique.
ReplyDeleteI like to think I'm a pretty level-headed fan but Because of how good the three kids look and how 23 looks I believe that with exact moves we can be ready next year.
Moves like a good goalie to bring along DD, a real FO ace/PKer and a top three D.
Did the Leaves have those holes and did they address them or even attempt to? I know for certain they didn't have a 4 or 14 to build around.
Plus, there were warning bells with Komisarek so I don't think a guy like myself would think that such a signing would be such a great boost.
"I didn't see it mentioned here but what about the hands on Magnus Paajarvi Marchant on that chance early in the third period?"
ReplyDeleteDennis, I think Conklin was guessing pass all the way there (you know, the Oilers, they pass it into the net..I kid), his left pad was moving over almost at same time, if not before, Omark's pass.
But yeah, the Oilers missing those ones last few years is a miserable plague to this team.
Jake: is it just me or does SN do a shitty job on replays? That was a Huge save - it was a one goal game at the time - and we never saw a replay of it.
ReplyDeleteThose dummies also miss a lot of FO's for that matter.
On another note, will we see 23 on the PP point against tonight? Either him Or 83 back there would be fine with me.
26's uselessness has been on display for a huge sample size so fuck him and PP time.
Can anyone who thinks this team is a few savvy free agent signings away from being a playoff team point me to any examples of teams that have finished last (or even secod last) in the league, then added a couple of bottom six forwards and a couple veteran defensemen, which had the effect of transforming them into a playoff team the following season? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons I believe this are:
1) 4 and 14 are putting up unbelievable numbers for rookies playing toughish comp and will only get better next year.
2) Horpensky was a top Power v Power line when they were together
3) 91 and 23 will have one more year of NHL experience
4) 58 and 49 will have one more year of experience
5) Horpensky and 4,14,X can give you 2 lines to outscore tough-middling comp. That's a playoff team if you don't shit the bed on the rest of the roster.
If 6, 10, and 83 can stay healthy to run the lines as I suggested, this isn't your average bottom of the barrel team.
This year they are playing 7 rookies on a regular basis. 7!!! 4,14,91,23,58,49 and 40
All those rookies look to have the makings of real NHL players. You can even argue that 4,14,58,40 are already real NHL players based on their scoring chance numbers and who they play against.
I don't think you can look to other teams to find a comparison because having 7 high quality rookies who will take another big step next year is a pretty rare thing.
I do fear my lineup is too small though.
Does anyone know the lineup for tonight? Is Penner back?
ReplyDeleteWG - I question the quality of opposition that the Oilers face every night. I doubt that our kids are facing their opponents' "A-game".
ReplyDeleteTiger,
ReplyDeleteTencer says that Penner is back in the lineup tonight. He's also indicating that Jones and maybe Fraser too will both be healthy scratches.
Deano, who cares if they are facing other NHL team's A or B game? If the goal is to create a competitive team that will make a run at the playoffs and not get slaughtered, then there is the nucleus of one right here, right now. Adding a few tweaks to the roster (as much by subtraction as addition) should make this team bigger, faster and better on ST's for next year. That is a playoff team.
ReplyDeleteDeano: Great point. The biggest problem I'm having these days is the Desjardins qual comp. I know Renney doesn't care but it's impossible to decifer imo.
ReplyDeleteQual comp--in regard to this season's Oilers--is almost useless.
jmo.
Sorry deano, I missed your point. Apologies.
ReplyDeleteDeano,
ReplyDeleteIts impossible to determine how hard any individual player is playing on any given night so you need to look at a big sample.
I think the top 9 for tonight are the optimal line up for the current group of forwards
27-10-83
4-13-14
91-89-23
13 looked very good with 4 and 14 last night, they seemed to mesh quickly.
Horpensky is Horpensky
Like Dennis said, Renney keeping the butter soft 89 line away from Nash is key.
People seem to be discounting a whole lotta sophomore jinx next year.
ReplyDeleteSorta like Lowe and MacT falling in love with Robert Nilsson (with a fat three year contract), and letting GlenX walk.
There is no quick fix in a proper rebuild. A quick fix to permanent mediocrity.
Hemsky, Eberle, and Omark is one too many small right wings/forwards on a contending team. Medium term, one of them has to go.
Gagner and Cogliano is one too many small centres on a contending team. Medium term, one of them has to go.
Now I've seen it all.
ReplyDeletePJO is quoting stats he found from the "clowns" at HF Boards.
It's really quite sad actually.
Godot
ReplyDeletePlayers with the skill and drive of guys like Hall and Eberle are not likely to regress.
Nilsson had massive "compete" issues. The young studs on this team aren't going to have those issues.
One question: Assuming they pick first, is whomever they draft (SC,AL,RNH,GL) going to make next years team automatically?
Ducey
ReplyDeleteKnow that you are patient and are willing to wait for all the drafted but unseen kids develop. But some kids develop, while some will not. Have ZERO faith in Lowe/Tambellini's abilty to discern who is who.
I tend to agree with the group that says with the right acquisitions we are 1 year removed from making a run at the playoffs.
We need to figure out which smurfs (and we have far too long a list of them) we want to keep, and will want to move the others. We need to upgrade the front end of our D and we need bigger forwards that can pay. Not skilled forwards but decidedly not coke machines.
Also while everyone thinks they are in the playoffs hunt... we might be one of the few "sellers" and might??? get a premium before 3-4 teams drop out of the playoff picture and start selling
Ducey - Hossa, Mrs. Nylander, and Heatley all turned them down after Pronger's 'affair' but before the rebuild even started.
ReplyDeleteHuh? I am not sure what your point is.
Now that the rebuild has begun they will want to come??
Why did Boogaard and Neil sign elsewhere for less money last offseason?
WG,
I think you are assuming that the rookies will all develop another gear next year. Its likely a few will take a step back. See Gagner, Nilsson, Cogs, Brule, Penner, etc. Development is not a stright line projection.
I do agree the Oilers need to get some FA's that are under rated out of the bargain bin. I just think that because some sophmores will tread water, get hurt etc, it is not going to make that much difference.
This is a last place team. Its not going to from 30th to 16th with two or three vets added in.
Good discussion though.
Hi from Jasper. A day late, and a few million $$$ short to yesterday's thread.
ReplyDelete@LT: Congrats! Your first hour runs smack dab into Quirks & Quarks, though, so schedule the interesting stuff for the second hour. :)
@EasyOil: Thanks.
Here's the thing: you can do a slow rebuild, and build a nucleus of solid talent over several high drafts, and use FAs only for complimentary slots. Or you can go full speed ahead, get a bunch of cap space, and burn it on giving good players overpays that will expire when you need to pay the kids, and hope that works.
ReplyDeleteBy burning these ELC years, the Oilers seem to have chosen the second.
re: Tonight's affair @CBJ, an early warning that CBC's idea of regional coverage almost certainly means the regional channel in standard def, not hi-. So if you're Shaw Cable in Edmonton, that means Ch. 4, NOT Ch. 209. The HD channel is out of Toronto, so their idea of "regional" is ... wait for it ... the Leafs!
ReplyDeleteThis resulted in a major schmozzle on Jan 1 when the Winter Classic was rescheduled, and the CBC folks who were assuring us "don't worry, Oilers-Flames will still be covered" seemed to have zero fucking clue that many/most people default to HD these days as their viewing habit of choice.
I think you are assuming that the rookies will all develop another gear next year. Its likely a few will take a step back. See Gagner, Nilsson, Cogs, Brule, Penner, etc. Development is not a stright line projection.
ReplyDeleteI agree I'm blue skying a bit, but 91,4,14 aren't 89,13, and 12. These kids are real high grade goods.
Also, 58 has fit in from day one, and 23 isn't really a rookie in the strictest sense of the word.
49 and 40 are likely candidates to regress.
We'll see what 3.0 does in the summer. If he adds enough pieces and doesn't lose any real NHL players, we'll have to wager on where they finish.
Bottom 5 NHL teams PP%+PK%
ReplyDeletePHX .960
STL .952
TOR .950
CBJ .930
EDM .856
These are numbers of the type that sometimes need to be parsed differently to underscore how truly fucking horrendous they are.
So let's do this. An average-performing team will have a PP & PK that together will add up to 1.000. So let's restate the above as a difference from that standard, with the bottom feeders showing a minus value below that median:
PHX: -4.0%
STL: -4.8%
TOR: -5.0%
CBJ: -7.0%
EDM: -14.4% !!
Your Edmonton Oilers special teams - more than twice as bad as the second worst team in the NHL, and three times as bad as the rest.
PS @ WG: Technically, 49 isn't a rookie, we've "only" got six.
ReplyDeleteHall
Omark
Paajarvi
Petry
Eberle
Dubnyk
Outstanding group, however you slice it. I'm getting pretty HOPPED up about the future.
Enjoy the game, everybody!
Malkin tears his ACL likely done for
ReplyDeleteseason.
That will give the Pens a little spending money/cap relief/LTIR(if they choose) at the deadline.
Bruce-I had to look hard last night when setting the PVR for the 4pm start,but CBCW-HD is showing the game on Bell Expresvu.I pity you poor bastards on Shaw if it's in standard def.
Have ZERO faith in Lowe/Tambellini's abilty to discern who is who.
ReplyDeleteOther John,
Tambo seems to me to be a good GM for the cicumstances.
He has shown that he will hang onto guys for a long time on the off chance they will develop. JFJ or JDD are examples of too long, perhaps. But the young players will get their chances and he is not going to be pulling any #1 picks for Kovalchuk stuff.
He is pretty methodical (and it drives people nuts around here) but really, there is not much that Tambo can do wrong by just being patient and handing bullets to MBS. It may take a while but it will get there.
On the other hand their are a plenty of GM's who have pulled the trigger too early on trades or whale hunts, or ignored the BPA in the draft, with short term goals in mind and set their teams back.
I think Tambo is naturally following the Vancouver model. It took a long time but they just focused on player development.
Much like Vancouver, they will likely need a different style of GM to put in the final pieces, but thats 2 or 3 years away.
Dennis, Woodguy:
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't disagree that our young guys are promising, it seems to me that for the Oilers to make the playoffs would require each of: Hall, Eberle, MPS, Omark, Petry, Peckham and Dubnyk to be not just as good as they have been this year, but substantially better. And it would require Horcoff to produce at a level he has not done for several years now. And it would require Hemsey to not get hurt and miss 20-30 games.
This just seems improbable to me. Young players don't always develop in straight lines and there are often injuries that slow them down or set them back. I think a reasonable expectation would be that a few of those players players will take big steps forward, a couple will run in place and a few will take a step back.
I also think it would be optimistic to assume that Hemsky won't get hurt when he hasn't played even 75 games in four seasons now and has played less than 70 in the last two, or that Horcoff will produce when he had less than 40 points last season and is likely to again this season. Wouldn't reasonable expectations would be 70-75 games for Hemsky and 40-45 points for Horcoff?
If all that happens, the Oilers are not a playoff team. I think they will be better next year, but not a playoff team. For them to make the playoffs just about every possible card would have fall right and that just doesn't happen very often.
By burning these ELC years, the Oilers seem to have chosen the second.
ReplyDeleteYou mean first?
Wait, there's a plan now?
ReplyDeleteSo does anyone know if there is a way to watch this game in HD? I've got shaw satelitte and the only cbc hd channel is the toronto one. Any help would be totally appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gerta. That doesn't help me, but I wouldn't want to have led others astray who have a different carrier.
ReplyDeletePS: Anybody with Shaw cable, take a minute and register a complaint. I know I'm going to.
ReplyDeleteAs per Tencer tweet:
ReplyDelete26 & 28 sit, 43 draws in for 26.
Renney: "wow, my top 3 lines look really good, how will I lose and maintain our draft position"
V3.0 : "put in Struds and start Khabby"
Renney : "Done!"
Actually its a sad thing, but there may be no discernible drop off from 26 to 43 these days.
2 has a bad habit of trying to step into hits in the neutral zone and causing 2 on 1's. With Struddy back there they may turn into 2 on 0.
Now that the rebuild has begun they will want to come??
ReplyDeleteNot as long as the bosses that got between a player and his wife are still around.
Assuming that most veteran players are married, I doubt the Oilers ability to add 'quality' veteran pieces at all. Mrs. Nylander is the norm.
TambeLoweni is a ditherer, locked into the do-nothing alternative. Methodical would imply that there is a method somewhere in there.
The CBC online feed will likely be better than channel 4. At least at my house.
ReplyDeleteAnon-BEV comes with the "time shifting" as part of your sub...ie: I get East and West feeds for CBC.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know,you have to subscrige to Shaw time shifting...so if you not paying the $2.95 month you're SOL.
Try forks in your eyes...it simulates standard def.
subscrige-subscribe**
ReplyDeleteMan you HD guys are cry-babies.
ReplyDeleteThe Oil don't look good until one smears Vaseline all over the screen.
Dean: Not all of us have a lot of Vaseline like you do. :-)
ReplyDeleteDefensemen have growing pains. People seem to think that Petry is never going to struggle. NHL coaches just haven't paid attention to him yet to figure out his weaknesses and how to make him look like a rookie.
ReplyDeleteTambellini isn't going to do much more than what he did last summer (Fraser, Foster) except hopefully get better value free agents or players via trade than he did last year. I think it will be one centre and one defenseman again.
He wants the group of young guys here to define and build the culture. If one imports a lot of veterans, that won't happen.
There is more to team-building than just numbers and statistics.
Too many Mike-Millbury-like rotisserie league GMs in the Oiler blogosphere.
Tambellini may be slow, but I think he is right in that you have to build the entire organization with the right people and processes so that it is constantly producing players.
What many here are advocating is a return to the Kevin Lowe style of GM...the wheeler-dealer.
Consistent permanent competiveness comes from a steady flow of home grown talent.
Mike Babcock said it well a couple of weeks ago. It is a mistake to get good (meaning mediocre) too fast.
2 has a bad habit of trying to step into hits in the neutral zone and causing 2 on 1's. With Struddy back there they may turn into 2 on 0.
ReplyDeleteI think I like watching 2 now just to see him biff it hard into the ice. Last game was the second time this year I've laughed at him as he comically destroyed himself. I feel kind of bad, but damn, hah. It's just funny. Like a guy getting a baseball bat to the nuts from a kid on Americas Funniest Home Videos.
Also.
ReplyDeleteA lot of this angst is psychological. The stock market doesn't care what price you paid for a stock.
The rebuild basically started a year ago December. You have to forget about the 4 missed playoff years before that or you will make the mistake akin to making decisions in the stock market based on the price you paid for the stock.
The past is only educational. And one has to make sure one learns the right lessons from the past.
Not as long as the bosses that got between a player and his wife are still around.
ReplyDeleteCal Nichols is still around?
What many here are advocating is a return to the Kevin Lowe style of GM...the wheeler-dealer.
ReplyDeleteFilling 2-3 holes on the roster is hardly "wheeler-dealer"
What was the second biggest Wheelin' Dealin' trade Lowe pulled off?
ReplyDeleteMoore playing with Hejda tonight.
ReplyDeleteAll,
ReplyDeleteKey to non-HD viewing is a quality plasma.
LCD is all or nothing proposition, whereas plasma bridges non-HD pretty well.
I spent 3 weeks watching HD and non-HD feeds on a pile of different TV's, and plasma far out performs LCD with non HD feeds.
I got my mom a good plasma for $500 on sale at Best Buy this year because she wanted a big TV and doesn't want to pay for HD service. It looks good on all channels.
I'm watching channel 4 on a Panasonic plasma, and while its no where near HD, its very watchable.
@ Ducey
ReplyDelete?????????? Good and dithers in the same sentence? Holy crap man, I'm hoping you spilled some crazy sauce all over yourself and didn't do that on purpose!
I guess the eternal debate over how bad Dithers sucks, while ridiculous, is lacking a bit of substance:
1. Did Dithers sign Rekhab for 4 years on an overpay and let Roloson go (who wanted a cheaper two year)?
- That person should be fired
2. Did Dithers try to trade Penner, Cogs and Smid for Heatley's grave digger contract and think that it might honestly be the difference and good for the long term health of this squad.
- That person should be fired
3. Did Dithers actually think he had assembled a playoff team last year?
- That person should be fired
4. Did Dithers see the sense in signing JDD to this one year deal? Can he justify with a straight face why you'd even suggest that was neccessary 'insurance' depending on what happens with Rekhab (considering you could get a Gerber for half the price if it fell out that way)
- That person should be fired
5. Did Dither's think it's in the best interest of the teams reputation for FA signings or captilizing on tradeable value of players under contract to bury Souray in the minors rather than figuring out a way to smooth it over in the press and find some rep/asset value in it?
- That person should be fired.
I don't want to find out the answer to the joke:
How many version of Dither's does it take to make a playoff team?
chartleys
DId MacLean mention in the pre-game about a Penner and Senators rumour? If so, I hope Jared Cowen's name is in the mix.
ReplyDeleteStandard def on CBC. Yuck.
How can it be????
ReplyDeleteJones scratched and JFJ and SMAC are playing!!!!
I have faith in most of the decisions the Oilers' management make however this reeks of putrid stupidity. When will it click that guys like that aren't worth shit and guys like Jones are gold?????? Does anyone know why this has happened, aside from the influx of healthy forwards?
Boom!
ReplyDeleteLove Swedes!
Linus Omark. Holy.
ReplyDeleteO'mark. Love him
ReplyDeleteOmark is a wizard.
ReplyDeletePLUS Magnus is a Swede with Finn rising.
ReplyDeleteDeano: Great point. The biggest problem I'm having these days is the Desjardins qual comp. I know Renney doesn't care but it's impossible to decifer imo
ReplyDeleteLT,
I think this is a function of 2 things.
1) Lots of injuries resulting in players have a pile of different line mates. Look at Paajarvi's 5v5 link combos so far this year.
2) Opposition coaches targeting the rookies with their best lines.
From night to night the opposition coach's target changed due to who was playing with who
Gabe states in the comments here, in the comments. that Corsi QC works best.
By Corsi QC we see the following for the Oilers this year: (toughest to easiest)
14
91
67
10
89
83
4
28
13
27
16
22
23
46
This makes sense if you are an opposing coach playing a team that doesn't match.
The guys at the top of this list are either rookies, or players who have a lot of ice time with rookies.
Nice to see Magnus score after taking that hit when they gained the o-zone.
ReplyDeleteI'm streaming from CBC. Haven't watched a game on live TV since 2007.
ReplyDeleteQuality is crap, but hey, the last couple of years it matched most of the games.
I never noticed that bad of a picture on LCD though, there's a LCD TV at my friend's place and I watch non-HD stuff there all the time with no problems.
It's fun to watch HD sometimes though, like Star Trek, you can see the rosy makeup, and the green off-colour of Spock's ears.
Struds draws in too. Is he playing forward?
ReplyDeleteWeekes mentioned that MVP is a "Stanley Cup Winner" and you shouldn't count him out.
ReplyDeleteDRINK!
Does anyone know if Rundblad is paired with Larsson on Skelleftea?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.skellefteaaik.se/content/spelare/default.aspx?nr=5&position=back
43 turns a 1 on 1 into a break away.
ReplyDeleteDRINK!
Where the hell is HBomb?
Under the table. These drinking games can be dangerous. For instance, I'm two drinks in and Mark Lee sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteCheeseburgers.
ReplyDeleteFats!!!
ReplyDeleteWinning draws and shooting pucks.
Are these guys the Oilers?
Can someone tell Steve Weekes that the Canucks aren't playing?
ReplyDeleteI was going to play the Khabi game, but that's about 4 now, and it's not 10 minutes in. I don't have that much booze in the house.
ReplyDeleteWeekes is in love with the Bulin Wall. It's like the last couple seasons never existed. Although, he is playing well at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWeekes' constant felating of MVP is giving me indigestion.
ReplyDeleteTo his credit, MVP hasn't given up a soft one, and had a couple of good saves.
ReplyDeleteTo listen to Weekes' he has stopped 50 shots in 3 minutes while composing a sonata.
I need a new drinking game people, one that won't lead to alcohol poisoning. You'd think Weekes was Khabi's dad or something.
ReplyDeleteBut lordie he's being left out there a bit, how did that turn into a two on none low down there on that last chance?
Also Horcoff wins a faceoff, drives hard to the net to draw attention, screen, and be in position for possible deflections or rebounds, yeah he's the problem on this team alright, way better without him in the line up.
So I bought a new TV today, kinda big for my needs. The Oilers seem to have everything going right for them so far tonight for how they're playing. Do I buy a new set every game night? Who can help me finance this?
ReplyDeleteWoodguy: If you listen to CBJ's announcer's you'd think the same as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the announcer's are in on our drinking game too.
Showerhead: Not until next season.
ReplyDeletePsyche:
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if Rundblad is paired with Larsson on Skelleftea?
Rundblad mostly plays with Tim Erixon or former Panther Ville Koistinen.
5 and 49 cant be on the ice together.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Hall. That is all.
ReplyDeleteSo Renney scratching 26 and 16, both of whom are signed through next year, should send a signal to v3.0 eh?
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else hear Kevin Weekes just call Strudwick "..an excellent skater".
ReplyDeleteHelp us solve an argument. Is the proper plural more likely to be, "Beer and clams" or "Beers and clam"? This is pertinent somehow.
ReplyDeleteShowerhead,
ReplyDeleteSeeing how, like Moose, Beer is a plural, I'd say "Beer and Clams" is correct.
//So Renney scratching 26 and 16, both of whom are signed through next year, should send a signal to v3.0 eh?//
ReplyDeleteYep, both of those guys have not lived up to expectations, but there is nothing wrong with their modest two year contracts. If you had signed them to one year deals, and they had a good year, then you would be stuck having to re-sign them.
A mistake on a veteran defenseman under two million and on a forward under a million on short deals are ones that one can live with.
Beer and clams pal, no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteThe mistake was Brule's two-year deal. That was a case where the second year didn't have to be offered. You offer one year, and tell him he can choose arbitration in the second to get to UFA status if he has a second good year.
ReplyDeleteLess thinking and more drinking.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell is Don Cherry talking about? Does anyone have a drinking game involving that?
ReplyDeleteWHen he says "everythink" you have to inhale Peru.
ReplyDeletedrinking too many beer leads one to really crave clams?
ReplyDeleteis that what you were looking for?
well, lots happening in that period and young 58 is off the goddamn rails altogether. the deal now is to see just how long his slump lasts and then we'll have a bit more info about him going forward.
other things:
- 43 is to d usefulness as is a 3 inch rod to good porn
- BJs going after 89 with nash at the start and with good reason
- brutal work by the Oilers D
- renney sits down two of his four PKers in 16-28 so now we've got 10-83-89 in PK play.
- great stuff by Khabby.
- I have a 3 way parlay in play with Habs $line and UCLA to cover both winning today. 20 bucks on the ticket with the Oilers at +225 to win in reg. it pays $196 if the Oilers win but I can't hedge because the game isn't listed as in-play on bowmans.
chances 8-12; 7-9 EV
I prefer beers and clam.
ReplyDeleteTo ensure, though it should be obvious, it is understood that there is far more beer than clam.
But you are all well aware right now of my poor level of proficiency with the written word.
chartleys
Hey, we have a powerplay! Oh, wait...
ReplyDeleteThat should read
ReplyDeleteby now...
Yeah I write the english dumb!
chartleys
Hmmm. 5/6 Manitobans in my living room go with Beers and Clam. Mind you, 6/6 support Lowetide's "more drinking" suggestion. Time will tell - I've had a buddy I don't see too often spend the last week here with me in Winnipeg and we haven't gotten a chance to get really wrecked until tonight.
ReplyDeleteHockey.
BD,
ReplyDeleteGreat post today.
Agreed on how the 4th line can be the level on which everything hinges>
Good hockey teams beat teams with all 4 lines.
That's why we have two 4th lines!
ReplyDeleteThanks Woodguy.
ReplyDeleteFun game to watch, two bad teams makes for a lot of chances.
I can't seem to find the game.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'll address the "beer" question.
When should we say "beers" instead of "beer?"
1. Obviously, you should say "beers" when discussing different brands of beer.
2. Since "beer" is a mass noun and not a count noun like "sheep," "deer," or "water," e.g. "I drank some water" or "I drank some [mass of] beer," it seems like you should not pluralize it for the same reason as you don't pluralize "deer."
3. However, the common phrase "a beer" really uses "beer" as a count noun. Notice you're not supposed to say "a wine" or "a champagne" or "a hyrdogen" because "wine," "champagne," and "hydrogen" are mass nouns. Instead, we are supposed to say "a bottle of champagne" or "a glass of water," etc. Indeed, if "deer" is a mass noun, then to be consistent, we really shouldn't say "a deer" we should say something like "a buck" or use some other appropriate count noun. However, we've been saying "a deer" and "a beer" long enough that we've turned these nouns into dual use nouns, i.e. they can be either count nouns or mass nouns.
So, I think you can say "beer" or "beers," and really, you should be allowed to say "deer" or "deers," but if you say "deers" people will correct you.
Is there a link yet?
MORE drinking and less thinking. Am I using too many words?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockeynightincanada/idesk/
ReplyDeleteDecline it!!
ReplyDeleteCbc don't work for me, and it's probably something to do with not being in Canada.
ReplyDeleteStorts wearing #24 in OKC.
ReplyDeletePlease go to the following link and sound-off on what assholes Weekes and Rainnie are. http://www.cbc.ca/contact/
ReplyDeleteOur tax dollars at work!
Am I using too many words?
ReplyDeleteKris is.
My asshole post has exactly the right amount of words.
ReplyDelete//- BJs going after 89 with nash at the start and with good reason//
ReplyDeleteIf the BJ's are going after 89 with Nash's line, that means Hemsky isn't a good enough player to force the other team to go power vs. power against him, because Hemsky can be neutralized by a lowly checker.
That means other coaches are telling Tambellini that Hemsky isn't worth $5.5 million a year on a new long term contract.
kris - the only time you say beers when you have too many beer
ReplyDeleteHemsky isn't at his normal level yet. He'll get there.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I'll just have some whiskeys.
ReplyDeleteYou can find a stream here http://uwjzt.blogspot.com/2011/02/ch2_03.html
ReplyDeleteAlso I knew Huselius was going to score tonight after Traktor called him useless, and I heard he was scratched last game.
ugh.....strudwick.
ReplyDeleteStruddy and 49 on the ice with 89's pillows.
ReplyDeletePuck in the back of the Oil net.
Expected.
kris - the only time you say beers when you have too many beer
ReplyDeleteThis is the correct answer.
what was strudwick thinking there, that he was sliding into third base?
ReplyDeletemaybe he's playing the wrong sport.
Buffalo is up 4-1 over the Ballard's so Canada can sleep well tonight.
ReplyDeleteEvery time the Jackets get a chance I just think how pleasant it'll be watching Larsson calmly break up a scoring chance by being in exactly the right spot and deftly using his body or stick, then passing it up smoothly onto the stick of a forward blazing up the neutral zone. Yeah, 15-18 years of Larsson is worth this.
ReplyDeleteuntested StreamTorrent link:
ReplyDeletest://A1MCgpwEdUsDSwWCoAHIgBbRNj1esu5cqaCq/prBUNemihcXSmF5J3MgQW5hbG9nIENhYmxlIEZlZWSKQQtsb2NhbGRvbWFpboqiB0dlbmVyYWw=
The 4th line is making a big difference tonight. Name them.
ReplyDeleteLiam Reddox. He's a one man band.
ReplyDeleteLiked that hit by VNDRMR
ReplyDeleteWeekes makes my head hurt. Don't say anything unless you have something to say pal.
ReplyDelete19 to 18 shots on goal advantage for Columbus.........just wait till JJ Hebert corners the official NHL scorer. New SOG # Oiler leading SOG 26 to 18
ReplyDeleteIf the BJ's are going after 89 with Nash's line, that means Hemsky isn't a good enough player to force the other team to go power vs. power against him, because Hemsky can be neutralized by a lowly checker.
ReplyDeleteThis is the most intellectually dishonest argument I've ever seen on here. I don't know where to start but you clearly have a narrative you'd like to support and it's a stupid one.
Hemsky AND Penner AND Horcoff are currently +1 in this game and seem to be outchancing at a pretty good clip. Arniel is choosing to take a gamble here.
The 3 F with the lowest ice time - 22, 85 and:
ReplyDelete14
It's obvious that the Oilers management is using the Nordiques formula. But the bad thing is that the Oilers have not yet come close to drafting a group of players as talented as the Nordiques were.
ReplyDeleteIt is a back-to-back, and Eberle's first games back from an injury.
ReplyDelete