If you're an Edmonton Oiler fan today is going to feel strange. We're running out of things to point at and laugh or fret over, and "the road" looks like it might not be the challenge we thought it would be for this edition of the Edmonton Oilers.
The pro scouting staff's bets (Potter, Petrell) are making the Morey Gare Five look like they are cutting edge. Stu MacGregor and his band of note takers have been sending men to the front since 2008, and can boast all of RNH, Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi and Anton Lander. The OKC Barons are winning and the draft picks are fine--even Klefbom is playing more each night in the SEL.
I guess we can worry over Hemsky`s contract and wonder if they`ll sign Corey Power Potterplay to an extension or lose him ala Jan Hejda, but really this team is performing well and the underlying numbers--while suggesting current levels are not at all sustainable--appear to be much improved over previous levels.
There`s every chance they step into the elevator shaft after I post this, and if they do full measure to the Hockey Gods for identifying a fanbase so high on wins they have a collective case of the Jimmy Legs. Hell, I`m even thinking of bringing back this guy:
Welcome to the Land of Optimisim, Lowetide. FYI, the winning streak started when I gave an Oilers jersey to my Canucks-fan girlfriend.
ReplyDeleteWEIR
ReplyDeleteWas that Paul Henderson doing color?
ReplyDeleteIs Klefbom back with the big club?
ReplyDeleteIf so, that's good news.
The team looks well coached, and everyone has bought what Renney is selling.
Imagine when arguably their best D and best F get back in the line up.
Strange days indeed.
Come on LT, don't give up so easy!! Until this team wins the Cup in four straight someday... of course, we'll find things to complain about!!
ReplyDeleteNow if I were a Kings fan I would be complaining about Ethan Moreau... as in, why is he still in the NHL? Ditto Penner who blew his wad in the first 5 mins and was never heard from again.
I sure miss those guys.
That penalty by theformerCaptainethanmoreau was the cherry on top for me. A soul crushing offensive zone penalty for absolutely no reason at all? You bet!
ReplyDeleteApparently Scott Howson was in charge of the Oiler goaltending situation in 05/06.
ReplyDeleteSpends piles of dough and banks on Mason getting back to form of a single career year instead of the performance of his last two years.
He did sign the best AHL goalie last year, Mark Dekanich (.931 with Milwaukee last year, .914 and .923 two year previous to last), but Dekanich is still out with a high ankle sprain.
CLB outshot TOR 39-18 and lost 4-1.
When TOR made it 3-0 early in the 2nd Mason had a .400 SV%.
Crazy.
Now if I were a Kings fan I would be complaining about Ethan Moreau... as in, why is he still in the NHL?
ReplyDeleteTack on: "and why did MY team have to be the one to sign him?!" to it, and you're all the way there.
"Spends piles of dough and banks on Mason getting back to form of a single career year instead of the performance of his last two years."
After, one of the goals both Mc79hockey and I think Gregor, both tweeted that that goal just got Howson fired. Twas funny.
Not to mention that 3rd string CLB goalie Curtis Sanford goes down so CLB's goaltending duo is Mason and something called Allen York from Wetaskawin.
ReplyDeleteMr. York's previous pro experience is 6 games in the AHL.
He played AJHL then ECAC for Rensselaer.
Injuries are a bitch.
LT I think you should keep taking screenshots of the Oilers in first place. Sure, after 9 games being in first is odd, but it was early and odd things can happen in Bettman's NHL. As we are now 13 games in and still in first, it may be worth another screengrab.
ReplyDeleteLets keep the dream alive as long as possible.
I think that the Oilers should do something different for their Stanley Cup Parades. Usually, when a team wins a cup, they parade through the downtown or whereever the main drag of a given city is. It's been done.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Oilers should do is Parade through the downtown and main drags of the OTHER NHL cities in Canada. Starting with Vancouver, and ending with Montreal.
Sure, there'd be riots, lawsuits, and the potential to have Quebes leaving Canada again, but really... Wouldn't it still be worth it?
I would like to offer kudos to Mr. Tom Renney for the fine job he has done coaching the Edmonton Oilers this year. And for the fine job sandbagging last year.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this road trip will still be a challenge against the teams that actually show up for the game. But now at least we know what our guys are capable of achieving.
I would also like to thank Mr. Ryan Smyth for vetoing Tambellini and rejoining his team. When the crest on the chest doesn't match the tattoo on the ass...
Jordan, why in the name of all the hockey gords would you risk a hex of that magnitude? What are you thinking man?
ReplyDeleteWoodguy - Klefbom is back playing with the SEL Farjestad team. He's played an average of 17:00+ in the past 3 games, but was -2 in a loss on Thursday. He's been paired with Brodin, although Brodin has been consistently receiving a few minutes more than Klefbom each night, likely attributable to special teams (PP) play. Still no points for Klefbom in the SEL, but when playing for the J20 team, he had 38 shots in just 10 games, good enough for 2nd most on the entire team, despite having played 5 less games than the leader. I think the offence is there, and it will be great to see him in the 4-Nations U20 Tournament next weekend and the WJHC over Christmas. Positive arrows!
ReplyDelete@LT: I told you once ...
ReplyDeleteClassic!
This morning's headlines:
ReplyDeleteOilers win sixth straight
Khabibulin records seecond shutout of season, Edmonton remains first in Northwest Division
Hands up, everybody who saw all of That coming.
I think I'm getting dizzy.
What I find hilarious is that the complaints are starting to surface that the Oilers are playing boring hockey. Boring? It's bloody frabjous. Gilbert doing a perfecto on a partial breakaway is boring? Petry doing a little stick poke and so on. How about the Nugelet lifting the stick at the perfect time? It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteImagine when arguably their best D and best F get back in the line up.
ReplyDeleteWG- If the last 20 years remains a relevant predictor of things - that is the moment that everything goes to hell.
What were everyone's thoughts on Teubert?
ReplyDeleteGot to admit, I liked him more than I was expecting to.
Teubert's mindset seems to be "Come down my side, you're going to hurt". I like that. There seemed to be a lot of coaching to keep him grounded, nice and simple. A lot more upside than I expected.
ReplyDeleteTeubert looked solid. He was calm, and looked way better then his D partner Peckham. If he plays this well I see peckham taking a seat when Barker comes back, and when Sutton is back I expect Teubert to go back down since they won't risk waivers on peckham. Teubert and petry will all be in the minors by months end, unless the oil move a Dman.
ReplyDeleteWho knew we'd be talking about sending away a dman instead of the need to pick one up. Bizarro world Jerry, bizarro world.
Jordan, why in the name of all the hockey gords would you risk a hex of that magnitude? What are you thinking man?
ReplyDeleteSome men just want to watch the world burn. /Michael Caine
Teubert was physical, won races and used his strong shot in a variety of ways. If he does it regularly, Sutton is out.
ReplyDeleteIronsight,
ReplyDeleteGood stuff, thanks.
Speeds,
Like Renney told him "if you aren't noticeable in the game, that's a good thing"
Kept it simple, hit some guys, but didn't put himself out of position to do so.
Saw him ok, saw Peckham both worse and better at different times last night.
So, with Tuebert, Potter, Gilbert and Petry on the NHL roster they have a few RH Dmen.
Its Bizzaro world.
Word of the day: Trimeyss.
ReplyDeleteNow i've been following the Oilers since the 2007 debacle. And now when they begin winning I can't watch most of the games due to school/job/gf.
God damn it.
Teubert looked ok for his first game. He looked better than Peckham, who has no confidence at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd now when they begin winning I can't watch most of the games due to school/job/gf.
ReplyDeleteIf you are an Oilers fan you know enough. Quit school.
Get a more understanding boss. Dump your girlfriend.
Get you priorities straight pal.
Ducey: Haha. Nice one. It's not that bad, just that I can rarely catch things on West time now.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we keep up the pessimism, the karma will stay in the Oil's favor. Don't plan any parades!
ReplyDelete@fpb there will be plenty of time for hockey when you're middle age like the rest of us here. Keep focusing on the trim--we'll let u know if anything big happens with the oil
ReplyDeleteWG:
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of talk that, if EDM can acquire a top D man, a RH might be preferable. And I'm not saying you necessarily turn one down just because he shoots right or left, if you have the chance to get one, but with the emergence of Potter and Petry*, and the uncertainty with Whitney's health and contract status, I don't know that the Oilers specifically necessarily need the RH D as much as some argue.
If the team keeps running out results until mid Jan**, how might this D look if EDM looks to add a D?
Whitney-Gilbert
Suter-Potter
Smid-Petry
* And yes, of course it's early
** Again, it's early
The plain fact is: having TWO number one draft picks in consecutive years, plus all of the other good to great picks and you have a guaranteed cup winner.
ReplyDeleteI'm crazy enough to semi-expect them to make the finals this year, then win.
Then what would everyone say?
PS: It's not only the wins. It's the way the other teams are left shaking their heads at having just been taken to school.
I had to look this up so...
ReplyDeleteSutter was hired Aug 23rd, after both the Petrell and Potter signings. Worth noting that the previous guys deserve the credit. Those guys by the sound of it are Kurri (for Petrell) and Renney (for Potter).
funny thing is we are now following the Detroit model. all these talks of "models" and we have almost fallen into the Detroit one. We have actual vet nhlers playing roles, and young AHL players good enough to play in the bigs (Omark and Hartikainen, adn eventually Petry and Teubert) but still in minors until needed. We ar actually allowing for "time to develop".
ReplyDeleteI say it again, Bizarro world.
I am wearing my Oilers tie outside for the first time in years. Good days.
ReplyDeleteThe hockey Gods are fickle - they present their blessings and curses when they choose. What may seem orthodox one day to them may be blasphemy the next.
ReplyDeleteThese are the signs I am reading:
- A 40 year old goalie is leading this team with a .960+ Sv%, with a young apprentice who's Sv% is still .020 above average
- Smytty Has Been returned to us and is playing like the Oilers he's always been
- CFP has returned to us younger and better, without his Edmonton-hating wife
- 3 young men in blue and orange are playing like they are from the Oilers of the 1980s
- The Oilers and the Leafs are leading their conferences. At the same time.
The Hockeys Gods are smiling on us right now. I can either cringe in fear that they decide to take the blessings they have given, or bask in the glory of being a fan of a favoured club right now, and dream of what could be.
I'm not as prolicfic a poster as many, but I've been on the positive side of how this may role out for a while now. I will continue to do so, and be "that guy". So, of course I am going to choose the latter.
Re: Teubert
Any game that a defensive D prospect can go 0-0-0 0 0 PIMs, especially against a team like the Kings... That's a great game. Hope he keeps those numbers till he's back in OKC.
skiniz: very very good, esp of the fairer sexe. If you don't beleive me, ask Pat.
Speeds: I like the hypothetical, but at this point, I wouldn't break up Smid-Gilbert for just about anything. That pair is looking like a premier shutdown tandem that can also move the puck effectively. Potter or, better yet, Petry can play effectively with Whitney. Good times if those are our top two pairings.
ReplyDeletepboy mentioned it a bit ago, but if this is our healthy D then I am happy
ReplyDeleteWhitney-Potter
Gilbert-Smid
Sutton-Petry
Barker
Makes us do something about Peckham, but that is our best D right now and has solid balance of offensive and defensive, vets and kids.
Hunter - Are you pretty much either in full doom and gloom mode or happier than possible mode? You have gone from amazing bitter to amazingly optimistic.
ReplyDeleteRemember when the penalty shot was the most exciting play in hockey?
ReplyDeleteThat was fun.
Rather than following the Red Wings model, maybe the Oil have swapped places with Detroit? 6 losses in a row with a paltry 6 goals scored for the Winged wheels. Meanwhile Edm and Tor sit atop their respective conferences. Strange days indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe most encouraging part of last night's win for me was the offensive contributions from the 3rd and 4th lines and the team getting a win despite a negligible showing from the Kid Line. A real indication that the team's increased depth is going to be a significant factor in moving the squad up the standings. That said, I think the cautious optimism of the fanbase is well placed. It's hard to anticipate Potter, Khabibulin, RNH, etc. producing at this rate for a full 82, but where we're really catching lightning in a bottle here is with the team buying into a system and that system paying dividends early. Renney seems to be legitimately instilling a culture and getting the buy-in he needs to maintain that culture over the long haul. THAT is huge.
A couple more observations on last night's proceedings. Ryan Jones does a lot of little things right to help his linemates. He seems to understand his role very well on that line and is playing a solid, simple game that minimizes his limitations and supports his linemates very well. Will be very interesting to see where Hemsky goes when he comes back. Jones and Smyth in particular seem to be kindred spirits. Brothers of the mullet?
I question the wisdom of burning out Khabibulin early. I get that he's the hot hand at the moment, but Dubnyk has played well in his starts too. Would think the club can possibly get a full year of solid performance out of Rekhab if they spell him strategically. Next game against PHX's pop gun offense seems a perfect time to roll with the youngster. Why do I get the feeling you're only going to see him when there's games on back to back nights however?
Finally, is there anything wrong with 'The Pipeline' as a moniker for RNH, Hall and Ebs? Yes, it's obvious, but is also works on numerous levels.
I think there's something about the Alberta personality that promotes manicness. The long pleasant summer days with endless sunshine then the long dark winter months with the blisteringly bright (but short) days. It's a huge up and down cycle and it promotes a rhythm. The weather in Victoria is just boring in comparison. We don't even get a thunder storms here.
ReplyDelete@ Lee
ReplyDeletePipeline may be okay, but the best that I have heard has to be the Diaper Snipers!
:)
Speeds
ReplyDeleteIf somehow we could get Suter, we would have a real REAL solid top 4 w/ depth. And if Whitney were to go down again Potter could very easily move up to play with Suter
Have no idea whats going on with Peckham but it hurts to see. Good guy, great team player but his confidence is completely shot.
No way Khabby stays above .930 but it has been an incredible run. Smytty has been a slight upgrade on Colin Fraser, albeit he is a wee bit more expensive
Where have all the bulin haters gone?!..
ReplyDeleteWoodguy
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with Bruce. Jonesy has done a real decent job playing with Smytty and Horcoff. Keeps his game very simple and just tries to fit in. Thought it was a bad signing, still do but he has done everything asked of him on that line
Corbin
ReplyDeleteWhen your coworker comes in late every morning; is disshevelled;, out late night partying, takes long lunches and doesn't get his work done. Worse, he prevents you from getting your work done and productivity falls and no one gets bonuses: no one likes the guy
When guys cleans up his act and starts doing what he is paid to do, generally co workers get off his back.
Or did you think it was his job to work hard every third year n/w/s getting paid $3.75m for 4 years?
The RNH-Hall-Eberle line could be named “The Downtown Line” for new arena and district, mirroring the rejuvenation and revitalization of both the team and the downtown core.
ReplyDelete@Perry K. Diaper Snipers? lol
ReplyDeleteSorry, that's too shitty. I can't get behind that ;)
I keep thinking that it is Kreuger with the system. You know that Swiss team that drives Canada crazy in the tournaments. Unless Renney became a defensive genius it's got to be Kreuger. It's like the unknown planet - something is creating an effect on the other planets.
ReplyDeleteGiven that RNH is from BC, Hall from AB and Eberle from Sask, there has to be some mileage on a line name based on their western connection?
ReplyDeleteWest's Best
Best Line in the West
The Wild West Line
etc.
Or thinking outside the box: The Shooting Gallery, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. lol
Mind you, I'm still looking forward to Hartikainen on a line with Eberle giving us Hartski and Clutch.
The Life Line
ReplyDeleteThe Pickup Line
ReplyDelete:)
"pickup line" may be genius, not sure.
ReplyDelete"wild west line" is solid, and geographically accurate.
Another weird idea for a name for the Kid Line based on one of my favorite tunes: Lawyers, Guns & Money
ReplyDeleteRNH is the slick, smart pro with a good head for the game - He's the Lawyer
Hall is faster than a speeding bullet with a cannonading shot - He's the Gun
Eberle scores when it matters most - He's Money
If nothing else, they would play some Warren Zevon after a big goal!
I agree
ReplyDelete"pickup line" rocks :)
All the callups and the loss of Chorney has put dent in OKL's defence. This is who they dressed on D last night:
ReplyDeletePlante
Motin
Helmer
Lowery
Montgomery
Ringwald
Not pretty (although some of those guys are very useful AHL vets). That lineup will put some pressure on to the Oilers to return Teubert and Petry to the farm ASAP.
I have loved watching Petry play but he won't be hurt gathering some frequent flyer miles shuttling back and forth.
It's def Krueger's influence that has finally caught on (or finally been given the green light). He's a coach who has designed a system for soft, smaller skilled players to shut down bigger, better teams.
ReplyDeleteSports Club Stats has the Oilers at 91% to make the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteA complete collapse is always possible thanks to injuries and such. Does anyone here think they can post another 35 wins?
so now we're team Switzerland?
ReplyDeleteThat never ends well.
Bos8/JustDoit: While I'm sure Krueger helps, I don't know why you're so quick to right of Renney. The guy is a well-respected coach who, given this year's results, was clearly helping the team tank last year. The line-matching alone this year has made a world of difference.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have three rooks plus Peckham on the D without it turning into a Horror show then All Hail the system. It seems to be position, discipline, support and repeat. The sum of the parts is greater... Then, players circling back rather than forcing passes. Watching this is a total blast. I think cries for the 7 mil #1 D will start fading shortly
ReplyDeleteThe Katz Meow.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't think 58 or 33 will be replacing 25 anytime soon. I didn't see much from 33 at all; he wasn't noticeable in a bad way and that's cool but as much as 24's been bad early on, he did make two or three nice plays last night where he stepped up just inside the Oilers blue to thwart entry passes.
ReplyDelete25 blocks shots and bullies people and kills penalties so I think his job's safe; just as long as his checks resemble those of Wolski or Steckel rather than himself but that's for another time.
I think you'll see Petry and Teubert back in OKC as long as we're healthy and 24's the 7th guy while the Oilers give the 13-25 tandem the soft minute and a chance to justify their acquisitions. That's not saying I wouldn't like to see 58 down with 25 but I don't think the Oil give up on 13 all that easily.
Speaking of the new guys, it's 44's work that's really exciting me.
We know that 10's still good when he's healthy and that him and 94 have real chem. Yeah, 94's way over his head point-wise but he's still gonna be able to keep the puck in the good end of the ice when the percentages catch up to him.
We know how good 4-14 are and that we could count on them for some offense.
We had a good idea that adding 94-20 would help our PK; we also heard that 37 was a PK beast. So, adding four new PK pieces and using six guys all the time gave us a clue that the PK would be much improved. In fact, I think it was pretty good the last half of last season, wasn't it?
We knew that 77 could be good.
So, outside of 93 being good out of the box and Khabby - more on him to close - being great, it's 44's work at EV and on the PP that's exciting me. If he is the next Hejda diamond in the rough then that makes everything so much easier. I keep waiting for him to make bad plays and still be lucky but, no, composure and good decision-making with the puck and a big frame to use when he doesn't have it.
To close on Khabby, I'm not knocking him but it's more about the team than it is him. How many big saves did he need to make last night? Less than five. That home loss to the Wild was one where he also made less than five. He was unreal vs Van and then Wsh but outside of that the Oilers have played outstanding in front of him. The last two games the Oilers have shut everything down; same thing for the win over the Rangers. Same thing at EV for the SO win over the Pens.
Renney mentioned yesterday about there always being five guys in the picture on defense and that pretty much nails it. I see guys like 4 working hard in his own end and we can see 93 skating miles sometimes. I'm not gonna mention the vets because we know they've always been up for doing that stuff; 91 took to it last year as well.
So, it's an overall effort to limit SOG and chances.
The other thing I like is how much more predictable Renney's bench work has become. 93 line with the first shift after a PK; 10 taking on the toughs.
O zone faceoffs for some and D zone faceoffs for others.
Bring me that old time religion, Tom Renney:)
You could sell the " Tom Renney home game coaching edition" and we'd all score in the 80% and I love that.
I'm 36 now and I like things that are dependable and sensible.
Note except for when I'm drinking:)
Cactus
ReplyDeleteI'm totally for Renney as opposed to Quinn. The man won his spurs back in the WHL and then NY. You judge the quality of the manager by the people he hires. I was totally puzzled by the Smith and Buchberger hires. Must have been a reason.
The plain fact is: having TWO number one draft picks in consecutive years, plus all of the other good to great picks and you have a guaranteed cup winner.
ReplyDeleteI'll pass that along to the Sens, I'm sure they'll be glad to hear it.
Bos8- I agree with you in regards to Krueger behind that bench. He brought the Swiss from the lower depths of the B pool, to being constantly in the A pool. I've always been a big fan of his.
ReplyDeleteSwitzerland's loss is Edmonton's gain.
My nomination for the kid line name---The AC line. The Alberta Clipper line. From wiki for Alberta Clipper: few extracts...
ReplyDelete-The storm then slides southward and gets caught up in the jet stream, sending the storm barrelling
-The storm sweeps in at high speed over whatever land it encounters, usually bringing with it sharp cold fronts and drastically lower temperatures.
-Often, the storm brings biting winds with it,
-Occasionally the clippers, when reaching the Atlantic seaboard (usually between the Virginia and New England coasts), 'bomb out' and can cause severe weather
I'd really like to see a comp of opposition puck possession time within the "scoring" zone last year vs the current. To me it's been the calmness of the D down low in making those little chip passes to move the puck out of our own zone that been the biggest difference.
ReplyDeleteI hold my breath at times when the pucks thrown up the middle but there always seems to be a guy there to relieve receive it. The pucks seldom moving backwards or the breakout slow to develop. So much nicer than watching the endless back and forth spasmatic "you take it I don't want it" that was Staios and "insert name here."
I agree with Dennis. Outside of a few games Khabby hasn't had to stand on his head to win for us and thats just exactly how it should be. The Diaper Snipers are making the season fun but it's been the grunts carrying the load.
Still think the best plan is to load up two power forward lines ala Anaheim, Chicago, vs fighting to balance things across the board so I'd pop 83 back in with 10-94 when he's healthy. And I'd make damn sure he's 100% healthy as well. We have the luxury of not having to rush things this year which is a refreshing change.
Spot-on Dennis. The moves that were made to address the obvious weaknesses of 2 way players and PK help have done a lot to shore up some areas of weakness.
ReplyDeletePotter's imergence as a Top 4 Dman and RNH's entrance into the NHL to the sounds of trupets and his ability to make the players around him better are the bigger pieces that no one was expecting, and are what have taken this team from a mid-pack team to a pretty good team.
Hemsky and Whitney's continuing injuries are giving us a chance to see some of the depth, while hiding a clear indication of this team's actual potential when healthy.
There's a lot of good value on this Oilers team - both from an entertainment perspective and from a good nhl club perspective.
I want to give a lot of credit to Stevey T. He's surrounded himself with good people, and he's gotten lucky with some of the advice, some of the picks, and some of the circumstances of this club, but the bottom line is that he's turned this club from a stalled middle-pack team into a real force that still has a lot of room to grow potential-wise.
It's good times for me as an Oiler fan.
As such, now all that's left to do is enjoy the games and plan the parade routes. Do you think that we could rent Gastown for a day? or would that just lead to the obvious "Gastown ablaze: Oilers Invasion leads to arson and deaths" headlines...
LT, you work some marginal writers... what whould Brownlee do with a story like that.
I've always liked Cashman and his "asset pool". Because the next step is asset management. Putting Hemsky the slash and dash asset into Grunt mode is not asset utilization even before the injury factor.
ReplyDeleteI shudder when I remember Buchberger, Gelinas with Mctavish in slo mo. It was yugly, (McT didn't pass to the left).
PRV can be so much more than the next Gainey. Next, I see Lander ceiling over both Gagner and Belanger - so shoot me. That to me is worth a trial period.
First place? Feels good man. :)
ReplyDeleteCall me nuts - can't quite believe it's happening - but it may be time to think about making some moves to create some noise. We've been lucky as hell in some ways (DD I thought would be good - but Bulin is obviously way better than expected) and our two best players are hurt. But it still happened so it's not all luck. Bottom line is that this fast start is making it easier and easier to play .500 hockey for the rest of the way and make the playoffs. The rest of this road trip likely tell the tale on whether it will be worth it to make some moves earlier rather than later.
ReplyDeleteHere's the guy I would like to get this year as soon as we trade Hemsky - maybe not for Hemsky - but to replace him. That player is Shane Doan - who I could see providing size and experience playing with Smitty and Horc on the tough minute line. No idea if PHX would trade him - or what he would cost - but he's UFA at season end. Best case scenario is that we could sign both him and Smitty to career ending value deals over the summer so that they can end their careers where they both probably should have been all along.
Anyway - probably wont happen but there would be certain "rightness" about a deal for Doan.
From the comments that Khabby made this week it sounds like he was not recovered from his back surgery till this summer. Apparently he played all last season with soreness and stiffness.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that injuries and the resulting recovery are the most difficult thing to predict in this league. And no mathematical model is going to explain any one individual's situation.
If the team keeps playing well, there's no need to worry about making a trade. A young team with budding talent and a winning record is like a flaming beacon for UFAs. They will come and sign reasonable deals provided the team manages the cap well.
ReplyDeleteThe weather in Victoria is just boring in comparison. We don't even get a thunder storms here.
ReplyDeleteVictoria still holds the record in Canada for the most snowfall in 24 hours, 65cm on 28 December 1996 as part of 1.5 meters of snow that fell in less than a week.
B.C. digs out from 'The Blizzard of '96'
Snow cones of Giza
Victoria had an epic lightening storm to match in the same decade, but it wasn't immortalized by the same path of destruction. I'm a bit hazy on this now, but I recall hundreds of strikes per hour centered over the water to the south west: flash grenades, sizzlers, MIRVs, and shockers that bent the windows. Surpassed anything I've experienced on the prairies or in Montreal. Large trees in various parks were completely crisped.
I was in Red Deer during the storm of 25 June 1975. On that day, Regina received 132.6 mm of rain. One of my statistics books discusses this as a classic example of an extreme event. In Red Deer the storm lasted less than an hour. At the peak, an unbroken sheet hung off the eaves like a curtain of water. I stuck my arm through it and it felt like pouring a bath. 20,000 basements flooded as reported in my stats book (Regina alone?). Ours was one of the few in our subdivision which didn't, since our house had weeping tile and most didn't. I assume this is the same storm, because the timing and intensity are a perfect match.
I remember that day because we had a young couple who dropping by to visit and this didn't happen often. She was a former baby sitter not seen for years--from a small town of yesteryear--who had since met a fellow with a big head start on Movember, bought a van, and painted an apron on the 1960s. They had strange preoccupations. For half the late afternoon during which the skies opened up they raved about this book I had never heard of like it was the greatest thing ever: Lord of the Rings. They were as successful making it sound interesting as a second hand account of the original Star Wars "and then the force ..." After the storm any plant with a stem was doubled over in prayer, facing every point of the compass. Their enthusiasm for Tolkien stuck with even if their narrative talents paled to the aftermath. I guess they were shouted down by God, who was having a go of his own.
(runs out of Super 8)
(reloads with Regular 8)
ReplyDeleteI recall also a magnificent prairie hail storm (took out every pane of glass but one from an unlucky house one town over; I got to see the dings in the metal helmet of the volunteer firefighter who ran out into his yard to rescue some photography equipment in a personal Smid moment) and a blizzard near Calgary when I was eight years old with smaller snowflakes that I've ever seen and whiter than the afterlife. I knelt beside the front window in a warm bubble above the heat vent looking out at the whiteness through an Islamic fractal of frost legs in the corners of the windows and experienced the greatest sense of wonder I've ever known. From time to time there was a shifting patch of grey that might have been an object in the front yard caught momentarily though a void in the swirling infinity of sparkling diamond dust as the gyroscope of the heavens swung wildly about without the least clue concerning "down" as a general direction.
There it is. Victoria is two for five in my experience of the book of nature opening up a giant can of "Holy Fuck!"
These Oilers. Are we beyond weather now? Are we talking post-galacial rebound? A whole new coast line? The end of the Dryspelocene?
Well, I don't know, but I've finally figured out who Hunter really is: he's the Steve Guttenberg character after he lives on and finally does age and becomes a sports enthusiast prone to manic outbursts in the long years after that sexual encounter in the swimming pool with Tahnee Welch where he never actually touches her but it's really good anyway. I think that explains his yearnings and fetish for youth. I'm not yet brimming with quite as much confidence in the hoary orbs though lately I shake my barometer daily. Hell's bells. It used to work.
I've been here four years now, and not a single thundercrack in that time. The most exciting weather we've had is a couple of days of stiff wind. I can see why retirees like it here -- the weather is like porridge. Not all that good. Not exciting. But never really bad. Porridge, every day.
ReplyDeleteSpeeds,
ReplyDeleteI mentioned a few days ago that the emergence of 44 and 58 along with 6's spotty health along with 25 being short term and the pile of question marks surrounding 13 that a LH Dman might be on the menu.
Good thing as they are easier to get.
Suter would be ridiculous, but with the talent up front needing to get paid soon, going with the PIT model of good, solid, but unspectacular (read: 5MM or less) Dman is probably more in order.
Toj,
I've seen Jones good lately. Doesn't mean that Harski wouldn't be better.
Finns win.
@ Deadman
ReplyDeleteI remember that record snowfall in Victoria quite well... stuck in the fckin airport for 2 bloody days due to that snow.
Victoria at that time had a small, shitty airport with nothing to do. Think I played The who's pinball wizard pinball game for like 8 hours straight...
Nice upside to the story is that quite a few of us were stuck in the airport together and people living close by the airport heard about it over the news and we got a lot of fresh blankets, fresh coffee and stuff like homemade chili and pasta from just honest to goodness decent folk that went out of their way to do something nice for us.
Com'n LT- my kid woke me up at 5:45 and I am stuck here watching Harry and His Bucketfull of Dinosuars. I have read the whole Internet already. Where is the Sat morning post?
ReplyDelete