If this is how the season is going to go, it's going to be tough to watch.

BOA Round 1 goes to the Falmes. Mostly because the boys thought that since they half-assed it in Phoenix and still got a win (thanks to Roli and Raffi that is) they could apply the same game formula in Calgary. Guess again boys. Given the chance, the Falmes will bury you when playing like that in Calgary. Most of the Oilers penalties were tripping and hooking. Falmes go 3-for-8 on the powerplay and that's the game right there. QUIT BEING LAZY AND LEARN TO SKATE PROPERLY! Fuck. Why must the boys be such a disappointment so early in the season? At least Sammy scored his 1st NHL goal. Congrats to our young hockey Jesus! He's currently tied for 2nd in points on the team with 1-4-5 thru 7 games played. Hemsky and Brodziak also have 5 pts., but they have played 8 games. Horcoff and Cogliano lead the team with 6 pts each. Torres leads the team in goals with 3, and Stoll continues his suckage with one assist thru 8 games played.

Besides Horcoff and Hemsky (who has yet to score a goal), the 'veteran' forwards are not holding up their end of the deal. You can talk all you want thru-out the pre-season about coming to camp in shape and ready to make amends for last season's tragedy, but until you all actually show up for a game at the same time, it's not going to happen.
Luck has nothing to do with it, you need to put yourself in the position of playing good solid hockey without taking the dumb lazy penalties. You all know how to play like that, so let's get on it! The luck comes into factor when you are playing well.

Next up for our(un)mighty Oil is the Colorado Avalanche and the return of that dirty trader Ryan $myth. Just what the boys need, a media circus in town, since the game will be broadcast on TSN. Distractions are never good at anytime during the season, since the Oilers seem to play right into the distraction and lose focus on the game itself. Plus, all the whiny-baby Smyth huggers will be at the game. Let's hope for my sake, and for the sake of any whiny-baby Smyth hugger than happens to sit near me, that I don't get too drunk and mouthy during the game. At least I have Wednesday off work to recover if I do.
GOILERS!

Oilers videos for your viewing pleasure!

2007/08 season pre-game video.







Oilers tribute to Jason Smith. I DARE you to not cry when watching this!





Matt Greene does a 'cribs style' tour of the Oilers new dressing room. LOL.





I already posted this, but it's so AWESOME that I had to post it twice! Souray's BOMB.

Catch up time!

Sorry to my two loyal readers, but I've been slacking in the blogging department lately, instead of writing I have been reading and commenting on other blogs and wasting a hell of a lot of time on facebook. And I mean a hell of a lot of time.
My apologies.

So far the season has not gone as we have hoped, what with Moreau's injury being worse than originally thought, the boys winning two then dropping four, the power play still stinks, the vets are being outscored by the rooks, and now Souray's injury. UGH. There shouldn't be this much stress this early in the season!

Shall we talk about the past then? Ok.

As I was at the Oilers-Flames pre-season game back on September 26th, I noticed a very interesting (or disturbing, depending on how you look at it) trend. Flames fans seem to only know 3 players on their own team. Of all the Flames jerseys that were crested that I saw worn at the game, only 3 players were evident: Iginla, Phaneuf, and Kiprusoff. Really, your team consists of more than just the 3 cornerstone players. This is why I love Oilers fans, we aren't afraid to buy jerseys for any and all of the players. Hell, some loser last season was still wearing his Josh Green #12 jersey.

The best part of the night was the 4 Flamers fans sitting a few rows behind us with the hard-on for Huselius. It was all "Huselius this, Huselius that, if Huselius was gay he would totally be my bf, blah blah blah." The real fun started when two Oilers fans sitting across the isle from them started a Huselius chant. "hoo-SAY-lee-oos!!!" "Sucks!" "hoo-SAY-lee-oos!!!" "Sucks!" "hoo-SAY-lee-oos!!!" "Sucks!" "hoo-SAY-lee-oos!!!" "Sucks!" And so on. Soon most of the gallery was in on the "Sucks!" part. Pure Gold.

------------------------------------

Home opener was pretty stellar, with the boys winning in a shoot-out over the San Jose Sharks. We all know how the game story went, so I'll write about the fun had after the game waiting at the 'creeper' fence for autographs. Cuz really that what this blog is supposed to be about, more than just the game.
Bought me a new Oilers hat to start the season, then bought a duplicate to get signed. We met up with one of the girls we made friends with last season at the 'creeper autograph fence' and chatted about the new season and Souray among other things. I should have wore a jacket as it was a chilly night out. Oh well, I survived.

Reasoner had a split lip, when he came to sign he was bleeding. Someone asked him if he wanted something for it, I piped up and offered him a napkin, even though I didn't have one, lol. He politely declined. Good thing, because that would have been awkward.

I asked Raffi if he lost his contact in the scrum in the 1st period, because after the scrum he was down on the ice for awhile. When he was doing his time in the penalty box, looked like to me that he was washing off a contact lens. (I wear contacts, so I know about that.) He said "yep" with a little smile and then I said "I knew it! I sooooooo called it from row 46!"

Kyle Hot-Rod-ziak and Tom Gilbert come up together to sign; someone asked Kyle to turn and smile so she could take his pic, and Gilbert backed out of the way. I said, "Hey Gilbert, you didn't sign my hat yet; you have to sign it cuz we are facebook friends!" lololololol.

Garon was wearing a very sharp suit, I should have taken a picture of him it was that sharp. And he's a lefty like me, so he's alright in my books.

Finally after freezing my arse off, Sheldon Souray came out. I was in such a frenzy to get my jersey off that I got stuck in the rush. I managed to get it off in one piece and hand it to him before he got away, lol. Some of the guys rush thru signing and leave. Some guys don't even come and sign for that matter. He said "Thank you for the jersey!" when I handed it to him to get signed. I said, "No, THANK YOU!" I told that I had asked his brother to get it signed for me, but that he was being a jerk. Sheldon replied "that's nothing new." lol, burn! (I know Sheldon's half-brother as he works for the same restaurant chain as I do.) Souray was very nice about everything he signed and even made a video greeting for someone from his hometown when they politely asked. Made me love him even more. He also signed my hat and my Oilers 2007/08 guide. Good thing I stocked up on the Souray autos as he probably won't be signing for a few weeks due to his injury. But ya never know cuz Moreau was at the games at the end of last season when he was out injured and came to sign most nights.

I love these boys, but they aren't earning that unconditional love so far. They better kick some Coyotes ass tomorrow night, as they are the only team worse than us so far. UGH. Hoping for a 8-2 win with Hemsky and Stoll each scoring hat-tricks to break out of their zeros in the goal column, but I'll take a 4-3 nail bitter. Stoll, Hemsky, Cogliano, and Greene with the Oilers goals.

Sorta off-topic note: call me what you want for this (I really don't give a crap), but I'm addicted to a remix version of Britney Spears "Gimme More" song. Hopefully the boys "Gimme more" in the form of a win tomorrow. GOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh no Sheldon. :(

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that defenceman Sheldon Souray will be out for the next 3-4 weeks with a shoulder injury. Both Souray and Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish spoke with the media today in Phoenix. The Oilers blueliner suffered the injury in Edmonton’s 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Souray fell on his shoulder during a fight with Canucks center Byron Ritchie midway through the third period.
FUCK FUCK FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!
What is with the Oilers and freak shoulder injuries suffered during a fight?! (Do I really have to bring up Ethan's shoulder injury from last season?)
UGHHHHHHHHH.
So far, Smid has not been recalled from Springfield, so maybe Roy is coming off the IR from his concussion and Smid won't be recalled? Either way, neither of them have a feared slapshot like Sheldon does.

"Oh, look at me, I'm a whiny bitch; attention on ME please!"

Brian Bruke is once again spouting off about Lowe and his offer sheet to Dustin Penner.
Man, he is acting so childish, on national TV no less. Maybe he's trying to get Lowe to retaliate with some equally childish comments.
STFU already Brian. You are just making yourself look like an asshole.
From the way I see it, he's not whining about losing Penner, he's whining about the money aspect of the contract and what it will do to the rest of the league. Please, like he honestly cares about the rest of the league. He's also still bitter because Lowe was 'gutless' in not calling him before Penner's agent faxed over the offer sheet. Well, it doesn't say anywhere in the rule book that you have to call the GM of said team of the player you are sending an offer sheet to. Oh, so did Kevin hurt your feelings in not being friendly, Brian? If so, you said your piece back in August when it all went down.
May the Oilers kick some ass this season and your 1st round pick that you are getting out of the deal (along with a 2nd and 3rd rounder) be a low pick.
Brian is trying to make himself, and the rest of the league, look like 'victims' because that evil evil evil Kevin Lowe is single-handed in driving up the salaries league wide. *insert rolling of eyes here*. Give me a break.
SHUT UP ALREADY. IT'S DONE AND OVER WITH.
If you wish to read the article and see the video on TSN, here it is.

Was there any doubt? I don't think so.

One Ethan Moreau, (pronounced EE-than moh-ROH), our Chopper, will the be the Oilers new fearless leader into the 2007/08 season and beyond.
He was officially named the 12th captain in Oilers history today. Thank you MacT for not going the rotating captaincy route like Minnesota did last season.
Also named were 4 alternate captains, Hemsky and Horcoff for home games, and Staios and Stoll for away games.
Ethan is thrilled to have this great honour bestowed upon him. He deserves it 100%.

In other Oilers news, the 23 man roster to start the 2007/08 season was accounced today. Surprising ( and a little pissed off) that Ladislav Smid has been sent down to the AHL instead of Tom Gilbert and Denis Grebeshkov, both whom have less NHL experience combined than Laddy does. Which isn't saying much, since Laddy was only played one full NHL season last season with the Oilers.
I'm sure Laddy won't be down there long, but given that both Gilbert and Smid are on two-way deals while Grebeshkov is on a one-way deal, its easier to send Smid or Gilbert to the AHL than it is to send Grebeshkov, who would have to clear waivers 1st. Kind of bullshit in my mind, but Smid wasn't that noticeable in the pre-season I guess. Smid will be a helluva NHL defenseman someday soon; he just needs some seasoning. I'm sure Dick Tarnstrom will develop Cory Cross disease soon enough because he is wearing Cory's old number 23, and Laddy will be back to replace him.

GOILERS!

So super excited for the home opener on Thursday!

Oilers-Falmes pre-season BOA part deux

Both teams won in a shoot-out last night. Good for the Falmes, now they won't finish the pre-season without a win.
The Oilers line-up for tonight's game is available, but the Falmes line-up isn't. Not like any of their fans know who plays for their team besides Iginla and Kipper.

FORWARDS

27 Dustin Penner - 13 Andrew Cogliano – 83 Ales Hemsky
28 Patrick Thoresen – 10 Shawn Horcoff – 51 Kyle Brodziak
22 Jean-Francois Jacques – 48 Ben Simon – 46 Zack Stortini
42 Jonas Almtorp – 62 Tim Sestito – 43 Fredrik Johansson

DEFENCE

44 Sheldon Souray – 2 Matt Greene
25 Joni Pitkanen – 24 Steve Staios
26 Denis Grebeshkov – 23 Dick Tarnstrom

GOALTENDERS

1 Devan Dubnyk
35 Dwayne Roloson


Cogliano gets a turn in between Hemsky and Penner, or the Pensky line as they have been dubbed.
The defense is pretty much what we can expect for the regular season, with Smid in instead of Grebeshkov.
Based on not having a Falmes line-up available, I can't make an accurate score prediction, but since I am a bit baised towards my Oilers, I'm going to go with a 4-3 Oilers win.



Look at all the Oilers fans down in Phoenix. Awesome to see.

Egads!

Moreau is out with a severe bone bruise after taking a shot off the ankle in Calgary on Saturday.
At least it's not broken, but I don't know how long it takes to recover from that kind of injury. Sounds painful. Godspeed Ethan! With Pisani already down and out and possibly gone for the entire season, we don't need anymore injuries to the grind line.

Greene is apparently going to be paired with Souray. I wonder who gets to play the point on the powerplay then, because both those guys tend to take too many unnecessary penalties.
My money is on Pitkanen. And if Souray is going to be paired with Greene, are they the number 1 pairing or the number 2 pairing? And then what are the other 2 pairings? Statios and Pitkanen, Smid and Transtrom? Where do Gilbert and Gerbeshkov fit into this? This defense is actually making me nervous.

Most of the young forward prospects are making names for themselves. Cogliano is starting to emerge, showing some hands to go along with that speed of his; scoring three goals in the last two games, including the overtime winner against the Falmes on Saturday night. Thank God, I was hoping he had some finish. He's not listed as being in the Oilers line-up for tonight's game in Phoenix, so I'm going to assume that he is playing tomorrow night against the Falmes; a game which I will be attending. wooooooo!

Man, I hate the Leafs and their jackass fans.

Went down to Rexall last night for the Oilers-Leafs pre-season game. Almost as many Leaf fans there as Oilers fans. Damn I hate the Leafs and their awfully rude fans. Really, I think I may hate them more than the Flames and their fans.

Notes from the game:
- Raffi always seems to play like crap when I go to the Rex. Or else he'll score early at the start of the 2nd period when I'm still stuck in the line for over-priced food and pop. Don't know what it is, just usually seems to happen that way. Especially when I wear my Torres jersey. I did wear my Stoll jersey last night though.
- Matt Greene is still up to his old tricks, taking 3 penalties a game, the Leafs scored on one of the power plays provided by Greener. He really needs to learn to control his stick better.
- Denis Grebeshkov is like Greene in that he was out of position too many times and makes bad passes. He redeemed himself by scoring the OT goal though. Greene did nothing to redeem himself. He's lucky the boys killed off the penalty that carried over in the OT session.
- Horcoff is the man! Scored the tying goal, set up the 1st goal and the OT goal. He was forechecking and backchecking like nobody's business and was fairly decent on the PK. He was on the ice for the 2nd Leafs goal, but it wasn't his fault. Greene gave it away and Syvret blew a tire at the blue line.
- This Trukhno kid is pretty good, too bad the Oilers can't sign him, not even to a minor league contract as the Russian Hockey Federation says he will be re-entering the draft in 2008.
- As much as I liked Jussi Markkanen, Garon is so far looking like an upgrade in the back-up goaltender position. He made some spectacular saves. I'm sure Roli will get more nights off than he did last season with Garon being able to handle a higher work load than MacT gave to the Juice last season.
- Carter on his 'pro tryout' session so far is a bust. He left midway thru the 1st period after being hit twice on the same shift. I really didn't notice that he was gone until midway the 3rd. Found out later via the Oilers website that he suffered a concussion. Maybe Lowe should have brought in Lindros as a pro try-out instead of Carter. Lindros has more upside than Carter does. Sadly, I think the Big E may just retire.
- Coligano was looking good, very speedy, but no finish. Reminds me of Todd Marchant. Hopefully he remedies that in the AHL as we don't need anymore Marchant type players. At this point I can't really see him making the opening day playing roster. There are still 5 pre-season games to go, so I could be wrong. He could be a solid 2nd line player if he learns how to finish in tight. He was exciting to watch.

That's pretty much all I got. I'll try to do post-game reports for all the games I happen to go to at the Rex. Next up for me is the Oilers-Flames pre-season game Wed. Sept 26. Not like anyone reads my blog anyways, but I like to pretend that someone does.

Did I mention how much I hate the Leafs and their fans? Just making sure.











EDIT: I think I was thinking of a different Russian player that was at the Oilers rookie camp, because upon further investigation, Trukhno is a 4th round Oilers draft pick from 2005 and is signed to an entry level contract. My bad.

My life has meaning again!

A former co-worker made a comment to me at the start of the 2001 NHL season, "ah yes, hockey is back and your life has meaning again." So very true. I don't know what I would do without the Oilers.
Probably swear and yell a lot less, not be stressed out come March and April, not be so wound up and restless on days that I am going to games, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Last season I managed to go to 14 Oilers games, but most of them were forgettable, so we will do just that, forget about them.

This past weekend was the start of Oilers training camp and the Joey Moss Cup. I went down to Rexall on Saturday afternoon for the 2nd half of the Oilers open practice and was not impressed with Schremp at all. If he has any hope of making the team this season, he better start picking it up. Like yesterday. Sure he's coming off knee surgery, but he just looked off, he wasn't really making any plays or doing anything of interest. I wouldn't have even noticed him if I wasn't watching for him on the ice. Same goes for his performance in the Joey Moss Cup on Sunday.

Dustin Penner and Sam Gagner were most impressive on Sunday. Playing on an line with Hemsky certainly helped though. Gagner and Hemsky worked well off of each other and Penner was right in the mix, starting to nicelt fit in. I would love to see Gagner make the team straight out of junior after he annihilated the Russians in the Junior Super Series, but he does need to psychically mature more to be able to handle an entire NHL season. Compared to Penner (who is a big, big guy) Gagner looks like a child. A future NHL star no doubt, but this season might not be the start for him. If he does make the team, awesome, if not, then for sure he will have a helluva chance next season.


I'm starting to like Penner, and liking him on Hemsky's line. I wasn't sold on the idea of Lowe bringing in Penner the way he did (and for the money he did), but if training camp is any indication (which sometimes it isn't) he just do just fine with the Oilers this season.
Didn't get a chance to listen to tonight's pre-season game as I was at work and the radio seems to have gone missing over the summer. I shall remedy that right quick, before the regular season starts. From the report on the Oilers website, the Hemsky-Penner-Gagner line played decent with Gagner scoring a goal.

Not so keen on Penner wearing number 27 (Laraque) or Gagner wearing number 89 (Comrie) but that's the numbers they were given or chose. It's kinda creepy how Penner is Laraque's size and Gagner is Comrie's size. Here's hoping neither number is cursed. Wouldn't want Penner to have Laraque's goal scoring inability or Gagner to develop Comrie's attitude. Ewww.

The line that set the tempo for the game and stole the show was Moreau-Reasoner-Brodziak. This Brodziak kid just might make the team. He has been pretty impressive in training camp so far, and doesn't look out of position at any point in the game at all. Two goals, one assist and 1st star tonight for him is a damn good start. That is what I was hoping to see out of Schremp, but he's going to be a star or a bust, and so far he's heading down the road to bust. Brodziak on the other hand would be a nice fit on the 2nd or 3rd line. The addition of Anson Carter to training camp on a try-out just might give Brodziak that extra push to really show his stuff. Maybe Schremp should be taking cues from Kyle.

I'm going to the Oilers-Leafs pre-season game, pretty certain that the players that didn't play tonight against the Panthers will be playing against the Leafs. I'm hoping to finally see Souray in Oilers silks, after he tweaked his back during the fitness testing on Thursday he hasn't skated yet in training camp. Not a good start to the season to hurt your back before training camp even begins, but it doesn't seem like a serious problem, more of a case of being cautious so it doesn't become a serious problem. Lord knows we don't need any of those this season. Especially not after losing Pisani indefinitely already.

I love autumn and the start of a new hockey season. Not too keen on the new jerseys, but they aren't completely hideous, so I'll probably end up buying one later in the season.
GOILERS!

Joey Moss Cup.

The Oilers 2007/08 TV Schedule is out.

The new jerseys will be revealed at the Joey Moss Cup on Sunday Sept. 16 at Rexall Place. For only $5 you can watch the Oilers play against the Oilers and support a worthy cause as well. You may even win a chance to get your photo taken with some of the Oilers! Now that is worth $5 right there.

Oilers are screwed. Figuratively and literally.

After the initial shock of the news of Pisani being out indefinitely, now hits the realization that the Oilers are screwed, both figuratively and literally. With our group of 12 forwards already looking not so hot on paper, and the right side being seriously thinned out with the loss of Ferny, What's Lowe to do? Pray that Hemsky has finally learned to shoot? That Schremp will come into training camp and prove to be a GOD ready for calibre minutes in the NHL after scoring 17g-36a-53pts in 69 GP in the AHL last season? That any one of the forwards can score more than 29 goals? That the defense is really an improvement over the defense we had last season? Can he pull a trade that might actually help this team?

WHY DO THE HOCKEY GODS HATE US SO??!?!?!

Is Pisani really even replaceable? Sure, he's "only" a two-way forward that has scored an average of 14g-32pts in the last 3rd seasons, but he has become very much a heart-and-soul player on this team that plays the PK and many important shut-down minutes. Plus, he's killer in the shoot-outs. Without him we won't even be getting close to going to any shoot-outs though.
After being so darn excited yesterday for the season to be starting soon, today it just looks grim. I love my boys so, but it's going to be another painful season.
Godspeed Ferny.

Brian Burke is probably feeling pretty smug today. Dammit.

"Super Series"? More like Russians getting pwned series

The Edmonton Oilers very own 1st round draft pick Sam Gagner is leading the way in the slaughtering of the Russians with 4 goals and 10 points in 5 games played. He looks like a keeper to me.
This series is pretty one-sided, with the Canadians up 5 games to none so far in the 8 game series. After yesterday's display of rubbing-it-in-your-opponent's-face score of 8-1, I can't really see the Russians winning any of the remaining 3 games. That being said, does this little junior "Super Series" even matter than much? Sure, we get to see some of the finest young junior players in the country, but isn't that what the annual IIHF World Juniors tourney during the Christmas to New Years week is for? It's supposed to be the commemorating the 25th anniversary of the original Summit Series, but back then the Russians actually showed up and made it a series worth watching. Very few people are actually even giving a crap about this series. Hell, I haven't watched a game yet, just the hi-lites; and I'm only paying it that much attention due to Gagner; nothing more, nothing less.

Oh no.

Pisani is sick. He is fixable, but his disease sounds horribly nasty. Not something you would want to wish on your worst enemy. He has ulcerative colitis, which is described as : a nonspecific inflammatory disease of the colon that is of unknown cause and is characterized by diarrhea with discharge of mucus and blood, cramping abdominal pain, and inflammation and edema of the mucous membrane with patches of ulceration.
Poor Fernando. I wish him and his family well. He is out of the Oilers line-up indefinitely.

It's almost here!

Despite the fact that the Oilers sucked something fierce down the stretch last season and the 'experts' are predicting the mighty Oil to suck something fierce again this season; I for one can't freakin WAIT until the 2007/08 NHL season starts.
Rookie camp starts on Thursday in Yellowknife, main camp starts in a week, pre-season gets rolling in two weeks on Monday Sept. 17 with a home game against the Florida Panthers.
What Oiler/hockey fan isn't getting excited at this time of year?! WHL pre-season is already under way, the young Canadians are kicking some Russian ass in the junior summit series; hockey is coming back in full swing and I love it. The beginning of the season is only second to the playoffs in terms of the best part of the hockey season; everyone gets a fresh start when the season begins.
No word yet on who will be the next Oilers captain. My vote is for Moreau.

The yearbooks are out! The yearkbooks are out!

Yahoo! After a very long off-season for the Oilers and us Oilers fans, you know the start of training camp is right around the corner when the yearbooks are out on newsstands! On a recent trip to the nearby Shoppers Drug Mart, I happened upon the magazine rack and found to my delight that the NHL yearbooks/pool guides are finally out! I browse thru all of them, buy a few (at $8-10 bucks a pop, and with most predictions across them all being similar, I only buy about 3-4 different ones). My favorite is still the time-honoured "The Hockey News" yearbook. They so graciously put out a cover for every different NHL team, and they did a stellar job with the Oilers one this season, with a smokin' photo of Sheldon Souray. Better than all those Ryan Smyth covers of seasons past.

Dustin Penner?

Not really excited about this signing. Way over paid him, 21.5 mil over 5 years, Lowe did. Guess he had to go after the RFA's after the UFA's (outside of Sheldon) didn't want to play in Edmonton.
Going back to the Ducks are a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks in the 2008 draft. Considered by some scouts at a deeper draft than the past 2007 one.
If Penner turns into another Joffrey "dreamy-eyes-can-score-with-the-ladies-but-can't-score-on-the-ice" Lupul then I'ma going to be some PISSED off. (Not that Dustin has the same 'dreamy eyes' look at Joffrey does.)
Especially since Penner will be the highest paid forward on the Oilers roster for the 2007/08 season (more than Hemsky!) and the 2nd highest paid player overall (only Souray will be making more than Penner.) Now, it is sometimes unfair to place expectations on a player based on their salary, but if Penner does not at least match his 29 regular season goals from last season, then it will be fair to say Lowe over-paid for him. Not only in the salary aspect, but also in the draft picks he had to give up to sign him to that contract in the 1st place. Oilers have a crappy draft record anyways, so they best be praying that Penner is the next Ryan Smyth and not the next Josh Green.

Sheldon loves Edmonton!

Long time, no posts. Kinda got bored of the whole blogging thing for awhile.
Haven't been online as much lately either. Just been bored of the internet altogether I guess.
Back at it today though.
Sheldon Souray was in Edmonton today and had a press conference with V.P. of Hockey Operations Kevin Prendergast for the Edmonton media.









He does look pretty good in that Oilers jersey, even though his pants are kinda fugly. Vertical stripes? Come on Sheldon, those are so 80's.

No Nylander, and Lowe is livid. Raffi is back tho!

The Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club is compelled to clarify the unfortunate and unprecedented circumstances surrounding the Edmonton Oilers and Michael Nylander. On Sunday, July 1, 2007, Kevin Lowe, Oilers General Manager, and Mr. Mike Gillis, Certified Agent for Michael Nylander, negotiated and agreed to a multi-year NHL Standard Players Contract, starting in 2007/08. Mr. Gillis confirmed same to the Oilers in writing. The Oilers then proceeded with preparations to announce Mr. Nylander’s contract agreement on July 2, and concurrently continued with the process of negotiating with other free agents based upon Mr. Nylander being an important roster ingredient for the future. However, while the Oilers were expecting the returned, signed agreements from Mr. Nylander and Mr. Gillis, the Oilers discovered through public announcements made mid-afternoon on July 2, that Mr. Nylander had subsequently entered into a long-term contract with the Capitals. The Oilers can find no precedent for such conduct in our history. The Oilers are examining and pursuing every course of action available in the best interest of the team and our fans. For legal reasons, the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club will not be discussing the details any further at this time.

Would have been nice to have him setting up Hemsky, that's for damn sure. Fuck you Capitals.

----------------------------------------

Raffi Torres re-signed with the Oilers for 3 years with a deal worth 6.75 million. “We are pleased to have Raffi back in the fold,” said Edmonton Oilers General Manager, Kevin Lowe. “Raffi is a dynamic player, who brings a physical style of play to our team.”

At least Lowe did something right today.

Praise the Lord I still have my Raffi!!!!!!





-------------------------------------------

In other news, Lowe also signed goaltender Mathieu Garon to a 2 year deal, ending the chance of Jussi Markkanen being re-signed. My money is on the Juice going back to Finland.

--------------------------------------------

Changed my profile photo for fun, still have to find a replacement photo for my Sykora photo. :(

Happy fucking free agent day!

HOLY SHIT.

What a crazy day. Sad day, frustrating day, interesting day.

Captain Jason Smith (GATOR!) and Joffrey "Dreamy eyes" Lupul traded to the Flyers for Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sanderson, and a 3rd round draft pick in 2009.
I don't know if I like this trade or not yet. Gator was our captain, Lupul was a bust in his 1st year with the Oilers, along with half the team, but Lowe has been rumored to be after Pitkanen for awhile, and hopefully he turns out to the great puck rushing, offensive defenseman the Oilers have been lacking since CFP bailed. Let's just pray that Lupul doesn't score 48 goals with the Flyers this season hey?

The question out of this trade is, who will be the next Oilers captain? One Ethan Moreau perhaps? Ethan's injury this past season no doubtfully hurt the Oilers, and he's been an alternate captain for quite a few seasons. Steve Staios? He was a captain in Atlanta one season, and wore an A while Moreau was out. Horcoff? He acquired Smyth's A after he was traded. Horcoff may not be the right candidate to be a captain of this team though. Possibly Jarret Stoll? He was a captain in junior with the Kootenay Ice and during his time at World Junior tourneys. He may very well be a future captain of this team (provided he doesn't get traded or sign elsewhere when he has UFA status) but he may still be al bit young for the captain role. My money is on Moreau, with Horcoff and Staios wearing the A's. Providing none of them get traded before the 2007/08 season starts.

Ryan Smyth signed a 5 year deal with one of the Oilers Northwest Division foes, the once mighty Colorado Avalanche. Great, now we're going to see a tonne of "OILERS FANS" buying Smyth Avalanche jerseys. The thought it making me sick to my stomach. Or maybe the sick feeling is coming from working a 15 hr day after working a 12 hr day and not eating properly either day.
I bet all your suckers that bought Smyth Islanders jerseys are feeling a little foolish. But I own an Oilers Lupul jersey (it was on sale for Christ's sake) so I know quite a bit about looking foolish.
I feel bad for Roloson, all Smyth's whacking and hacking he's going to have to put up with for in EIGHT GAMES next season.

My beloved Petr Sykora signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I'm so depressed at this news. One year in the copper'n'blue was not nearly long enough for Petr and all his hotness; I mean talent. Hemsky's probably crying himself to sleep as we speak. I know I will be soon, clutching my Petr Sykora game used autographed stick to relive the magic he created with Ales.
But Hemsky may have a new line mate to send sweet passes to; Michael Nylander is reported to have signed with the Oilers. After the Rangers landed Gomez and Drury, Nylander is the odd man out. This report is not 100% confirmed yet.

The Oilers defense keeps on getting interesting; ole Dicky Transtrom is coming back, after one season in Sweden. Pretty much seals Shaggy's fate, as I doubt he will be resigned by the Oil.

Denis Grebeshkov (who?!!?!? The guy from the Bergeron trade, that's who) also signed a one year deal with the Oilers. It is yet to be determined if he will play with the Oilers next season though. If not, he'll probably go back to Russia, since he doesn't see himself as a AHL player.

Day one is in the books. Lowe was pretty active, along with many other GM's. Let's see what day two brings! More surprises and head shaking "WUT?!" moments to be had I'm sure; not just on the Oilers part.

With the departure of Lupul, maybe my beloved Raffi won't be traded after all. (Knock on wood.)


I'm too lazy to post all the links to the stories, but TSN.ca and the Oilers website have all the details you need. Or whichever major sports website you prefer.

Sam Gagner: the next great Oilers draft pick, or the next great 1st round flop?

After the draft, I've been doing some reading about Sam Gagner, the Oilers 1st 1st round draft pick from this past Friday. He sounds like a decent Canadian kid, hopefully turns out to be a great player, and he seems genuinely pleased to be picked by a Canadian team.
He seems like a bit of a momma's boy, but he's not 18 until mid-August, so maybe we'll cut him some slack in the that department. Maybe.
He's not half bad looking either, he's actually sorta cute (for a 17 yr old), so he won't hurt the Oilers' "hotness" factor.




He won't be NHL ready for at least 2-3, possibly 4 seasons; but by then Joffrey-can't-buy-a-goal-Lupul will be traded to the Islanders where he'll score 468 goals in one season and the be on his way to winning the Stanley Cup, so there will be a roster spot on the Oilers open for young Sammy.

His favorite NHL player is Peter Forsberg; he patterns his game after Forsberg because "he makes all the players around him better". The Oilers could use a Forsberg type player. Like RIGHT NOW. As it always is with the Oilers, they are building for 4-5 years down the road. Every year, they are aiming for 4-5 years to be great. EVERY YEAR. Well, that team in 4-5 years isn't ever coming, because I've been an Oilers fan for 10 years, and I'm still waiting for the kick-ass team that's 4-5 years away. But that's a rant for another day. Back to Sammy.

He gives away his shoot-out move. Not the smartest thing to reveal.
He's more of a passer than a scorer, so he won't be on Hemsky's line anytime soon. Given the coaching staff's track record, he would end up on Hemsky's line and they'll just pass it back and forth to each other 5 bazillion times without taking a shot. Maybe Hemsky will have learnt to shoot by then. Or Andrew Cogliano will centre them and score 469 goals, beating Lupul by one goal to win the Rocket Richard trophy.


Is it just me, or does he look like a fortune teller without his crystal ball in this photo?





One thing is for sure, that number has got to go. 89 holds to many bitter, angry memories in the minds of Oilers fans.

Draft day part 1.

The Oilers used all 3 of their 1st round picks. Lowe was unable to swing a trade of dramatic proportions today, but he hopes to have something in the works for Saturday (draft rounds 2 thru 7.) I'm excited and nervous at the same time. He di, however, trade up to the 21st pick from the 30th pick, trading with his old buddy Gretzky and the Phoenix Coyotes. Neither player the Oilers picked at 15 and 21 where thought to be 1st round picks, and I hadn't heard anything about them, except from TSN's mock draft saying that Alex Plante was a sure thing to the drafted by the Oilers, but they had him listed at the 30th postion.

Since I don't know too much about the crop of kids that where available for this year's draft, and I had't heard much about Plante or Nash until the Oilers drafted them, I'm going to be lazy and just use TSN's story. It's better than anything I could of wrote anyways. :P



Oilers get Gagner, Plante and Nash

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CP) - The Edmonton Oilers came to the NHL entry draft armed with three first-round draft picks, and GM Kevin Lowe had hoped at least one of them would be trade bait.

In the end, failing to make a deal for the defenceman he craves, Lowe went ahead and drafted three times Friday night. But he did report some progress in trade talks.

"I want to say there's a couple deals pending," said Lowe. "A little bit frustrating because in both cases they're tied to teams doing other things and maybe that has to do with the cap world.

"But I remain optimistic that that'll happen. You spend a long time in the days leading up, 72 hours of non-stop effort and if it doesn't happen it can be a little disappointing, no question.

"But I'm still very optimistic."

In the meantime, the Oilers drafted a nifty playmaking centre, a big defenceman and a solid two-way forward. They were the first Canadian team to the mic and they used the sixth drafting position to select centre Sam Gagner of the OHL's London Knights.

Gagner, the son of former NHL forward Dave Gagner, scored 35 goals and assisted on 83 in 53 regular-season games. The 5-11, 190-pounder from Oakville, Ont., reads plays well, which makes him an exceptional set-up man. He also was a member of Canada's world junior championship team.

"To hear my name called was a great feeling, especially the Edmonton Oilers, a Canadian city," said Gagner. "I couldn't be more thrilled."

Scouts have compared him to NHL forward Marc Savard.

"I'm happy to be picked but I realize this is just the beginning, there's a long way to go," said Gagner. "There's a lot of work to be done."

Another year with the Knights will more than likely be in the cards for Gagner.

"I'm going to continue to work hard and try and get as NHL-ready as possible but if I were to spend another year in junior I think it would be great for my development," he said. "I thought I developed a lot this year in London. The Hunters (Dale and Mark) really know their hockey and they're able to teach me a lot about the game. I don't think that would be bad for me at all."

Edmonton was up again in the 15th slot and took six-foot-four, 225-pound defenceman Alex Plante of the Calgary Hitmen. Plante scored eight goals, assisted on 30 and was assessed 81 penalty minutes last season. His improvement in agility and overall play led to a jump up in the rankings in the second half of his season. Scouts have compared him to NHL defenceman Kyle McLaren.

"We just like his potential," said Oilers scouting director Kevin Pendergrest. "He's 6-4, for a big guy he uses his reach really well. Lots of upside there."

Phoenix traded the 21st pick to Edmonton for the No. 30 and 36 spots, and the Oilers selected six-foot-one, 175-pound centre Riley Nash, who scored 38 goals for the B.C. Jr. A league's Salmon Arm team.

"I was mostly Canucks growing up but the Oilers are a good fit," said Nash.

Nash will play college hockey at Cornell in the autumn and has some areas he wants to improve in his game.

"I've got to get a better stride," he said. "I'm not quick enough. And I need a better shot, all NHL players have great shots."

At least one Canadian team won something!

Oilers prospect Zack Stortini helped lead the Bulldogs to a 4-1 series victory over the Hershey Bears on Thursday night. Stortini scored three goals in the playoffs, including one in the finals, to help Hamilton capture the AHL Calder Cup.

Well FUCK.

Ahem.

Now that I got that out of my system, (see previous post), Lowe says he is not bitter.
He is also impressed with the Oilers prospects that are/were in Edmonton this week.
Dick Tarnstrom may be coming back (is our defense really that sad and pathetic? I guess so, if old Dicky boy is returning. I suppose he isn't any worse than Tjarnqvist.)
Petr Sykora is still on the Oilers radar, but only after Lowe fails in UFA signings and/or a monster trade at the draft.
Raffi, as I have figured, may be a goner too.

Karma is not real, all backwards, or she hates Oilers fans.

Me bitter? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Pronger suspended AGAIN

For one game, for a blow to the head of Dean McAmmond that went unpenialized at the time of the hit. Much like his hit on Holstrom in the Western Conference final.
Man, this guy gets hated everywhere he goes.
Prior to the hit, he actually had a hand in scoring the GWG for the Senators in the 2nd period. Funny enough it was Dean McAmmond that was credited with that goal. According to Pronger he was just trying to finish his check, but it was a late hit, and a hit to the head.
The Ducks did win game 4 of the Western Conference series without Pronger, but the Sens are back up to form and they better take advantage of his absence unlike the Wings.

Some Oil-y gossip

Keep an eye on the Oilers

In the days leading up to the NHL Entry Draft, be sure to keep an eye on the Edmonton Oilers. They have three first round picks, including the sixth pick overall. But there is another reason and it's that Oilers' General Manger Kevin Lowe is big game hunting.

Between now and the July 1 free agency period, Lowe would love to add a pair of top-six forwards and a quality defenceman.

Lots of people think there's a better chance of doing that via the trade market than by free agency and Lowe has a lot of currency from which to deal.

He has the three first round picks and an entire roster of players that are not untouchable especially after the way the team finished the season after the Ryan Smyth trade.

The Oilers would love to get a guy like Brad Richards from the Lightning. With Tampa's expanding budget, Richards isn't likely available but that's the type of splashy and bold move that Lowe would like to pull off.

There's no guarantee that a big Oiler trade will happen, and if one doesn't, it won't be for a lack of trying.

For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.

---------------------------------

From Eklund on HockeyBuzz.com:

I couldn't agree more with Bob's opinion here...I've been writing a lot about the Oilers lately. They are very much active right now. And it makes sense they would be. Losing Ryan Smyth the Oilers are in desperate need of an identifiable star.

A rumor I was about to post today was that one source told me, "The Edmonton Oilers are the Canadian team most likely to grab Kariya. It is the kind of city and situation that Paul feels comfortable in."

Along with Kariya, who was added today, on our THE RUMOR CHART the Oilers are currently listed to be possibly linked with Timonen, Stuart, Sopel, LeCavalier, and of course Ryan Smyth.

Other players via trade, included Joni Pitkanen, Marleau, Brisebois, and even a longshot rumor (that was discussed recently in a press box during the playoffs) that would send Jagr to Edmonton. Bizarre to even mention this, but have we learned nothing?

The Oilers are definitely being discussed at length in the rumour mill, and for good reason..

--------------------------

HELL YES!

How FUCKING sweet would it be to be sportin' either one of those two jerseys in October?!?!
They would out-sell the Lupul jerseys, that for damn sure.

{I know Reasoner wears 19, so either Richards would have to change his number, or since Richards would be the new 'superstar' in town maybe Marty would go back to 15 (the number he wore in his 1st season with the Oilers.) }
Oh, for either player to become an Oiler; can you say it with me Oilers fans?! "I have died and gone to hockey heaven! "

Oilers forward Joffrey Lupul can't bear to watch as his former team sits just two wins away from a Stanley Cup championship

By TERRY JONES June 1, 2007

NEWPORT BEACH, California -- Joffrey Lupul sat in the stands in Anaheim for Game 2. The baseball stands. Four blocks away.

Where the Angels play.

"I haven't gone to a game. It hurts a little bit to watch it," he said of Anaheim Ducks games on their march to the Stanley Cup.

"I don't have any interest in going to a game and putting myself through that. I've watched a few on TV. Mostly I tape them and decide whether or not to watch them later.

"It's human nature to be jealous, a little bit," he said.

It's bad enough that Lupul was traded from the two-wins-away from the Stanley Cup Ducks. He's also been kicked out of house and home.

Dustin Penner not only moved up to take over his right wing spot in the lineup, but the native of Winkler, Man., also moved into his house here two blocks from the beach made famous by the Beach Boys song Surf City.

"Dustin said he'd pay me at the end of the season," he said, thinking maybe sometime in May, not June. "I hope he doesn't skip out."

The two played together in the AHL during the lockout.

"I have a good friendship with him," said Penner. "I'm sure right now he wishes he was still with the Ducks.

"He's been a good landlord. And I've been a good tenant."

OFF-SEASON IN L.A.

Lupul, who spends his off-season here, is back in his half of a duplex for the next few days while Penner and the Ducks are in Ottawa for Game 3-4 with Anaheim leading the series two games to none.

Lupul, the Fort Saskatchewan product, has tried to keep out of Penner's way, staying in his place only a couple of times between rounds.

"I work out every day in Los Angeles doing weight training with Ethan Moreau's brother Chad and guys like Jarret Stoll," he said of his Edmonton Oilers teammate.

He's stayed with them when the Ducks are at home.

"I haven't been around that much," he said.

"But I've been out for dinner with Dustin a few times. Having gone to the third round of the playoffs last year, I know you talk hockey the whole day and it's the last thing you want to talk about when you go out for dinner, so we haven't talked about hockey much."

TALK IS TOUGH

Besides, what do you say?

"When I was traded, it created more opportunity for Dustin and Corey Perry. Those two, along with Ryan Getzlaf, have done really well with it. They've had such a good playoffs. Any time you're on a team and know the guys, you have to be really happy for them. I'm especially happy for the young guys. They've really responded."

You could make the case, of course, that the Ducks wouldn't be two wins away from the Stanley Cup if it wasn't for them getting Chris Pronger.

"Absolutely," said Lupul, who came to Edmonton with Ladislav Smid in the deal which provided the Oilers with a first round draft choice this year and both a first and second round pick next year.

"I'm mature enough to look at it and say he's a big reason they're here."

Lupul, who had a terrible time of it in his first season with the Oilers, scoring 16 goals with 12 assists for 28 points and a minus 29, says he's not in any stage of denial.

"It doesn't look very good for me personally, but I hope it might look a little better four or five years from now when he's out of the league and I'm in the prime of my career."

Lupul, who other than going back to Edmonton for a week in late June to move into a new house he's purchased, plans to spend his entire summer in L.A.

"It's a great place to be for young single guys like myself."

And he wouldn't say no if some of the Ducks asked him to join them in celebration if they win the Stanley Cup.

"That could be a lot of fun."


------------------------------------------------

Poor "Dreamy eyes" Lupul; I guess we OILERS FANS should feel sorry for him. * Rolling of the eyes and a mock snort/laugh inserted here*.

Oh, to be able to live the NHL dream when your summers involve working out in the morning, hanging out at the beach in the afternoon, trolling for the hotties at night. But no Stanley Cup. Boo-fuckin-hoo.

Let's hope he cuts back on his rumored cocaine habit though and doesn't get a STD (or two) hey?
Or a sunburn. Sunburns hurt like a mofo.

The kids are coming to E-town!

Oilers Development Camp Opens June 4th

Staff Writer Edmonton Oilers

May 30, 2007, 3:00 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers will hold a Development Camp for some of the team’s top prospects beginning on Monday, June 4, 2007. The week long camp will feature both on-ice and off-ice sessions over a six-day period from June 4th to June 9th.

Steve Serdachny, the Oilers Skating and Skills Coach, will run the on-ice sessions at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, Alberta, while off-ice training sessions will be held at both Foote Field on the campus of the University of Alberta and at the Oilers fitness centre at Rexall Place, under the guidance of Oilers Strength and Conditioning Coach, Chad Moreau.

Among the thirteen players who will be attending the camp are three recently signed draft picks. Forward Andrew Cogliano (University of Michigan; 1st round, 25th overall, 2005 NHL Entry Draft) will be joined by defenceman Theo Peckham (Owen Sound; 2nd choice, 3rd round, 75th overall, 2006 NHL Entry Draft) and goaltender Glenn Fisher (U of Denver; 9th choice, 5th round, 148th overall; 2002 NHL Entry Draft). The trio of players was signed to contracts earlier this month.

Defenceman Sebastien Bisaillon, who made his NHL debut with the Oilers this past season, will also be in attendance as will Taylor Chorney. Chorney, Edmonton’s second choice, 36th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, completed his second season of collegiate hockey with the University of North Dakota in 2006-07.

Four of Edmonton’s five selections from the 2006 NHL Entry Draft will be at the camp. Joining Peckham are defencemen Jeff Petry (Des Moines (USHL); 1st choice, 2nd round, 45th overall) and Cody Wild (Providence University; 4th choice, 5th round, 140th overall) and goaltender Bryan Pitton (Brampton; 3rd choice, 5th round, 133rd overall).

2007 Edmonton Oilers development camp schedule

Monday, June 4, 2007
9:00 am to 11:00 am – On-Ice Testing (Millennium Place; Sherwood Park)
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm – Off-Ice Workout (Foote Field; University of Alberta)

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm – Off-Ice Workout (Rexall Place)

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
9:00 am to 11:00 am - On-Ice Workout (Millennium Place; Sherwood Park)

Thursday, June 7, 2007
9:00 am to 11:00 am – On-Ice Workout (Millennium Place; Sherwood Park)
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm – Off-Ice Workout (Foote Field; University of Alberta)

Friday, June 8, 2007
9:00 am to 11:00 am – On-Ice Workout (Millennium Place; Sherwood Park)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm – Off-Ice Workout (Rexall Place)

Saturday, June 9, 2007
9:00 am to 11:00 am – Off-Ice Workout (Rexall Place)

Petr Sykora carries a hot stick.

Hockey stick that is, you pervs.
I don't know about his other 'stick'; we'll leave that up to his wife.



Anyhoo, I bought this game-used auto'd stick on May 5th at the Oilers locker room sale.
Half price it was. $149.99 instead of 299.99. Deal and a half cuz Petr is an UFA in July and may (not) be coming back to the Oilers. The Hemsky stick was only discounted $50, $249.99 down from $299.99, so Sykora it was! I was actually going for a Jarret Stoll stick, but season ticket holders were allowed in before the 10 am start time, and I arrived at about 10:30, so most of the sticks were gone by then. Interesting that Stoll and Sykora both use blue Easton Stealth sticks though.




The first thing I noticed about Sykora's stick is that he cuts the toe off the blade, making it flat instead of rounded. Not being a hockey player myself, ( I can't skate backwards to save my life) I don't know if this is common practice or not. Sykora does like to spend a lot of time working on his sticks though.



It has a nice hand-crafted curve to it as well.



Maybe he used my stick to score a goal, who knows?
If not, at least his autograph is pretty.


Just in case you are an amateur and wanted to use this stick. Think again.

Can one Canadian team really be "Canada's team"? Interesting SCF facts

Are the Ottawa Senators really "Canada's team" as CBC tries to spin them to be? Were the Flames and Oilers also "Canada's team" back in 2004 and 2006? Can fans across the country really cheer for another team that isn't their own; sometimes their team's bitter rival; just because they are Canadian based? Yes and no. I honestly half-heartedly cheered for the Flames back in 2004 since my Oilers missed the playoffs that season, but come 2006 when the Oilers were back in the playoffs and going to game 7 of the SCF, not too many of those Flames fans returned the Oilers fans favor. Fuck you Calgary. Not that I expected much from Flames fans anyways.
Now it's the Ottawa Senators turn. I doubt any Leafs fans are cheering for the Senators; but if it was the Leafs in the final, I doubt ANY of the other Canadian teams fans would be cheering for the Leafs. As much as the Leafs are loved by their fans, they are HATED by most, if not all, of their non-fans. But this isn't about the Leafs or their annoying disillusioned fans; its about the Senators and them being "Canada's team" in 2007. It's hard to really call them "Canada's team" when you know the Leafs fans are cheering for the Ducks in spite, and when the Ducks have more Canadian born players or their roster.

Like I previously blogged, it's hard for Oilers fans to pick which team to cheer for; as a Canadian born hockey fan you just can't not watch the SCF even if your team isn't going for it all; do you go with the "Canada's team" angle and cheer for the Senators with that little punk-bitch Comrie, or do you go with the "team that has the most Canadian born players" angle and cheer on the Ducks, even with the whipped (soon to be divorced as rumored) gap-tooth giant Pronger?
Both former Oilers that left in a less than desirable way? Both former Oilers referred to as Oilers fans "Public enemy number 1 and public enemy number 2"? The 'joke' (holy quotation marks Batman!) that went around when Pronger asked for a trade from the Oilers last season; "about the only person happy about this is Mike Comrie, as he will be Oilers fans public enemy number 2 now".
Pick your poison, pick your reasons to cheer for a team or against a team, choose to not cheer for either team if that's what suits you, but as game one showed, its going to be a helluva a series.

------------------
Mike Comrie is maturing into a two-way player.
Wut?!
Are you fucking serious?
For serious. No lie.
Who whadda thunk it?
He also doesn't forget the whole fiasco that ended in him traded from the Oilers to Philadelphia instead of Anaheim.
So he's still a little bitch. :P

-----------------------

A Canadian team or the Detroit Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup in every year ending in the number 7 since the NHL took full control of Lord Stanley's Cup as their official trophy.
Since it's Ottawa vs Anaheim and not Ottawa vs Detroit, Ottawa has to win to keep the trend going, correct?

Also, the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was back in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings. No California team has won the Cup.
So Ottawa REALLY has to win to keep both trends going.

The team that has won game one of the best-of-seven final has gone on to win the series 52 of 67 times or 77.6%, improving to 93% when winning the 1st two games.
Since Ottawa lost game one (FUCK) they better be praying to win game two and be praying even harder that they are in the 22.4% that wins Lord Stanley's Cup after losing game one.
No need to panic. Yet.

PLEASE DON'T BE LIKE THE OILERS AND SHIT THE BED IN GAME TWO.

Thanks Senators. I know you will do us proud.
If not, you'll be added to the list of past Canadian teams that failed to get it done. (Vancouver - 7 games in 1994, Calgary - 7 games in 2004, Edmonton - 7 games in 2006.)
Plus, you will also feel the wrath from Oilers fans for being the team that let Pronger win the Cup. You don't want THAT on your head now do you? DO YOU?!?!?!
Go Senators! Fuck the Leafs.

Wee-haw! We're going to the Northwest Territories kids!

Edmonton Oilers Rookie Camp Breaks New Ice In Yellowknife

The Edmonton Oilers will break new ice this season by becoming the first NHL team in history to stage their Rookie Camp in the Northwest Territories.

The Edmonton Oilers Rookie Camp, presented by Canadian North, is scheduled for September 6-9, 2007, and will see the Oilers travel to within 512 kilometers of the Arctic Circle. Fans in Yellowknife will have the opportunity to watch Oilers top prospects, including Andrew Cogliano, Theo Peckham and Vyacheslav Trukhno, in action as the team prepares for the 2007/08 NHL season.

As well as holding a number of on-ice sessions at the Yellowknife Multiplex Arena, the Oilers rookies will also take part in the Champions For Children fundraising dinner on Saturday, September 8th. Tickets for each of the three on-ice sessions will be sold for $5 each, and are available at Top of The World Travel & Tours in Yellowknife starting Monday, May 28th. Proceeds from the Champions for Children Dinner will benefit Facilities For Kids and KidSport.

“This is a first for the Edmonton Oilers, a first for the NHL, and a first for hockey fans in the Northwest Territories,” said Patrick LaForge, President & CEO of the Edmonton Oilers. “The spirit and excitement of Oilers hockey is set to take over Yellowknife, as we initiate our northern friends as the host city for Oilers Rookie Camp.”

“I've been excited about the thought of having Oilers Rookie Camp in Yellowknife for some time now,” said Kevin Lowe, General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers. “Every time I meet an NHL fan from Northern Canada, I feel their passion and the strong connection they have to hockey. We now have a chance to actually participate with them in their own part of Canada¾the most unique part of Canada.”

Tom Ruth, President of Canadian North, adds, “Bringing the Edmonton Oilers Rookie Camp to the residents of the Northwest Territories, especially our youth, is an amazing opportunity for all parties involved.” Canadian North is a 100% Aboriginally owned company committed to the North and the communities in which they serve.

Further details on Rookie Camp Schedules will be released closer to the event.

2007 SCF edition; ex-Oilers Pronger vs Comrie

Oh joy.

I can't hardly wait.

Yukon Jack did a rant (his daily 'my big yap' rant on 100.3 fm the Bear radio station in Edmonton) on this subject; as Oilers fans who do we cheer for? Oilers public enemy number 1, or public enemy number 2? (He left it up to the listeners to decide who is 1 and who is 2.)
Basically he's boycotting the SCF this season. He has a good point, butttttttttttt even with Comrie, I gotta go with the Senators on this one. Like Yukon Jack I hold a grudge, but the grudge against Pronger's wife is fresher than the grudge against Comrie.

I have mostly forgiven Pronger, but for the way he fucked over the Oilers due to his wife, I hope he never ever gets to pump Stanley around. He may be forgiven, but that doesn't mean I want to see him happy. Comrie was very much hated (and is still hated) by many Oilers fans for the way he left the Oilers, but his departure did not have the same impact as Pronger's departure did. Comrie did not lead the Oilers to within one game of the Stanley Cup and then bitch out for 'family reasons'. No, Comrie bitched out for more money, for a rumored dispute within the Oilers dressing room. Comrie was basically a little bitch, and we all hated him at the time, but time eases pain. The pain of Pronger dumping us has not subsided yet.
Good luck to you Comrie. Fuck you Pronger.

Thanks for the 1st round draft pick in 2008, but you can go to hell now Anaheim.




With my 10-4 prediction rate heading into the final, I fearlessly go with the Senators.
Todd Marchant doesn't deserve a Cup either.

SENATORS IN 6.

"Look at that break, it comes to Peca..........SCORES!"

On with the playoff memories.
With the Ducks off to the Western Final for the 2nd straight year, it brings to my mind the fun the Oilers had last season beating them in 5 games to advance to the SCF.
The Oilers were all the playoff "cliches" in 2006; a well-oiled machine, hitting on all cylinders, playing as a 5 man unit, etc.
What were the Oilers doing last year at approximately this time? Beating the Ducks 3-1 (en) in game 1 in Anaheim and making enemies with Teemu Selanne, that's what.
The best moment was Peca's shorthanded goal courtesy of a sweet long and high pass from Roli.
The video speaks for itself.

"There was nothing but air, and then there was Cujo"

I have posted this video on my blog already, but it's worth another look.
10 years ago, April 29,1997. 1st round of the playoffs, the Oilers return to the playoffs after a 5 year absence. Game 7 in Dallas. By all means, the Oilers shouldn't even of been in a game 7 in this series, but they kept at it and got it there. The greatest moment in playoff hockey is a game 7 in overtime. Cujo made save after save after save. Phenomenal saves at that. A relatively young team bound by determination and hard work. I had been watching playoff hockey since 1994, but not until the home town Oilers were back in it in 1997 did I start to become an Oilers fan. A die-hard one at that, within a year. I fell completely and hopelessly in love with the game of hockey and with the Oilers at this moment, and haven't looked back. Oh Cujo, you were the man back in the day. Purely unbelievable save.

Haven't blogged in awhile, but I'm back!

Combined with work and not feeling up to par to blog lately, I just haven't done it. Tonight will be the West and East final predictions. Still working on my Oilers locker room sale story (complete with pictures!) for another day. (Maybe tomorrow).

------------------

Finished with a 3-1 predicting record in the 2nd round, calling two series in the correct amount of games as well. (Sabres in 6 and Ducks in 5.) Heading into the West and East finals with a 9-3 record.
Called the Sharks/Wings series to go 6 games, but thought the Sharks could overcome the Mighty Red Machine, but like last season when they shot themselves in the foot and fucked up the series against the Oilers, they proceeded to do the same thing this season. Guess they didn't learn from their mistakes, unlike the Wings and Ducks (the other two Western teams the Oilers beat last year on their way to the SCF.)

Back to cheering for the Wings. Even though I don't hate Pronger, I hate his wife that much more for her hand in for screwing over the Oilers. The bitch has the nerve to leave him NOW, after we traded him in the hopes that his marriage could be saved. Chris never did give us Oilers fans (or anyone else for that matter) the real reason behind his request for a trade due to "family issues" but we all know it was his princess of a wife. What does this have to do with the 2007 Western Final you may ask? Well, as much as I have gotten over hating Pronger and directing that hate towards his (soon to be ex) wife, I miss the crap out of him and can't bear to watch him pump Stanley around in a Ducks uniform. If *IF* the Ducks beat the Wings and *IF* they do win the Cup, I just might break down and cry; worse than when the Oilers lost it last season. And let me tell you, it was a long and hard cry.

I hope the East wins it though, since the Senators are the last Canadian team standing, but if Buffalo takes them out, the Sabres deserve the Cup after those jerk Hurricanes took them out last season.
Match-ups from the regular season really mean shit in the playoffs, and I don't have the energy to get into the stats, so I'm just gonna wing it. Ha, wing it.

--------------

WESTERN FINAL

Ducks and Wings. Oh, the bird teams. Excellent. Two teams that are still on a mission to rectify losing to the Oilers last season. Really, either team is capable of winning this series and the Cup. The same can be said about the two Eastern Final teams as well. But only one will be winning it all. Wings in 6, just cuz as I mentioned above, I can't bear the thought of seeing Pronger with the Cup after the Oilers run last season.
Which by the way, I can watch hi-lites from the 1st 3 rounds (Oilers wins over the Wings, Sharks, and Ducks) but not the 4th and final round against the 'Canes due to losing and all. Not even the hi-lites from the games the Oilers won; I still tear up.
Anyways, back on topic. I would be surprised if this series was won in less than 6 games.
WINGS IN 6.

---------------

EASTERN FINAL

Sabres and Senators. Woooo boy. Should be a dozzie. Guaranteed to be a good hard hitting time.
Cheering for a Senators win, go Canada! But if Buffalo wins I'd be ok with that since they got the shaft in last season's East Final, with all their injuries they endured. Both teams are deserving on a trip to the SCF showdown, but only one will get there. Both teams have solid goal tending, but Miller is prone to choking slightly, say when the Sabres have a 2 0r 3 goal lead and letting the other team back into it.
SENATORS IN 6.

-------------------