All Hands on Deck

I'm not even sure how to start this post. I think this sums things up....FUCK!!!!!

Oil, what the hell are you doing to me? I can barely formulate a clear sentence; the Oilers have caused me multiple strokes with their inconsistent play of late. Inconsistent? That doesn't even begin to describe it. Let's go over some stats for December (updated after the Calgary game).

-5 Wins and 9 Losses
-46 goals against and 35 goals for
-9 PP goals total (3 were in one game, a loss to LA). 26th on PP
-12 PP goals given up (3 in one game, twice). 3rd in PK
-Following a 3 game winning streak in early December, the boys have 2 wins and 8 losses in their last nine. Ouch

Okay, much of December was played without Smitty and Hemmer. BUT.....does that explain the Oiler's inability to play defense? The last time I looked, they weren't defensemen nor goalies. Whoa, hold it. Why not? I can't see it making things worse

Other thoughts: why is Thoresen not playing? He's sat the last five games and I'm not sure if he's playing tonight in Calgary. But Pouliot and Jacques are playing. Jacques is a lovely -8 and no points in 14 games. MacT, what the fuck are you doing? Put the Norwegian back in. He's sat long enough. Time to act like a coach, see if sitting will motivate him (update: he's playing tonight).

Lupul? I suggest we take him out back, shoot him. Put him and more importantly, the fans out of our misery. I just don't understand this kid. Is it the pressure of playing in his hometown, an actual hockey town? Bullshit. Suck it up bitch and show some intensity. I forget he's on this team many nights, he's that invisible.

I won't single out any defensemen out, but you all suck right now. ALL.

Roli....come back. I know you're in there. Please come back. Hang in there, you're get some defense help in March. I know it's a long wait (paging Kevin Lowe, get off your ass, make a deal. Or if time machines are plausible, go back and undue the Pronger trade. How fucking stupid do you have to be to trade one of the best d-men to someone in your conference, who already has one of the best d-men in the league already, and in return you get rookies. Nothing substantial, yet. Sure, in five years we're going to be loving Smid, hell maybe in two years. You needed to get a top two d-man in return. You got screwed on the deal. Burke is a bloody genius. He took you, and hard).

So Battle of Alberta tonight and I hoping this will turn the tide. Calgary always brings out the best in us and if there was any a time to bring out the best, it is NOW. Urgency boys, we need to see some urgency.

In closing, fire Simpson and MacTavish please. Off with their heads too.

UPDATE: Good and bad news. The good: Pronger broke his foot (hahahahahaha). The bad: Oilers suck. Lost to Calgary 4-2.

Coming Home

The greatest hockey player ever (in my mind) will have his number retired February 27th. Yes, Mark Messier, aka Moose, comes home to Edmonton. I've been waiting for this moment since he announced his retirement. Of course, New York had to retire his number first, but the best have been saved for last.

I want one thing on February 27th: TEARS. Mess blubbered like a wee little baby when the Rangers retired his number, and I want lots of tears for the Oilers. I want Mess to be crying on Gretzky's shoulder. Is that too much to ask?

Anyways, I'm looking forward to this night. I have my season ticket but I am going to buy a gold seat, sit practically in the front row. I saw front row for Fuhr's retirement, and it was truly a magical night. Coffey had his last year, and of course I was there to see it.

Of course, it's too bad it's against Phoenix. I don't like the thought of giving them two more points. We always seem to lose these ceremony nights, so don't expect the boys to win. Sad.

On another note, the boys rebounded quite nicely against Vancouver. They played a pretty good game. I can't remember the last time I said that. A complete game. Yeah they got a couple lucky goals, but this team needed to get a break go their way.

The Oilers will be playing some crappy team from the US. I can't remember their names, I've blocked it out. Ok, it's Carolina Hurricanes. Blah, blah, I hate them, blah, blah. I have never watched the end of game seven, nor do I intend to. I'm sure my friends remember me turning the tv off after the empty net goal. I refused to watch it. But of course, I could not keep away the pictures of Brind'Amour's ugly ass mug holding OUR cup. It was on every paper, on every website, everywhere.

Also, our favorite ref will be working tonight....Magoo. I hope he gets hit with another beer!!

Wow, I'm watching TSN and they're showing an Ottawa game. Wow, shocking. But of course, that means we get to watch TSN kiss Ovechkin's ass all night. I'm glad to be at the Oilers game later, so I don't have to listen to Pierre McGuire raving about the Canes. Oh yes, Brind'Amour is amazing, Ward is the greatest goalie ever. Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!!!

Jussi will be starting tonight. I'm actually not surprised. Roli had a good game against Vancouver so he can sit and relax. Let's hope Jussi can bring back his magical play from the playoffs. Keep smiling at the Canes, the reflection from your teeth should blind them!!!

Where's that button?

It is time. Time to hit the panic button.

Last night is the bottom of the barrel. The Oilers lost to Columbus. Yes, Columbus. One word describes last night: embarrassing. I don't care if Hitchcock has taken over reigns of the Bluejackets, this is a nightmare. Columbus is horrible. HORRIBLE. Icing to this cake, we've lost Smitty for some time due to a fractured thumb. He's been played on the IR, so that means what? Probably gone for over a month, maybe two?

So now the Oilers are without Moreau, Hemsky and Smyth. So how many rookies do we have on the team now? And how many players with extremely limited experience? Too bloody many. Stoll, Horcoff and Pisani must step it up and help carry the load. Roloson is tired of carrying this team. Help that man out.

So does Smitty's injury postpone a trade for a d-man? We can afford to give up any forwards right now, but after losing three games, they need help. Can they afford NOT to make a trade? Roloson needs help. Without him, this team would be sitting at the bottom of the standings.

Send out the SOS!!

Dear Oilers....

You blew it tonight.

But I still love you.

With love,
S.

Five Months in the Making

The devil returns to Edmonton tomorrow night. I was going to review all the articles and media coverage concerning Pronger's return to Edmonton, but I've been beaten to the punch. Thanks Andy! Check out the long long list of articles that he mentions (Edmonton Journal, another Edm Journal story, Edmonton Sun, TSN, Sportsnet, Globe and Mail, and so on). I'm going to comment on a select few.

The media is really stoking this fire, and yet are asking for the fans to restrain themselves. Yeah I'm sure you want that. If we did, you'd have nothing to write about. So the media tells us to be respectful, restrain ourselves and don't get carried away. Umm, stop throwing wood on the fire. By admonishing the fans, you're making them angrier. You can't tell us how to feel.

The general consensus in most of these articles is: booing Pronger is the equivalent of being a schoolyard bully. Seriously? Oh and it's immature. I pay my season ticket (it ain't cheap) and if I want to boo some whiny cheating bastard who didn't have the balls to stand up and be a man about this whole fiasco, it's my bloody business.

In today's NHL, players change teams all the time, but this was more painful than all others combined. It was days following losing game seven, his agent leaked the info to the media before contacting the Oilers, Pronger was off in Mexico, refused to comment for weeks, and when he did, it was via a conference call where he refused to answer why he wanted out. Oh yes, and this happened following the signing of a five year deal. Oiler fans finally could attract the big names, and be able to afford to keep them. Years of losing players because of money was over. Pronger stated, I woudln't

I take issue with one man in particular, Kelly Hrudey. Now, I used to absolutely hate him and that damn rag he wore on his head when he played. However, he became an excellent commentator on HNIC. Actually, he became one of my favorites. No longer is that the case. Kelly has waded in on the Pronger issue and comes off sounding like an ass. The excellent Battle of Alberta has commented on this already, so check it out. The most hilarious part is his attack on the blogging community, which something he readily admits that he knows nothing about. Yeah Kelly, way to state that expert opinion, which you admit is baseless.

I did enjoy Kevin Lowe's comments. Basically, trading Pronger is going to be an advantage. Without trading him, there would be little money for the Hemsky's and Smyth's on this team. He makes an excellent point. He freed up a lot of money by trading the devil, and sure, they lost some skill on the back end but by keeping the young core of this team, he's giving this team a real chance.

There's a bit of Kevin Lowe that wants to boo, too.
"I can understand how people feel duped,'' he said. "They warm up to a player quickly. The player has a hell of a year. The team has a great year ...''
The Oilers appear to be taking the high road as Pronger arrives today, but Lowe said that's not because of any team policy.
"I'm not afraid to bad-mouth Chris Pronger,'' said the GM.
"And I'll tell you I still don't understand it.

Well said Kevin. It's still shocking.

I'm very disappointed with all the media coverage. Most of it is supportive of Pronger and his decision to demand a trade. They want to feel morally superior to the average fan, and ask us to take the high road. Puhleeeze. Stay on your knees boys, I'm sure Pronger appreciates what you're doing down there and won't clam up on you (or zip up). It's all for the interview. You can't bash a "superstar" and live to talk to him.

The game will be on pay-per-view, brilliant move by the Oilers. They should rake the money in from this game. Oilers must win. MUST.

November 22, 2003

Three years ago today, I was lucky enough to experience the greatest hockey game in history. It was the Heritage Classic Outdoor hockey game in Edmonton, where the Edmonton Oilers played some other team. It was truly a remarkable day.

It was also a typical November day in Canada.....freezing!!! Brrrrrr!!!!! It was -25 Celcius and being outside for eight hours, yes yes yes it was cold. However, it was worth it! We even had a streaker. Yup, a streaker in -25 degrees Celcius weather.

The Legends game saw the return of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, finally back in an Oilers uniform, plus Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, and the greatest player ever, Mark Messier!!

I grew up in Manitoba and saw the Oilers as often as I could in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, I never got to see Gretzky play until November 22, 2003. Plus to see Messier and Fuhr, my two favorite players, back in Oiler blue was fantastic.

Lock Him Up!

Steve Staois has signed a 4 year contract extension worth $10.9 million. He gets paid $2.9 million for each of the first two years of the extension, $2.8 million in year three and $2.2 in the fourth year. Overall, it's a 2.725 hit to the salary cap. This is about what I expected Stevie to sign for. Personally, I was hoping for something closer to $2.5/yr for 3 years. Especially considering he is getting long in the tooth. He's 33.

Next up, the Magical Mullet. Get that boy signed....asap!!!

Speaking of the mullet, Colorado's John-Michael Liles was FINALLY fined by the NHL on his dirty knee hit. Basically it's pocket change and another example of how teams in the West are treated. If that hit had occured to a player from the East, a suspension would have been handed out.

UPDATE: Oilers beat the Flames 2-1. Boring game to be completely honest. I almost fell asleep in Rexall tonight several times. Ok, that might be some slight exaggeration but seriously, both teams were not very exciting. It also wasn't until middle of the second period that I realized, hey Iginla plays for Calgary. He was invisible tonight. Sykora, one of our two favorite Czechs scored twice, nice. Otherwise, Zzzzzzzz. Oilers, get it together. More giveaways as usual.....poor communication led to Calgary's goal. Roli was a god again. We might as well just deify him now.

A Tale of Two Teams

I just got back from Rexall Place, and an Oilers victory 4-3 in the shootout.

The man with the world's ugliest goatee is out of MacT's house, for now. Raffi played a decent game, a goal in regulation and the winning goal in the shootout. I'd like to see a more physical game from Torres, but he's very hestitant to hit. We all know he can punish the opposition with his hard hits, but is such a streaky player. I think the Oilers should create a position within the organization: their job would be to poke the bear, get in Raffi's face on game day. He needs to get that edge and be angry to play aggressively.

Other musings on this game:

- Another disjointed effort. Horrible second period, with only three shots on net. But it wasn't just that, the Wings pinned the Oilers in their end for most of the period.

- Too many giveaways. I wouldn't be surprised if there was at least 20 turnovers in tonight's game.

-Bergeron took another step back on his even strength play. I wish they'd stop putting him and Greene together. They do not compliment each other, unless you count their endless giveaways. BOTH were guilty tonight on many occassions, along with more players than I can name

- There must have over a dozen occassions that Oilers were thrown out of the faceoff circle, with Stoll taking half of them. This is not new to tonight's game. I've noticed this so far this season, especially Stoll getting thrown out ALL the time. I'm perplexed as to the reason.

- Roli is a god. If you disagree, check this out and eat your words.

- The Oilers have abandoned their physical play apparently. It wasn't until the middle of the second period until the first big hit (by Jason Smith).

- Goals/Points from Lupul, Horcoff and Torres tonight (and Thursday against St. Louis): slumps over?? Not quite yet, but we'll know once the homestand is over.

- Detroit is a dirty team that gets the benefit of the doubt. Non-calls led to two of Detroit's goals yet the refs don't hestitate to raise their hand on Edmonton. Come on, just call it fair.

- It must have taken over 15 mins to review Detroit's first goal. Now, what the hell took so long? My feeling is that if it takes that long to review a goal, then it can't be conclusively called a goal. I just got home and saw the replays, but it doesn't look definitive to me. Imagine that, a call going Detroit's way. Hmmm.

- Oilers almost blow the game, letting Detroit tie up the game with 3 seconds left in the game. But win it in the shootout (which I hate, hate, hate. Please get rid of it).

- And lastly, the best sign of the night: "Retire Already Chelios." Yes, not clever but a great message.

So overall, a decent win for the Oil. They need to stop snoozing in the second periods. It's become a bad habit. Just say no. Say no to a nap! This team has a multiple personality disorder. One moment they a hard and fast-skating team, playing physical and creating chances. Other moments, they can't skate, don't forecheck and are sloppy in their own end.

Oh, on a completely non-Oiler related note, the Senators beat Buffalo for the second time this week. Is this team finally turning it around? I hope so.

The Magical Mullet

How long will the Edmonton Oilers and their fans be able to see Ryan Smyth in an Oiler jersey? He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Will he resign with the Oil ??

After watching that dirty hit on Smyth by the Avs' Liles, and possibly losing Smitty to a season-ending inury, it just makes you appreciate him even more. I think we all gave a collective sigh of relief when we heard it was a charley horse. Right now, Smitty (along with Roli the goalie) is the best Oiler. This team can't afford to lose him right now, or ever!!

Will he stay?

According to the Edmonton Journal, Smitty turned down a 3 year, $12 million offer at the start of the season. He's making $3.5 million right now, so obviously a raise is in order. Especially since he had 36 goals last year and is on pace for maybe 40 this year. He's playing the best hockey of his career (don't players always seem to do that the year their contract is up, hmmm interesting. Not in Smitty's case, he also played great last year). So you're probably looking at $4.5-5 million/yr to keep him, right?

The Journal also said:

There is a perception out there that Smyth would take less money to keep playing in Edmonton and Meehan said it would be Smyth's preference to finish his career as an Oiler.

I would love that to be true. Do we think it is? He has already turned down $4 million/yr. Is he looking for more money (all players do), or is it the length of the contract (wants a 4-5 yr deal?)?

Do we give him whatever he wants? Is he worth $5 million/5 years? I would say yes. With idiots like Tanguay making over $5 million a year, the bar has been raised (way to go Calgary, you bunch on inbred hicks). By the way, he has only 3 goals thus far. Good pickup Calgary!

So Kevin Lowe, give that man whatever he wants (obviously try to get him for as low a price as you can).....the magical mullet must remain in Edmonton!!!!

I want blood

Good news: Oilers beat Colorado tonight.

Bad news: Knee-on-knee on Smitty by John Michael Liles of the Avs. DIRTY!!! It was intentional and he should be suspended. And who gives a fuck if he's not typically a dirty player. That means nothing. It was a dirty play, and the league needs to take a look at the play all by itself.

Smitty had trouble getting off the ice, couldn't put weight on his left knee so it looks very serious. He had two goals tonight, a powerplay goal and a shorthanded (the Oilers first this season). He's having another excellent season, so this would be horrible if he's out due to injury.

So it just makes you think: what else could possibly happen to the Oil? I have a bad feeling about Smitty. The Oil have no luck lately, so Smitty is probably out for the season. I really hope not. They need him so much. Roli and Smitty are the two best players on this team right now.

(okay Sportsnet just said Smitty has a charley horse in the left knee, so that's good news. Whew, I was really nervous. Did the Oilers luck just change? They might actually have some good luck finally coming their way)

UPDATE: Liles will not be suspended, according to TSN. Is this because Smitty is not hurt badly? The resulting injury should not be taken into account with regards to a suspension. Punish the action not the result. NHL, another mistake on your part.

Rock Bottom

So Roli sat out today's game and Jussi played. All I can say, I miss Roli.

Jussi was horrible. Bad goals. Period.

Torres, where are you? And why do you stop skating in the neutral zone? No wonder the Oilers can rarely gain the zone when Torres (and yes, numerous others) stop skating in the neutral zone. You boys are fast, one of the fastest skating teams in the league. Get skating!!!!

I abandoned my "Greene Experiment" sometime in the first period. He was rarely on the ice and I couldn't be bothered to keep an eye out for him. He barely played much time in the third period too. Have the Oilers finally realized this kid needs less ice time to be effective? Also, Bergeron sat out again. I'm assuming he's a healthy scratch again. Hedja got the start again, and I don't notice him much so that's probably good news.

So the boys lost to St. Louis.......bottom of the barrel. Good news: there is no other way to go but UP!

So how do they get out this slump? When Winchester is your best player, you know things are not good. He's been the best player on this road trip (along with Smitty). What the hell is wrong with everyone else???

I don't even want to watch the game tomorrow night, but with Roli back in net, they will stand a better chance than they did today. It's very disheartening to watch this team right now.

Hell Hath Frozen Over? Maybe...

I can't believe I'm about to say something nice about Calgary.....okay here goes nothing.

Calgary, you guys don't completely suck.

Whew, that was hard to do. I almost feel dirty uttering those words. My hate for Calgary is only eclipsed by my hate for Chris Pronger. I never thought I could hate anyone or thing more than the Calgary Flames but yes I do. So obviously hell has frozen over since I can now say one nice thing about Calgary.

Pronger, who was booed by the (Calgary) fans every time he touched the puck, had his point-scoring streak brought to an end at six games.

So it was nice to see the Oilers finally win last night. I had forgotten what it felt like to watch the Oilers play good. Please don't make me forget again!!!

Smitty and Roli are the two best players on the team right now. Lowe, forget about getting Staios resigned right now. You should be devoting all your time to Ryan Smyth! Get him signed first, then move on to the secondary players. Smitty is your core.

Bergeron sat out last night. I'm not a fan of that. Bergeron already has confidence issues, and this will not help. I thought he has played pretty good of late. He has been carrying the puck more, taking more shots (hello, you have a monster shot, use it) and really stepping up defensively.

One thing I am perplexed about.....Matt Greene. The Oilers love this kid. I am completely in the dark as to why. Do the Oilers like his giveaways, defensive breakdowns, or getting beat wide per shift?

So the next game up for the Oilers is St. Louis. I'm going to do a mini-experiment. I'm going to watch Matt Greene, and document every time he gives the puck away, gets beat wide, is out of position, etc. I will also document the positives: hits, checks, good positioning, and so on. I think St. Louis is a good team to do my experiment with, cause they suck big time. So a team that is as bad as that, the Oilers should have an easy time. Therefore, Greene "should" have an easy time. I believe Greene will have more negatives than positives

Oilers will win on Sunday vs. St. Louis 5-2. Sykora and Hemsky get two each, with Horcoff getting out of his drought for the final goal.

Magoo is at it again!

Snagged this video from HERE. Thanks!

Is there a worse call in the history of hockey?? I don't know, but damn, that was horrible. Magoo is behind the net, yet has x-ray vision. He sees through five people. Don't you think if it really was a hand pass, the other ref or linesmen would have seen it?

Oh yes, Magoo was apologetic following the game. But too late!!

It was a blown call on my part," he said after the game. "It was poor judgment on my part. I thought he had his hand on the puck on the face-off but it was his stick. My judgment was poor on the play.

And to put icing on the cake, MacT gets fined $10,000 for his comments following the game.

"It was a retarded call," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish snapped. "There is no other explanation for it. I know he is a veteran official and at times I have found his antics humorous. But if this is the product of that there is a problem.

"It was a ridiculous call. I had no idea what he had called. Nobody saw the hand pass on the play because quite clearly there wasn't one. It's beyond reason.

"He should be suspended.

Okay, so a disallowed goal and a goal by Dallas that should not have been allowed (poor Roli was interferred by baby Lindros). A tough game for the Oilers. Sure, they didn't play great but also not bad. They had a bad first period, but dominated the second and came out hard in the second half of the third.

Did they deserve to win? Who gives a fuck!! It's not about deserving to win or lose. It's about battling hard, coming back and putting yourself into a position to win. The Oilers did that. That's Oilers hockey. They battled hard, got back into the game and tied it up.

One question: why is Magoo always our ref? He seems to ref A LOT of our games. My guess is each ref is given a certain division or conference to ref. Is that accurate??

Magoo needs to be fined at the minimum. I think a suspension is due. His punishment needs to be public. I'm tired of the refs being reprimanded behind closed doors. No more!

A public hanging is all I'm asking. Is that too much to ask???

Now what should be done with the NHL's officiating problem? There is a problem. I've heard talk about following what the NFL does, where the officials work together. Maybe we can have a bit more of that. Or bring in challenges. A coach can challenge a particular call, one that is not "reviewable" such as face-offs. Obviously, put a limit to the number of challenges but I don't see why this would not work? Sure, refs make mistakes but the rules are set up in a way that if a mistake is made (that is not goal-related), they can't review it. This needs to change.

Refs need to be make more accountable for their actions. Too much is dealt with behind closed doors. No more. I think if you make such a blatant mistake as Magoo did, there needs to be repercussions. I mean, you have a ref, who has a very well-known reputation of phantom calls. He's in the corner, behind the net, there is ten seconds left in the game, and he calls a hand pass on the face-off. He was obviously looking for something, anything. You have the linesmen and other ref in a better position that yourself, and yet you're confident enough to make the call??? Sure, no bias at all.

So how are the Oilers going to respond? They are heading off on a road trip, playing five games in seven nights (yikes). Are they going to respond, use this as motivation and get back their edge? I say YES! Maybe it's wishful thinking but I just feel this is a huge motivator. It has to be.

Update: Magoo will not be fined nor suspended. I am very disillusioned with the NHL right now. This is a big mistake. BIG!

Update: The boys at Battle of Alberta have set up a MacT Relief Fund to help pay for his $10,000 fund. Go on over and contribute!!!

It's Raining Hat Tricks!

Thursday night gave us three natural hat tricks. Two in the Oilers-Sharks game. The beautifully mulleted Ryan Smyth scored three goals AND in a span of 2 mins, 1 sec to break a Gretzky record for fastest three goals (2 mins, 18 secs). Yes the Smitty broke a Gretzky record. Awesome!!!!

A quick recap of the game:

-Oilers come out quick, manhandling the Sharks and score the first goal from Winchester (after the game, it was given to Thoresen, his first NHL goal)

-I don't remember what happened next. I must have blacked out. Next thing I know, the Sharks are leading 4-1.

-Hemsky gets a hooking penalty (12 mins total tonight) when he had the puck and both hands on the stick. Hmmm refs made a mistake. I'm shocked. They never screw up like that.

-Oilers get a quick goal from Lupul before the second period ends.

-In a span of 2 mins, 1 sec.....Smitty scores three goals. He also gets his 500th point, all as an Oiler! Captain Canada rules the night.

-Hemsky scores on a breakaway and the game is over. Oilers win 6-4.

-Another Oiler comeback. I think the Sharks saw that several times during the playoffs. hahahahaha How does it feel?

-My favorite cheer from the crowd tonight....Let's Go Oilers, Fuck you Cheechoo.

Overall, not a bad game from the Oilers. Penalty trouble, yes. But several phantom calls (hello Hemsky? Or the too many men? They didn't touch the puck. Oh yes, give the Oilers a bench minor for complaining for too many men. Hmm refs seem to dislike the Oilers. Oh is that McGoo? I believe it is. It's strange that he is around every time the Oilers take lots of penalties. Very interesting). Great comeback, typical Oiler hockey. Roli gives up a couple bad goals, hug the post baby! Hug the post!!! Lowe will be making a deal for the defense by January. No doubt about that.

Are you ready to rumble???

The 2006-2007 NHL season is about to begin for our Edmonton Oilers. The puck drops at 8 pm, so we're less than two hours away. This is my second year as a season ticket holder, the most glorious purchase I have ever made. It's nice to have money. So nice!!!

So the Oilers have been getting dogged by all the pundits (Hockey News picked them to finish 12th in the West). Either most are picking the Oilers to miss the playoffs or just sneak in as usual. I do not believe that will be the case. I'm picking the Oilers to fight Calgary for the Northwest Division crown, thereby, either finishing in the top three in the Western Conference or top five if they don't get the Northwest crown.

Yes, lots have been made about the Oiler blueline. I don't want to get into that very much, but I will say the blueline you see on opening night will be drastically different come April. Lowe will use his magic wand and voila, great deals will be made.

So with strong goaltending, the most deep set of forwards in the league will balance out our inexperienced defense and the Oilers will have a great year. Roli and Smitty will be giving each other more love come the playoffs.

To see other predictions, check out the following sites:

Sportsnet
TSN
Edmonton Sun (pretty good predictions here from several sportswriters)
USToday
ESPN (most are picking the Ducks to win it all....hilarious!)
Sports Illustrated

Well there are a few predictions. But we all know how well they predicted things last year, don't we? So these are more for entertainment purposes.

I'm predicting an Oiler victory tonight over Calgary in the season/home opener.....4-1.

UPDATE:

Well damn I'm brilliant. The score ended up 3-1 so I was pretty close! Also, the Western Conference banner was unveiled. It was short and quick (thank you Kevin Lowe), and then the players came out on the ice. Perfect. I didn't want a prolonged celebration for finishing second. The opening had a nice highlight reel of the Oilers playoff run.....and guess what? Pronger was practically non-existant in it. I think there was one quick shot of him in the entire video. hahahaha Awesome!!!!

Hemksy and Sykora are dynamite together. The best 1-2 punch I've seen since Gretzky/Kurri. Seriously, they got some chemistry!!!! It's very possible the Oilers will have their first 50 goal man since 1988 this year.

Lupul was invisible tonight.

The defence was quite good. The Swede was horrible in the first period, settled down a bit and then scored the third goal.

Roli was excellent. He's picking up where he left off last year, so that's nice to see. He was sharp and on his game. I think that bodes well for the Oil.

This team is going to be dangerous......they will be a scoring machine. Teams are going to have their hands full. They are better than last year!!!

What do you think of tonight's game??

He Doesn't Get It

Yes Chris Pronger still doesn't get it. He still doesn't understand why the fans hate him so much, why there were so many rumours concerning his departure. He even has the nerve to be pissed off about all of this. Hmmm really Chris? Check out the abused Pronger's interview. Anyways, I'm sick of this story because everytime they mention Pronger leaving, they always seem to imply that he hated Edmonton. So Edmonton gets a bad rap. Enough. These damn sports writers in Toronto have got to shut the hell up.

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My brother dropped 40 bones on one of those cool NHL t-shirts last season... you know the ones -- they look like mini-jerseys all pimped out with a logo on the front and the name and number of your favorite player on the back. Bro-dude treated his #44 Chris Pronger t-shirt like a damn tuxedo - he wore it on dates for crying out loud. Now he uses it to wipe brake dust off his front rims, and he has nothing to wear to the bar.So, Pronger's pissed? Join the club, dude. On June 23rd, Chris Pronger unceremoniously made the most suspicious trade request in the 32-year history of the Edmonton Oilers organization. Four days after game seven of the Stanley Cup final. What exactly did Chris expect the fallout would be in a city that was still drunk on Stanley Cup beer? A pat on the ass? Best of luck? Give your wife our best?I dropped out of psychology in university because I saw no point in trying to make sense of nonsense. But the fact that Chris does not understand the fan reaction in Edmonton this summer is as mind boggling as his trade request. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. How could a 31-year old former NHL captain get within two goals of his first Stanley Cup and then walk away from it all? We're still not sure. But you can't blame passion for looking for an answer. And passion is what this comes down to. Chris is right when he says that the rumours surrounding his departure were pure insanity. But so was Oil Country for the six weeks ending June 19th. If Oiler fans were capable of such insane levels of support, why then, is it a surprise that insane levels of speculation would follow a request that no sane individual could comprehend?Now, I'm not saying that Chris is a bad dude. We all have issues in our lives that may perplex others, but seem completely reasonable in our own minds, so this blog is
not about ripping Chris for doing what he did. But Chris' feelings are hurt? C'mon dude.A word to the wise: Careful what you wish for, Chris, because after 6 months in Anaheim, you'll be wishing people cared enough to burn your old furniture.

Now, this is exactly what I'm thinking about the whole Pronger thing....taken from the Journal.

As revealed in Hall of Fame hockey writer Jim Matheson's interview with ex-Oilers defenceman Chris Pronger in Tuesday's Journal, Pronger still doesn't get it. He spoke with some heat to Matheson about the ire of the Edmonton fans as if he had nothing to do with their feeling betrayed. Amazing.

To sum up: This guy is traded to Edmonton, asks for and is given a five-year deal for $6 million and change a year, moves to Edmonton where he buys a home, walks the walk of the Big Man on Campus for an entire season and playoffs. Days after Game 7, he requests a trade, leaves town with no explanation at all, disappears on vacation. By way of his agent, he lets it be known that maybe his wife, Lauren, is the engine of all this. Not happy in isolated Edmonton. Oh dear. Rumors swirl, some of them scurvy, damaging ones, to many more people than just Pronger. The big defenceman sends word, via his agent, that he is displeased with all the tittle-tattle. He pledges to hold a news conference to clear the air. No mention that his own silence has provided precisely the vacuum that will be filled with gossip, particularly in the absence of a more reasonable explanation for his trade demand. He is traded. He then holds a conference call during which he categorically refuses to explain his departure, except to say it was a family decision and a personal one. Nobody else's business. No apology to those in Edmonton who have been hurt by the rumors his own silence and irresponsible behavior helped create. It develops that, via his agent, he had made it known to Oilers management as early as mid-season that he wasn't happy in the Heartland of Hockey. Which, doing the math, means that Pronger and family, who moved here in late summer 2005, had all of five or so months to conclude Edmonton was not for them. Which doesn't seem like much of a try-on, especially for a guy who insisted on a long-term contract to begin with. So now, out there in Anaheim, Pronger remains miffed that many fans feel irked that he bolted their city. He glibly suggests that "fans are fickle, it's the nature of the beast." What arrogance!

The nature of this situation is the fans welcomed Pronger as the centrepiece player of the franchise they so passionately care for. They were thrilled when he delivered a brilliant regular season and an utterly spectacular playoffs. None of them saw his sudden departure coming. Unlike, say, the departure of Peca, who could be rightly criticized for indifferent play in the first half of the year, but not for being dishonest about his one-year tenure in Edmonton. And for Pronger to compare his one-and-done situation with the departures of Messier, Coffey, Kurri, Anderson, Lowe and the rest is fatuous nonsense. Those Oilers greats, as everyone knows, were nurtured within the organization, became stars here, played here for years, winning clusters of Stanley Cups before leaving small-market Edmonton to earn fair-market value for their high-end talents. In Pronger's case, ironically, signing with Edmonton provided him with long-term financial security in the New NHL, while enabling him to make his home somewhere else. And, most galling of all, after all of this time, Pronger still has not come out and said precisely why he and his family had to leave Edmonton after one admittedly brilliant season. He remains in the weird world of denial only the spoiled sports or entertainment superstar seems to inhabit.

What a Mug!!

A new Edmonton Oilers season brings one very important thing: new mugshots. These guys look like they are staring down the barrel of a gun, not getting their picture taken. Hello guys, it's called a smile. You are not being shot, you are not being tortured. It's only a camera. I swear. Secondly, please invest in a proper hair stylist. These poor guys are clueless.

Reasoner: Whoa, where am I? Who am I?

Horcoff: Hey, I know how to smile! And I don't look so creepy when I do. I'm quite adorable actually.









Torres: Do you think I'm sexy? No? Come on, landing strips are sexy!










Mikhnov: Я буду вашим новым русским богом!!










Markkanen: I could be in a dental commercial.











Roloson: Hi, I'm the saviour of the Oilers. I'm too busy being your saviour to know how to smile. Someone please teach me?









Sykora: I've got the hair, I've got the smile, and I've got the moves.










Hemsky: I can't believe I'm 12 years old and an Edmonton Oiler. Cool dude.










Smyth: You know me, I'm Captain Canada and the owner of the NHL's most beautiful mullet. Wanna touch it?











There are your Edmonton Oilers.......

Also check out the hot off !!

IQ Prerequisite !!

Charlie Wang is at it again.....this time he has signed goalie Rick DiPietro to a 15 year contract. Yes, 15 years. The contract will expire in 2022. Oh and it's a guarenteed contract.....if Ricky goes down to injury, he gets the entire $67.5 million. Yes folks, the inmates are running the asylum. There is no other explanation.

On a completely different and un-crazy note, the Edmonton Oilers have signed Joffrey Lupul to a three year deal wroth $6.935 million. Thank you Kevin Lowe for bringing back sanity to the GM position (Yeah Wang isn't technically the GM of the Isles, but he might as well be. Snow is just his puppet now). 2.3 million a year, a bit higher than I thought he was going to sign for, but hell, compared to the Isles, the Oilers are rocket scientists!!!

Lose Two, Gain One

So we lost two Russians over the summer.....Samsanov and the great Ulanov. However, the Edmonton Oilers have just signed Mikhnov to a one year deal. So we will finally get to see if this guy can live up to all the hype. It will be interesting to see if he makes the team, what line he plays on and just how productive he will be. Anyways, I'm just happy to see a Russian on the team. I adore the Russians.....

Bring on the hockey season, I am sooooo in need of hockey. Has this not been the longest off-season ever? Damn, I can't wait for hockey to start.

This Saturday, I will be heading down to pick up my season tickets. This is my second year as a season ticket holder. My life is now divided into two sections: pre-season ticket holder life and post-season ticket holder life!!! hahaha. Lots of Oilers will be hanging around that day, so that will be nice. Autographs and photos shall be had!!!

The Sky is Falling!!

I had a long post ready to go about the Malkin story, but something else has come to my attention. As for Malkin, check this out. I have to agree with it's opinion that Malkin's 'escape' was not an escape at all. Sure Malkin is a kid, sure he's being pulled in many different directions, sure life in Russia can be harsh and sure, he wants to play in the NHL. BUT, he's playing hockey in Russia, and they treat their hockey players very well. And, I'm sure Ovechkin was in the same situation last year but he managed to get out of Russia easily. He didn't sign ten different contracts, switch agents every week....

Anyways, on to something else; the possible and seemingly more likely demise of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. With CBC's contract due to expire at the end of the 2007-2008 season, and the mobilization of forces by the evil opposition, otherwise known as Bell Globemedia, HNIC is possibly two years away from extinction.

"Bell Globemedia is reportedly considering paying the league $140 million a year for 10 years for the deal in an attempt to outbid the CBC, which has been broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada since 1952."

Since they might be offering $140 million per year compared to CBC's $65 million per year contract right now, it does not look good. With TSN/CTV winning the 2010 and 2012 Olympics (ugh I hate CTV Olympic coverage), exclusive rights to curling and possibly exclusive rights to the CFL, they're taking over the sports world.

I, for one, am not amused. I prefer sports on CBC. I have found TSN to be damn annoying, particularly their hockey broadcasts. Pierre McGuire and Bob Mckenzie are THE most annoying people in the entire world. When they are on tv, I change the channel. Yes, they are that irritating. And since they are taking sports away from CBC, I am beginning to hate TSN.

I remember back in 1995, I was in university and just moved into my first apartment. I finally got cable which included TSN. I no longer had to watch the local hour-long news to get the sports highlights. I now had sports 24/7. I was blissful. I still preferred my Olympics, football and hockey coverage to be on CBC but TSN had the highlights. Sportsdesk was the name, and highlights were their game. Those were the days!

So, is anyone else happy that TSN might be stealing our hockey and broadcasting it full-time?? CBC can't compete with that amount of money, if it's accurate. I read somewhere that maybe the federal government would pony up the rest of the dough to help save hockey on CBC. Soon, there won't be any sports on CBC. That's the only reason I watch CBC, yes the only reason. Also, with hockey moving to cable and not free tv, the audience might diminish (I read that somewhere too). I think that's a very good possibility.

So join me in denouncing satan, aka TSN.

Czech-arific?

Well, it's official.....Petr Sykora is an Edmonton Oiler. Personally, I'm not impressed. I think our forwards were already a good group, and I've never been a fan of Sykora. He's one of those typical Europeans.....inconsistent and lazy. Sure, you can see glimpses of brilliance, but it never lasts and fades away. He averages between 50-60 points so if the rumour of $3 million is true, then I'm really not impressed at all. I think that's too much money. Also, it's mid-August and no one else has signed him? Yeah I think that speaks volumes.

Ok ok, it's done so I guess we should give him a chance.

Moose and the Mullett

So with the hockey season less than two months away, let's first talk about the Moose. The greatest hockey player (in my mind) retired a year ago and I've been waiting to hear when the Oilers are going to retire his number. Lowe said last year, they would do it within the next couple of years. But I really hope it's done this season. We need a Messier week; we need the Moose. I saw Coffey's number retired last year (and Fuhr's the year before). It's such a magical night and Mess has always been my favorite. His physical play and intensity lifted his teams to greatness. So come on Lowe, let's get a plan!!!

Okay, I have an ulterior motive. I want to know if it'll be done this season because I'm going to Germany for three weeks and Manitoba for one week in October/November. I'll be here for the home opener but will miss the next six or seven games. So I really would like to know. I'd hate to miss the Moose's night. I will change my trip plans if I can, cause let's face it, my season ticket plus a Moose night comes first!

Okay, second, let's talk about Ryan Smyth, aka The Mullett. What's his future with the Oilers?? He has one year left on his deal, and could possibly be a free agent next summer.

"We're looking at offering Ryan Smyth, Ethan Moreau and Steve Staios extended contracts,'' admitted Howson adding, "Ryan signed a contract last year in a very uncertain market.''

So this was in the Edmonton Sun. Obviously the Oilers will make overtures to him, but the question is: Will Smitty resign? Does he want to stay or become an unrestricted free agent and test out the market? With all the changes made during the off season, will that play a factor? Will making the Stanley Cup finals keep him here or have all the changes during the off season been too much? I personally think Smitty will resign. All our young dogs are signed up, the goalie position is solid, and even though the defence looks possibly shaky, the team is really solid. And we know Lowe is not done dealing. Something will happen.

So will Smitty remain an Oiler? I sure hope so.

The Devil Speaks

I found this from here. So our little Chrissy has something to say. Check it out.

"As Pronger puts it, "I went from being the man to being manure."

Pronger, you speak the truth. You are manure.

"Pronger has a theory about why the rumors began. "It's to discredit me," he says. "Now I'm even more of a villain."

Umm Chrissy, the rumors began because you stuck your tail between your legs and ran off to Mexico. You did not have the courage to face the city and the fans. And second, there was more truth to the rumors than you let on. We all know what happened (couldn't keep it in your zipper and you got caught). You're a coward.

"When asked if fans should worry about him wanting to leave in a year, Pronger doesn't hesitate."No."He takes a long look away, then says it again."No."

Yeah I'd trust him.

Remembering June 27, 1996

I felt nostalgic today. Ten years today Donovan Bailey redeemed Canadian sprinters and made all of Canada proud.

Locked in for Six

Ales Hemsky locked in for six years. Wow great deal Kevin Lowe. It's a 6 years, $24.6M contract

1st Year - $3.5M
2nd Year - $3.6M
3rd Year - $3.6M
4th Year - $4.4M
5th Year - $4.5M
6th Year - $5.0M

It works out to 4.1 million a year (salary cap).

Wow. This is the future of the Oilers. Great deal signing our best player (or top scorer) to a very long term deal. I'm very impressed. He's our franchise player now. So now just Lupul left (and Smyth who is a unrestricted free agent next year. Please sign him up to an extension soon).

And Belfour signed with Florida. Oh Florida, why? Take him out back and shoot him. He's an old dog; on his last legs. It's over Eddie.

One Down....One to Go

Jarret Stoll has avoided arbitration and signed a two year deal. Good news, although I was hoping for a three year deal instead. Now, get Hemsky locked up and we're good to go (get a defenseman).

Speaking of d-man, the Oil sign Tom Gilbert. Who? I have no freaking idea. Another unknown. He played for the University of Minnesota the past four years. Umm, Kevin....what are you doing? You keep signing all these unknown d-men. What's the plan here? I think we have plenty of mediocre and/or young d-men now. Just be patient Kevin, the trade for a top 4 d-man will happen.

MacT Attack

TSN.ca is reporting Craig MacTavish is returning as the Edmonton Oiler's coach and with a four year contract. Good news for sure. I'd be interested in knowing for what amount, since they didn't pick up his option before the playoffs. I'm assuming he's getting a raise then.

So this is basically good news. Although, if MacT had crashed and burned during the playoffs, I have no doubt he would be gone. He made some questionable coaching decisions during the regular season. Actually, for his whole tenure. The thing that annoys me the most, he kept changing his lines. Keep Hemsky with Smyth, they have great chemistry. I noticed this two years ago and he did it again this year. It's okay to shake them up, but not every other game. Second, he needs to find a way to motivate his players. He managed to do this during the playoffs, but not the regular season. They always go through the January blues, and end up losing ten games in a row. Third, get your guys to play with intensity against the crappy teams (aka St.Louis, Minnesota, etc). The Oil always play amazing against the good teams, but the crappy teams, not so much. It's like they drop to their level. Third, the powerplay is such a liability so work is needed in this area too.

So fix those things MacT, and you'll have a much better regular season than last year!

UPDATE: Da Fuhrer says it's all good.......Oil are good. If Grant says so, then it must be okay.

Another one bites the dust

Good news!!! Peca has signed with the Leafs (or according to my friends, the "Leaves") for $2.5 million. I still think quite overpaid for someone with only 23 points last year, and -4. Sure he played much better down the stretch and in the playoffs playing like the Peca of old but is he worth this much money? Of course not. The Oilers signed Marty Reasoner who will take the place of Peca in the face-off circle, killing penalties and being a third/fourth liner grinder. Also, Marty is getting paid $950,000....that's what he should be for the role he plays. It's important but not worth 2.5 million when you score barely over 20 points (Reasoner had 34 pts last year.....hmmm more than Peca).

So thank you Leaves.....for taking an overpaid, overrated third or fourth liner off our hands. This is just another string of signings by the Leaves.....paying too much money for overrated players (hello McCabe, Kubina, and so on). I fully expect Peca to continue to fall short of expectations, as do most players in Toronto.

UPDATE: Neil Smith has been canned in favor of..........Garth Snow. What? He goes from the Isles backup goalie all the way to GM. Really? Is this an April Fool's joke? It can't be since it's not April. Apparently, owner Charles Wang (his name suits him) wanted the GM to work in collaboration with the coach Ted Nolan, Pat Lafontaine, Bryan Trottier and even the janitor. Too many cooks in the kitchen dude. And since when does an owner hire the GM and coach. That's the President's job. The owner should be signing the cheques and nothing else. What an embarrassment. The Isles have become the Leaves.....hahahahaha. ESPN has more info to this story so check it out. It's hilarious: Wang is a complete wang!

UPDATE: Okay, I guess Peca isn't quite the peckerhead I thought he was. He had some very nice things to say about Edmonton and said it's gotten a bad rap over the past few weeks. I totally agree.

On Second Thought....

I've been thinking (yes it happens from time to time)......things are not as bad as they seem. The Oilers have made a lot of changes, but that's not a bad thing. This team was already borderline contenders before the arrival of Pronger. His loss will not be that bad. Sure, we'll miss his 56 points and the minutes he played. BUT.....I didn't think he was the tour de force that broadcasters said he was. I didn't think he was that great defensively. He was only +2 for the regular season (+10 in the playoffs, much better), was tentative at times and not very physical. Sure he played much better in the playoffs, but hell, the whole team did. We can live without him.

Pre-Pronger, the Oilers were one player short of being contenders. I said it for years....all they needed was a goalie. Well, I believe we have the goalie now. Roli will have to be very sharp since our defense is not great. It's good, but not great. The forwards are good, even great at times. So I think we're going to be okay.

The thing is.....the Oilers are the underdog. That's the way it has been for 15 years. We're used to it, so this is nothing new. The Oil are constantly being underestimated, not given much credit and always expected to fail. BUT.....they don't. Sure we had some rough years, going out in the first round to Dallas like twenty times. However, those series, even if lost in five or six games, were always close. The Oilers were always on the verge of making that break. They certainly made it last year and I think that will give the boys confidence this year.

So the moral of the story.....the Oilers are going to be fine.

If I can have one thing, can we please ask the media to stop saying people want out of Edmonton? The media seems to have grabbed hold of the the Pronger mess, twisted it to suit their needs and now any player that doesn't sign with Edmonton, the media say they hate Edmonton and do not want to live here. Stop it (hello TSN.....you're getting on my nerves).

Roloson

The Oilers have signed our RFA, Shawn Horcoff, to a three year deal worth $10.8 million (3.6 avg/year). I think this is smart....he scored 73 pts last year and while I hate players getting big raises based on one year, I don't think he's a flash in the pants. So good deal Lowe!

''I'm ecstatic, happy to be in Edmonton for three more years,'' Horcoff told The Canadian Press from B.C. ''After last year and us going as far as we did, I obviously wanted to stay with this team and try to get back there to win one extra game.''

''I enjoy the city, they treat me great there.''

So Shawn likes Edmonton....report that TSN!!!

All Oil....all the time!

Welcome to All Oil, All the Time. This is a blog dedicated to the greatest hockey team in history. Who else but the Edmonton Oilers.

I should have started this during the playoffs, but I was too busy going to games and plus I was using my msn blog. But time for a change, hello blogger!

There is much to discuss of late: from the defection of Chris Pronger due to personal reasons (which is code for he couldn't keep it in his pants), the following horrible trade to Anaheim (the only good news, we'll get to boo him twice a year during the regular season) and the continued exodus of Oilers such as Peca, Spacek, Laraque, and Conklin (at least we're happy to see leave, bye Conks).

But let's not dwell on the negative. Did I just say that? Yes you're right, we should dwell on the negative. Let's start with our most-hated Oiler, Chris "I'm god's gift to women" Pronger, who has grabbed hold of our most-hated title from Mike Comrie. Here we have someone who has been playing in hockey Siberia, aka: St. Louis. He gets traded to the Oilers, pursues a long-term deal with the Oil, has a pretty good season followed by an even better playoffs. He was coming off several mediocre and injury-filled seasons, is revitalized playing with the Oil, playing with talented youngsters and a great coaching staff. He makes it to within one game of the Stanley Cup, hell one goal. BUT....four days after game seven, he asks for a trade. Actually, he does not ask for it, his agent does. Prongs and the misses are in sunny Mexico, not courageous enough to face the music. He is in Mexico and won't clarify the issue. So let me. Our lovely Chrissy.....

• been screwing around with a 22 yr old from Club Fit
• the little mistress confronts the wife
• wife demands Chrissy get out of town, anywhere but Edmonton
• this is not the first time Chris has had a problem with his zipper (also had a fling with the CITY TV reporter before moving on to Club Fit girl)
• wife makes Prongs move, they'll be living in Anaheim now, so have fun policing your husband in sunny California

So our little Chrissy has flown the coop via an abysmal trade. Sorry Kevin Lowe, I absolutely adore you. I think you have done wonders with this team, with all the trades in the past (yes, in the past, we could not afford to keep anyone. Now that we can, no one wants to play for the Oilers, save Georges Laraque. That is another story). Prongie's stock is at its all-time high, so Kevin trades him to Anaheim; a team in our conference (I will enjoy booing Chrissy, but you never trade a great player within your own conference), a team that was pretty good last year, a team that gave up very little to get Chrissy....

• We get a Lupul (yes a local boy. We all know how that worked out last time, hmmm Mike "I can't handle the pressure" Comrie),
• a Smid (who? Oh yes, another prospect),
• 2007 first round pick,
• 2008 second round pick,
• and a conditional first round 2008 pick (conditional on Anaheim's playoff run next year).

So does anyone else think we got screwed on this? I was expecting at least one superstar. At least one. Lupul is no superstar. Maybe someday??

So with Prongs gone, Spacek has signed with Buffalo, Peca might be signing with the Leafs but not sure about that. All we know, Pecs is not coming back. For 4 million, no god damn way we want him back.

Then Dvorak, actually his lovely agent Rich Winter, stated he wanted out of Edmonton. I believe it was anywhere but Edmonton. Thanks! (more to this later).

Next up, finally a player wants to stay in Edmonton. Says he will take a pay cut. Great. What? You want a no-trade clause. If Prongs doesn't get one, a Georges Laraque is not going to get one. He signs with Phoenix, for more money and his no-trade clause. Thanks Georgie.

We sign Daniel Tjarnqvist. Who? Some Swede who played for Minnesota last year. I know we need to toughen up our blue line, but we need someone I've actually heard of please. At least it's only a one year contract.

Next up, we trade a 7th round draft pick in 2007 (ugh 7th round, let me guess, this must be a prospect and not a very good one) for Jan Hejda.

Kevin.....you are forgetting about one player. What about Igor?? Ulanov, who I thought should have been playing in place of Matt "cough up the puck per play" Greene.

Let me first say, I'm a life-long Oilers fan. I love them more than my own family (okay, that's not true. But I love at least as much as my family). I will support them no matter what. I supported them during the lean years in the mid-90s (oh god, those were rough years) and I supported them this year when they had a very mediocre season (although, we are in a very tough division and conference so our 95 points was VERY earned compared to those eastern teams). But I'm a bit worried about our team.

Oh wait, I forgot about our savior. Yes we resigned our savior, Dwayne "hell yes I'm the savior" Roloson. Okay, I'm not so worried all of a sudden. Yes we paid big bucks for this man (overpaid, hell yes) but it's worth it. We have seen the horror of Morrison, Conklin and Markkanen (who has redeemed himself during the playoffs. He's always been a solid goalie, but he's not a number-one guy. He's a great backup) so the 11 million over 3 years is worth it for Roli.

Oh yes, Dvorak says how much he loves Edmonton and is not sure why his agent said that (bargaining power?). Ok, he doesn't hate Edmonton. So if that's the case, sign a contract (has one even been offered?). Do we want him?

So we have a very good goalie, great forwards, but a weak blue line. They might be okay? It doesn't matter, I'll be coming back as a season ticket holder and will be proud to cheer on the Copper and Blue (in my mind, it's not copper, it's orange. Bring back the orange!!!!!!) and boo Prongs (and Comrie, Weight, Carter, Guerin...is there anyone in the league who hasn't been an Oiler? So many people to boo, so little time)!!!!

Bring on October. I'm ready for my boys!!!!!!

Psst.....schedule for the 2006-2007 season is up. Get ready to boo on November 28th and January 18th!!!

Well, Samsonov has signed with Montreal. Two year deal worth 7.05 million. The Habs got took...he's not worth 3.5 million a year.