Time to Start Watching the Oilers?

I realize that as soon as I post this the Edmonton Oilers train will probably fall off the tracks, especially since that is exactly what it has done for the last few years. However, the unexpected 7-2-2 start the Oilers have this season seems to be a bit more than a fluke so far. First of all the Oilers are not winning due to an increase in goal scoring. Instead they boast the best penalty kill in the league coupled with the best goals against average. Tossing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins into the Oilers' scoring mix has given the Oilers two solid scoring lines, and get this, they are winning in spite of not having scorer Ales Hemsky or top defenceman Ryan Whitney in the lineup. I'm not sure how much longer they can keep this up, but it has been fun to watch so far.

I have been mentioning for the past year or so to 'watch' for the oilers to come alive, as the young draft
picks in the past few years have been good ones.
The oilers have finished last for the past two years, and not very good for some time before that,
consequently the draft picks have been very high.
They now have a number of young players who are top picks, and very good, the latest being hopkins,
and last year taylor hall, and the list goes on.

They still have some work to do, as khabibulin can't go forever, so they must bring in a very good
young goalie, and also shore up their defense, and they will be on their way, and should be a top
team for a number of years.

yes, the oilers are for real, probably will have a few bumps along the way this year, but they are
fun to watch.

Time to Start Watching the Oilers?


That's like saying; "it's time to schedule my prostate exam"

You find prostate exams entertaining?

About as entertaining the notion of getting a root canal without anesthetic.

Oh..then it's just that you know little about hockey.

You edited that awfully fast, but the point still stands:

I know more about hockey than you know about the English language.

Clearly not, if you equate watching one of the most exciting teams in hockey with a root canal...and yes, I did edit it pretty fast...immediately to be exact. That's probably because I know something about the English language and hockey. I got you beat 2 - 1

Keep telling yourself that buddy, maybe you'll even start to believe it after a while.

After a while? I believe it already.

I fear it may be too late for you then... The psychosis is too far gone for treatment

I'm not surprised. Fear seems to be a common theme with you. But anyways, this thread is about the very entertaining Edmonton Oilers. Which team do you find entertaining to watch?

Had you any form of understanding of the English language, you would know that the word 'fear', used in the manner that I did, was a form of creative license.

To be honest, I find your psychosis quite entertaining and very funny!


I'm partial to the Habs and the Flyers.

I'd sure find it entertaining to watch Philly lay a beating on the Oil one of these Saturday nights... Do you think that Taylor will cry when he's threatened?

I always watched Edmonton but not really as a fan: I have way too many hard feelings about them stealing the Stanley Cup from its rightful home on Long Island. As a Northern Alberta kid, they were the team on TV and the radio, and I got sick and tired of hearing the hometown coverage (little did I know how bad homer-coverage could get until I lived in Southern Alberta! Damn! Ed Whalen was as bad as Dick Irvin on HNIC!). I thought the Oilers were a team of Whiners (I loved that T-shirt) and I especially hated Glen Sather's arrogance and overall demeanor.I laughed with joy when Steve Smith scored on his own net in '86, and I was heartily cheering Lanny and the Flames in '89. I had mixed emotions when Gretzky was traded, because I would be able to cheer for him now, if I wanted, but I wasn't sure I wanted to, and I always feel a little let down when my Great Enemies are brought down.

Then Ron Caron & Neil Smith led the charge in escalating team salaries to the point where the Oilers became a glorified farm team to the Rangers and other teams, and small markets were pushed to the edge of extinction. I went to Oiler games to support them and keep them in Edmonton, even though , like 99% of Northern Alberta, I thought Pocklington was a scumbag for holding the city for ransom*. I stopped viewing the Oilers as "the Great Enemy", and more as "the team I don't care for but they're here as my best option to see the NHL". In short I went to cheer for the Oilers' opponents, especially when my Islanders came west.

Now, my friends who still live in Alberta and cheer for them, are really upbeat, more than when they went to the finals a couple years ago. They see the young talent and think they might be on the verge of a new elite level team... if it comes together. They have reservations about the goaltending and blue-line, but they are (rightfully) in love with the young kids they have up front. There is a lot more room for optimism in Edmonton than in Calgary, Winnipeg (who is just happy to have a team again) and maybe even Vancouver (who are good but I think have plateaued and are now at a point where they are going to get old soon). Hockey fans in Edmonton have reason to smile.




* Pocklington was scum for exacerbating the team's situation but the real enemy in those days were the large market GMs, like Caron, Smith, Bob Clarke, Cliff Fletcher when he was in Hogtown and a few others, for trying to price the Cup out of reach. Jimmy Develano in Detroit gets some blame too although he was more reactive to other GMs than instigating (I always thought it was ironic that Detroit was the most successful, albeit the most reluctant of the Big Spender Club).

Is it time to watch the Oilers?

Yup, and there's a new guy watching them - name of Luongo.

Philly can't even beat Winnipeg.

Funny how without Chris Asshole they can't do much.

Yup... We all had a good chuckle out of ole Steve and his game winning goal..... I wonder if Canuck maintains the same fond memories of that event?

amazing how many of you drag the past along with you. you'll miss the fun of the present doing that.

I remember everything said about past years, but thats just it, its long gone, were here 'now', and

whats happening now is new, and fun, and better than anything that went on back then.

I am a hockey lover and follower 'first', a canuck fan 'second', that way my love for my own team never

clouds my enjoyment of other teams in the NHL, or anywhere else.

I think following one team so intently creates tunnel vision, and reduces ones enjoyment of this wonderful

game of ours.

Toronto has always been the team that brings out my criticism, but I have to admit that this year finally,

they look legitimate, and might make the playoffs, those fans have suffered and stood by them far too

long, and deserve some reward, so I hope they do well this year, (but not too well, lol).

Possibly. Do you think Philly will trade for any players that could threaten him. Maybe they could trade for Chara. I'm sure he makes Patch -ur-eddy piss himself every time he skates by.

Compared to watching the Flames he is probably right. Watching Calgary stumble around the ice tonight against Vancouver was painful.

I doubt Taylor Hall will make any more noise than Chris Pronger.