Monthly Archives: November 2016

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Get on Board or Get the Hell Out! Oilers Lead Pacific Division

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Oilers

I’m not a huge fan of road trips when it comes to the Oilers. Not because they are usually a recipe for extended losing streaks but those games are right bloody early in the AM Taiwan time… Ranging from 3am to 7am. I’m sure there are other countries with worse time differences and I feel bad for you too.

The result is that I have to steer clear of all forms of media online because watching a game whilst knowing the result is just a waste of time. I’d much rather go to the trouble of meandering through the links online to get to my feed on NHL Gamecenter.

So, I’ve been having to catch up on the games this past 7 days or so. My thoughts:

Nov.1st vs. The Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs did a fine job of shutting down the Oilers’ top line. Was Kadri being a dick the whole night? Yes. Was that his job? Again, yes. Who wasn’t doing their job in that game? Perhaps Lucic, Maroon, or Zack Kassian. I agree with Don Cherry on this one, Nazem Kadri shouldn’t have been able to touch McDavid after that scrum behind the net that left McDavid chuckling.

It was a 3-2 OT loss, so going away with at least one point was a plus, not having Matthews, Marner or Nylander embarrass them, and seeing Klefbom, Puljujarvi, and Nurse walk away from the game with a combined 21 shots was tight.

Nov.3rd vs. The Rangers

The Rangers are making a mockery of some of the best teams in the league, so for the Oilers to hang in there until there was about 90 seconds left is a testament to the team they’ve become. Sure Benning took a lot of shit for that bobble that led to the go-ahead goal but Milan Lucic better have bought the team dinner after that failed assignment in front of the net.

Nov.5th and 6th vs. The Islanders and Red Wings

Back-to-backs on the road rarely end up with the away team picking up all four points unless you’ve been coming through Alberta the past few years. I will say this about these two match-ups, I left feeling less than impressed. Both games were pretty low scoring but both games also saw some dynamite saves from Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson.

The Islanders game saw the Oilers go down with mass casualties, so that didn’t help their cause but it made the win taste a bit sweeter. The Islanders are a mess right now, a hot tire fire of a mess. I couldn’t help but think it wasn’t an Oilers season if the star rookie didn’t go down with a blown out knee after Seidenberg decided to clip the Finn…

As for last night’s game against the Wings, Tyler Pitlick man. He looked facking beauty alongside Lucic and Draisaitl. His forechecking really played well with the heaviness of Lucic and the playmaking of Leon. I also thought Jordan Eberle had a fantastic game. That setup of Maroon in the slot was the things dreams are made of. I’m sure Patty is on for the next round of beers after that miss.

A question, why is Anton Slepyshev never in the conversation as a player that could spend some time on McDavid’s wing instead of automatically sticking Puljujarvi up there or talking about acquiring a winger? The Russian has got speed and size, he’s gritty, and he can shoot the puck… Just a thought.

But one player stood out for both games and he’s actually been standing out for some time, that player being Darnell Nurse.

Good lord has he taken the next step in his development. His skating is smooth and his stride is powerful. His shot is getting on the net. His hockey IQ is really coming along as he’s picking his spots much better this season. I think he’ll end up in the top 4 by the end of the year with maybe Kris Russell taking his spot on the bottom pairing.

PITLICK/HALL/YAKUPOV

Tyler Pitlick – 4 goals
Taylor Hall – 5 goals
Nail Yakupov – 2 goals

What universe are we in where a 4th liner, in Edmonton no less, is keeping pace with two former first overall picks?

Hall failed to put up a point in the Devils shellacking of Carolina yesterday and has now gone 5 games without scoring a goal. Was a solid -1 though.

Yakupov has been a healthy scratch two games in a row now for the Blues. This after their coach said he’d be back in on Sunday… I imagine Igor Larionov is getting ready to pay Blues GM Doug Armstrong a visit soon. I mean if you’re going to bring a guy along slowly, it doesn’t get any slower than having him sit in the pressbox while your team dismantles the Colorado Avalanche to the tune of 5-1.

BONES TO PICK

Where are all the fans who were crying about Lucic’s non-production now? Where are all the fans who wanted Jordan Eberle traded after last week? Are the ones who were convinced the Oilers would lose the “scheduled loss” last night with Jonas Gustavsson in net still around?

There’ve been some unsavory streaks broken this year as well. Wasn’t Ryan Miller undefeated in regular time vs Edmonton up until the Oilers beat Vancouver? That win versus the Islanders was their first on Islanders ice since 1999. Jimmy Howard  was 13-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a .926 sv% against the Oilers before last night and the Oilers hadn’t beat the Red Wings in Detroit since 2009.

Am I leaving anything out?

If you haven’t noticed, this season is not going to be like any other season the Oilers have had in the previous ten years. This year you need to expect the unexpected.

Did you expect Anton Lander to be playing as well as he has?
Did you expect Tyler Pitlick to still be healthy?
Did you think that the Oilers PK would be amongst the league’s best?
Were you expecting the Oilers to beat St.Louis and Washington?
I bet you didn’t think that Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov were going to be moved either…
Did you reckon Adam Larsson would be as good as he’s been?

The same “fans” that were chastising the Oilers for signing Kris Russell are the same guys who shit on them for playing Matt Benning. I’d say Kris Russell had a huge hand in the Oilers starting the season the way they did and Matt Benning has played very well since being recalled considering his rookie status. Like am I missing something, can I have my cake and eat it too or is the world still round? Oilers win two games w/o Russell and w/Benning, so what…

THE SKY IS FALLING!! SOME PLAYERS ARE PLAYING WELL AND THAT’S TAKING ME OUT OF MY COMFORT BUBBLE. THE NUMBERS TOLD ME THEY’D CRAP THE BED AND IF I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT THE PDO GODS ARE TELLING ME, WHAT AM I TO DO?…

Yet there are still people out there that don’t believe in this team and paid writers who continue to deny what’s going on. Now, I can’t be sure if those writers are genuine in their online musings because I know of writers past who made a pretty good living being contrarians. It’s a dishonest way to go about life but hey, who am I to judge. I’m not sure what it will take for the cynics to get on board but maybe they should stay where they are on Pessimistic Ave. The numbers tell me they’ll be happier there and watching McDavid tells me I’ll be happier where I am.

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Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Lucic and Russell… Mistakes? These Kosmic Oilers Thoughts and More..

Awwww yeeeeaaaah! What’s up! It’s your Psychedelic Pspaceman, the Electric Cowboy, a.k.a. Kosmic Burrito back with a hot fire mixtape fo’ that azzzzz….

What? No? My bad, wrong trip….ugh this is so awkward now. I better go take off my M.C Hammer pants.

Hey BLH’ers, it’s been a few minutes since we chilled, and I’m excited to be back here in the Beer League Heroes Universe! What I’ve got cooking in the Kosmic Kitchen today is a healthy mixture of random thoughts and different trips that I’ve been on. Bon appetit!

Twin Daddy Talbot

Man, has this guy been magical or what? Ok Ok, minus that Buffalo game and Talbot has been money so far. After a slow and rough start last year, he has erased any doubts in my mind of that becoming a reoccurring trend this season. First off, though, congrats to the brand new Daddy! Twins as well! Wow, that makes his start to the season that much more impressive to me. I’m a father myself, I have three sons aged nine, eight, and five. But I could not imagine having to handle two newborns at once, AND being an NHL netminder. So that is why my hat is tipped to you, Papa Cam. Twins, and a great run so far.

As of today, his stat-line looks like this: He has a GAA of 2.31 which is tied for 20th in the league, and he sports a SV% of .927 which places him 15th in the league. He’s played in 11 games and his record is 7 W’s, 3 L’s, and 1 OTL. I think it’s safe to say that he’s cementing himself as a true Number One netminder in the NHL. My only fear is that we’re going to have to give him a rest soon, and eventually have to give The Monster his turn in net. DUN DUN DUNNNN…

Tyler Pitlick Needs to Stick…With the Team

To quote the incomparable Mr. Gord Downie, “It’s been a long time running. It’s well worth the wait”. I think this can apply to Tyler Pitlick, who looks like he has finally arrived. But for how long, though, right? I mean yes, he is filling a 4th line role quite admirably, but they have some dudes coming back from injury sooner or later (IE: Hendo, Pakarinen, & Caggiula). And hockey is a business, right? But Pitlick for sure has my backing. I love this guy; he hits anything moving, has blazing speed, and his tenacity for the puck is fantastic. After all the setbacks that he’s had from injury, *knocks on wood* I hope that this is finally the year that he gets to play a full season. He’s been great so far and his work ethic is incredible. I’ll even step out on a limb here, if Pitlick can play a full season and was actually bumped up to 3rd line minutes, I think that he could score 15+ goals and possibly add another 15+ helpers. Like I said, he’s been dynamite in his role so far this season. I for one hope that he sticks it out all year. I can’t help but root for the underdogs, I mean, I am an Oilers fan right? So far this season, he has posted a stat-line that looks like:

11GP 3G 1A 4P 0 +/- (he’s on track for 21 goals at this point, can he maintain that pace? Probably not)

Considering he only has seven points in his entire NHL career (all of 38 games played), this is a fantastic start to the year for him. The Oilers have benefited from a healthy Pitlick in the lineup, I’m sure we can all agree on that. I for one would rather see Pitty stay in the lineup than Hendo or PakMan. But that’s just my opinion

Is Eberle Getting Feistier in His Old Age?

Is Ol’ Man Eberle getting a bit grumpier as time passes? Seriously, though, is it just me or has this guy’s “board play” vastly improved this season? I’ve made a point to literally try and watch every game this season, and so far it’s been mission accomplished. Yes, I am married with kids, so I know that some dudes are probably like, “He’s lying! Every game and he has a wife and kids! How does he do it?”. Easy, my wife is mad cool and I live in Toronto, so my kids are usually in bed during most games. So back to Oscar the Eberle, from my view on the couch it looks like he’s definitely worked on his board game in the offseason. He’s playing a way more physically confident game this year than any other season that I can recall, which isn’t a whole lot since my mind has subconsciously erased many bad Oilers memories. But his attack on the forecheck has also kicked up a notch, and me likey! I don’t know if this is a result of the addition and influence of Milan Lucic, if it is something that Jordan set out to work on this offseason, or if it’s just happening with his “old age”. But I hope that Eberle keeps it up all year. Up until this point, he has a stat-line that goes a little something like this:

11GP 3G 4A 7P -5+/- (I’d definitely like to see some more goals from Eberle)

The Looch

At the very start to the still-young season, I thought that Lucic was playing a strong, physically dominant game. But his play as of late has lacked that edge, most specifically I’m thinking of the Toronto game. Man, they could have used his muscle during those 60+ minutes in the 6ix. But I’ll touch on that game a bit later on. All I’m saying is, they signed Looch to lead, bang, score, and intimidate/police the ice. I hope that version comes back, and real soon! I have no worries that he won’t return. But a “physically quiet” Looch is an ineffective Looch, and that’s the version that has been hitting the ice recently. Milan’s stat-line is looking alright to start the season:

11GP 4G 3A 7P 0 +/- (he’s on pace for 30 goals at the moment, that I can’t complain about)

Is the Russell Honeymoon Over?

To say that this is a hot topic amongst the Oilers blogging community, would be an absolute understatement. Hot? More like a smoldering inferno of molten hot lava, burning within the Universe’s most active volcano. It’s the perfect scenario for the old “Analytics VS Non-Analytics” argument, FOR REAL!

Straight up though, I love analytics. I think that they add so many other dimensions to how we can track a player’s performance, flow of the game, etc… But with that being said, I am not going to pretend that I understand every advanced stat or even what goes into how these geniuses track them HaHa! That’s why I’m extremely happy that I work with the man, G-Money. Whom I personally believe is one of THE BEST in the Analytics/Advanced Stats world. I usually ask G any kind of analytical question that I have, or how a player’s advanced stats looked after a game. The man is named “Money” for a reason people.

So onto my Russell trip, the beginning of the season I thought he was looking pretty decent and playing a well-rounded, strong game. I was (unrealistically) wishful that he put some of his analytic woes behind him for good. But his play since around game five or six (somewhere around there) hasn’t been that great, it has kind of dropped off. Which has only added more fire for the analytics side of the argument. Plus, you can just clearly see that he isn’t playing that same strong game that he displayed through the first five or six. Hmmm, I think that history shows you which player we’ll see for the rest of the season. Don’t get me wrong, he’s fearless to put his body on the line and block all those shots. I also like his speed, and willingness to play the puck and move it up ice. But I think it’s a “what you see, is what you get” type of thing from here on out. But here’s to hoping that he proves me wrong for the Oilers sake. Currently, Russell has a stat-line that looks like this:

11GP 0G 3A 3P 6+/-

Did Hell Freeze Over? And No! I’m Not Talking About Another Eagles Reunion Tour!
Anton Lander scored a goal…what the what? My mind is blown…that is all.

10GP 1G 2A 3P 4+/- (Seriously, Anton Lander scored and is on pace for eight goals!)

Nazem “The Rat” Kadri and the First Installment of McDavid VS Matthews

First off, I’ll give credit where credit is due. The Toronto Maple Leafs did a decent job of shutting down Connor McDavid and they did it using a “Layered Defense” system. It wasn’t just Nazem Kadri himself. But let’s be honest, he did a great job of playing that annoying, pesky, “Esa Tikkanen” type of shadow role. He was very Esa-esque that night.

But back to the “Layered Defense”, the first layer was obviously Nazem, and then the second layer was most commonly Morgan Reilly. The third layer, and the one that the infamous Toronto Media wasn’t talking about was the great game by Frederik Andersen. All they talked about was Nazem Kadri’s defensive coming out party. Yes, the Leafs played Connor annoyingly well, but also look at that game this way, they faced an insanely hot Freddie Andersen that night. He stopped 44 out of 46 shots….PURE FIRE! So I think that was what really shut Connor and the rest of the team down.

But back to “The Rat”, why the bloody hell didn’t someone like I don’t know, ummm, Milan Lucic go and push him around, intimidate, or even face wash him and talk some smack for Pete’s sake? Dude, it was so infuriating watching his antics take place. It’s not just Looch’s fault either, ANYBODY should have stepped in and put an end to this Rat pushing around their captain. Like honestly, what the what? They better not let that kind of crap take place again.

So I think that was what really shut Connor and the rest of the team down HaHa. But back to “The Rat”, why the bloody hell didn’t someone like I don’t know, ummm, Milan Lucic go and push him around, intimidate, or even face wash him and talk some smack for Pete’s sake? Dude, it was so infuriating watching his antics take place. It’s not just Looch’s fault either, ANYBODY should have stepped in and put an end to this Rat pushing around their captain. Like honestly, what the what? They better not let that kind of crap take place again.

What it’s Like Living in the “Center of the Hockey Universe” and Not Be a Leafs Fan
Annoying HaHa…as I’m sure that you are all aware, the Toronto Sports Media is absolutely bonkers! I’m almost convinced that MLSE owns TSN, and SportsNet. HaHa! But seriously, thank goodness for the internet and live streaming, the NHL Centre Ice package, Android boxes, and alternative media. But living here also has it’s perks, I can visit the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever, and enjoy the Raptors and Blue Jays as well. Not to mention that 90% of my friends are Leafs fans, and we LOVE talking smack with each other. Before McDavid got drafted, it was next to impossible for me to find some Oilers gear to buy around here. I had to do my shopping online.

Well ladies and gentlemen, thanks for tripping with me again! Until next time, stay trippy my friends!

As always, you can chat and follow me Twitter @kosmicburrito

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

G10 – Oilers @ Maple Leafs: Beat By a Rat

Ok so let’s get a couple of things out of the way before we get into my review of the game. It was Ray Ferraro that called Kadri a rat during the broadcast, so send your vitriol his way if you don’t like the rat nickname for Kadri and the unpenalized play in overtime that led to Nazem Kadri scoring the game-winning overtime goal… These pics should basically sum it all up.

 

I’m no ref but I can see Kadri is using his free arm to tie up McDavid there… I believe my old coaches would tell me to skate a bit harder in this instance because in a normal circumstance this is actually a penalty.

Anyways, this is going to be par for the course for the rest of McDavid’s career. The other teams are going to be pulling these kinds of shenanigans all night long. I think the reason this one hurts a bit more is because Kadri was trying to goat McDavid into taking a penalty for most of the evening and was more or less doing a perfect job of being a prick. If there’d been a cheap shot or two, we might’ve been able to say Kadri was taking a page out of Esa Tikkanen’s book on how to be a shadow and a pest.

If the Oilers really wanted to win that game, they shouldn’t have hit the post twice. Problem solved.

THE GAME

Let’s start with the bad…

  • The Oilers can’t afford to complain about too much on the evening apart from some very shotty defense from Kris Russel and Andrej Sekera. They let the Leafs shoot at will 5×5 and right in the kill zone too.
  • Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic have to be there for McDavid every bloody night. I thought that Eberle had a nice night regarding his forechecking game but Looch was completely anonymous apart from the little scrum that followed the Kadri push on McDavid.
  • Speaking of sticking up for your teammates. The Oilers are doing a much better job of it this year but is there some team-stated mandate that says they’re not allowed to set someone straight for their on-ice behavior?

    Kadri had his stick in the ribs of McDavid all night long. Why didn’t Maroon or Kassian or Lucic tune Kadri in? We know they were chirping him throughout the evening because Ray Ferraro would tell us every time… Baffles me that people are okay justifying it by saying, “it’s a different time.”

  • The Oilers are shooting but they’re not scoring enough. Are they running into hot goalies or are they not positioned right in the offensive zone?

https://twitter.com/Sun_Tychkowski/status/793658524249296896

How about the good?

  • I wouldn’t send Puljujarvi down right now. He’s finding his feet and it’s causing fits for the opposition who want to match lines or send out a specific crew to cover Connor. I loved his game now for about a week. He’s engaging in every situation and he’s gaining more puck confidence shift-by-shift.
  • Oscar Klefbom had a monster of a game! I don’t even know the last time an Oilers defenseman put up 8 shots in a game. We’ve been waiting to see him unless his Klef-bomb consistently and tonight will go a very long way towards his overall confidence on the offensive side of the puck. Perhaps we’ll see him become a focal point on the PP sooner than later.
  • Mike Babcock did a wonderful job of taking the Oilers 1st line out of the game BUT lucky for the Oilers they have two more lines that are capable of taking the reins of need be.

    Nuge’s line was buzzing all. night. long. And Draisaitl’s line as well. Both lines are very unlucky not to have scored a goal because I thought it was the best game of the year for all six of the gentlemen on those two lines.

  • Darnell Nurse everyone…

NEXT UP

The New York Rangers (7-3-0) are next on the docket and they are having an outstanding start to their year as well. Not that they were a bad team before but I know I felt they were in for a regression in 2016. I guess that’s not the case. Jimmy Vesey vs. Connor McDavid? Probably not but Ryan McDonagh, Vesey, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider all have 9 pts this year. JT Miller has 10 points! And not to be outshone, Rick Nash has 8pts so far… That is some spread out scoring… Edmonton is in for a real test.

**WE’RE HAVING A BIG SALE ON BLH MERCH AT THE TEEPUBLIC SHOP FOLKS! ALL T-SHIRTS ARE $14 PLUS S&H!! IT’S A PERFECT TIME TO GRAB AN NHL ’94 PLAYER TEE! SCROLL DOWN AND CHECK OUT SOME OF THE ORIGINAL BEER LEAGUE HEROES DESIGNS AND CLICK ON A PIC TO GO TO OUR SHOP! THANKS!! – BLH**

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

The Eberle Conundrum

Is Eberle on the way out of town?

The shanks are out for Jordan Eberle tonight after an apparent lackluster performance versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Is it time for Peter Chiarelli to entertain the thought of moving him?

I know that Peter Chiarelli has thought of moving him in the past. If you haven’t caught the hint yet, Chia loves his big bruising wingers and Eberle is none of that. The problem is he scores goals and gets assists. He might not do it as consistently as a fan would like but he gets them nevertheless.

Acquiring these types of wingers isn’t easy… Is it?

Now undoubtedly there will be some of you that say the Oilers had a ready-made replacement for Eberle in the event he was traded in Yakupov but he looks like he’s back to his old self. Nail has gone scoreless in 4 games and has played under 10 minutes in three of his last four games… So is that the kind of player we’d like beside McDavid when Eberle isn’t firing on all cylinders?  His fancies are still looking alright but he wouldn’t be playing 10 minutes a night if he were Eberle’s replacement, would he?

Now, I’m not saying that Eberle will be an Oiler past this season but I am of the belief he will be an Oiler until after the expansion draft at least. Then the Oilers may move him to upgrade the defense or to potentially fill a hole left by the player who gets picked up by Las Vegas.

Who would they target? A bloody good question. In the past, they’ve looked at Wayne Simmonds but you can be damned sure Philly isn’t letting him got for Eberle alone. In the past, Brad Marchand would stand out as another but he’s signed to a long-term deal in Boston.

Would Dallas be interested in Eberle? Vancouver? Didn’t I hear that the Canucks are looking to add a 20 goal scorer? Would it be safe to deal in inter-division like that? Wouldn’t it be? The Oilers would have the book on him surely.

But maybe the team is thinking that Puljujarvi will be that top RWer next season and Draisaitl will be the 2nd line RWer. Something like this:

27-97-98
X-93-29 (Will Pouliot be on the team?)
19-36-44 (Caggiula as 3C?)
54-55-51 (Khaira come up? That 50’s Line is formed)

We may very well see that set up this season at some point.

IN CONCLUSION

As for his performance against the Leafs, it wasn’t good but Lucic was just as invisible as Eberle was. Why do you think it was McDavid moving around to other lines and not other players being tossed up to the 1st line? Right now, he’s on par with the likes of Ovechkin and Perry and it’s far too early to be throwing him to the wolves. Six points in ten games is nothing to be ashamed of.

I am referring to him as Dusty from now on though. Because each time he gets the puck in a shooting position he’s got to dust off that puck a bit before shooting it. Dusty!!

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Edmonton Oilers, Eric Friesen

My Experience at the 2016 Heritage Classic

The original Heritage Classic in 2003 will forever be the gold standard for outdoor NHL games, in my opinion, the 2016 event was pretty close. From the moment Elliotte Friedman broke the news on twitter on February 13 that Winnipeg would host an outdoor game in 2016-17 and Edmonton would be the opponent, I knew there was no way I was going to miss it.

About a month later, “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky announced that he was going to play for the Edmonton Oilers alumni against the Winnipeg Jets alumni prior to the regular-season game. As a lifelong Gretzky fan who never had the chance to see him play live during his legendary career, the Heritage Classic then became a once in a lifetime type event for me. I thought watching him on TV in 2003 alumni game would be the closest I would ever get to seeing him suit up in an Oilers jersey. I’m glad I was wrong. And 251 days after the event was announced, I flew to Winnipeg for the 2016 Heritage Classic.

I got to the Investors Groups Field on Saturday with one of my best friend’s Chris, who is a huge Jets fan, about an hour before the game. Just standing in line to get in the stadium, you could feel how excited all the fans were for the alumni game. Many of people my age or younger who never got to see likes of Wayne Gretzky or Dale Hawerchuk in their prime were grinning from ear-to-ear over seeing these legends take to the ice.

Once we got to our seats the atmosphere got even better. Thankfully for me, there was a good amount of Oilers fans in my section (I’ll guess around 15% of the fans were wearing orange and blue), though I never got chirped by one Jets fan the entire weekend. Tons of class by the fans in Winnipeg.

My friend warned me that Gretzky and the rest of the Oilers legends might get booed out of building after defeating the Jets in five playoff series between 1984 and 1990. However, that was not the case. In fact, Gretzky got the third loudest ovation after Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne. Another great show of class.

The place erupted when fan-favourite Selanne scored on a penalty shot goal early in the game and seemed to louder with each goal they scored as the Jets jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period. The Oilers alumni quieted the Winnipeg fans with four straight goals in the second and third periods to take a 5-4 lead. But unfortunately for Oilers fans, the Jets alumni tied the game up late in the final frame and Selanne provided the dagger with another penalty shot goal with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation to secure the victory for the home team.

Gretzky admittedly said, “I stink”in the post-game presser after going scoreless in the 6-5 loss, but it didn’t matter to me that. Sure, it would be great to see Gretzky score a beautiful goal or set up Jari Kurri from the behind the net for a tally, but what made it special for me was just to see my hero play live for the first time. That said, Mark Messier and Paul Coffey look like they could play. And the recently retired Ryan Smyth (my other childhood hero who I’ve been lucky enough to see play many times) was the speedster for the Oilers alumni!

Going into the day, I thought I would be upset if the Oilers lost, but I wasn’t. I can honestly say that was one of the best days of my life. Also, I tweeted out the picture you see above and it made up on the scoreboard at Investors Group Field. So that was another cool part of the day.

I’ll be the first to admit I was more excited for the alumni game than the actual regular-season game, but when I got back to the stadium on Sunday the intensity picked up. Now, two points were on the line. After a two hour delay due to sunlight (who would have thought?) the tarps finally came off the ice and we were ready to go.

The pre-game ceremony was excellent with Gretzky and Hawerchuk coming out to drop the pucks alongside Connor McDavid and Blake Wheeler. It was a brilliant way to blend the past, present, and future of these two hockey clubs. Obviously, the Oilers pulled out the win thanks to three quick goals in the second period that sucked the life out of the building for Jets fans, but I probably cheered louder than I have since the Oilers run to the Stanley Cup in 2006. It felt like a playoff game, or even like the Grey Cup since it was played in a CFL stadium. All in all, it was a great weekend of hockey for the 33,000-plus fans who can say they were there.

My original plan was to fly home to Saskatoon on Sunday night after the game, but all the flights were fully booked so I had to catch the red-eye home Monday morning. Little did I know that this would make my trip to Winnipeg even better. While I was standing with my friend in a gift shop at the airport I saw a familiar face walk by. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at 5:30 AM, but I walked over just to be sure. It was former Oilers goalie and playoff hero Dwayne Roloson, who was the best of Edmonton’s three goalies in the alumni game. He was gracious enough with his time to give me a couple minutes to talk hockey with him and take a photo. I’ve never been so happy to miss my original flight home before. Hopefully, many of you reading this had the chance to attend the Heritage Classic as well. And if not, you will likely get another a chance in the future. With McDavid on

Hopefully, many of you reading this had the chance to attend the Heritage Classic as well. And if not, you will likely get another a chance in the future. With McDavid on team, the Oilers are bound to have more opportunities like this going forward. Although Gretzky mentioned that if there is another alumni game in the future, he likely won’t be a part of it. If this is true, I’m so thankful that I was in attendance for his last game. 50 years from now, that will be what I remember most about this weekend.

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