Monthly Archives: March 2017

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski Lays into Oilers Fans For Being “Too Happy”

2 Comments

That was the tweet from Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski just moments after the Edmonton Oilers clinched their spot in the 2017 NHL playoffs and ended a 1o year playoff-less drought but it was too much for Wyshynski eh? And apparently, Canadian teams shouldn’t win the Stanley Cup either.

Before we get into everything, full disclosure. I listen to the Puck Daddy podcast as well as the Puck Soup podcast. I enjoy the humor and the insight and I’ll continue to listen to them. I recommend you listen to them as well.

Well, on the Puck Soup podcast Wyshynski replied to the reaction from Oilers fans. Here is the audio AND some of the transcript of the portion of that pod where co-hosts Wyshynksi and Dave Lozo went over the, in my opinion, well-founded vitriol directed at the “Puck Daddy” by the Oilers’ fanbase.

If you’re listening, skip to the 13:50 mark. I recommend this option. There’s a bit of the ‘ol locker room language, so you’ve been forewarned.

(Dave Lozo = DL, Greg Wyshynski = GW)

GW – It’s time for another edition of which fanbase did I piss off this week?

DL – To be fair, that was kind of a dickish tweet.

GW – It was totally dickish. So on Tuesday night, the Edmonton Oilers qualified for the playoffs for the first time in ten years and I tweeted, “Congrats Oilers fans, it’s been a long two years since you were gifted the best hockey player in the world after winning like ten other lotteries.” And at last count, it has like 2500 likes on Twitter and sparked people yelling at my employer and yelling at the Edmonton radio station that I appeared and will never have me on again.

I say this once and then we can move on about Oilers fans. I don’t give a shit about your drought. They were treating this thing like they were the Cubs. The last time you were in the playoffs you were in the Cup final. During this stretch, this painful stretch, of drought which has made you despondent and sad and now your nightmare is over; you drafted the best player in the world.

The moment Connor McDavid becomes an Oiler, guess what happens? Your drought’s over. You know it’s going to happen.

DL – Well not right away.

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!

GW – NO, IT’S OVER! It’s like winning the lottery, which they actually did, winning like $10M and then two years later, right, having a party because you paid off your student loan. YOU ALREADY WON THE LOTTERY! IT’S DONE! YOU’VE ALREADY ACHIEVED IT. The nightmare is over the minute Connor McDavid joins your team. Now it’s just icing on the cake that you made the playoffs again. It was an inevitability and it pissed me off to see them (Oilers fans) treating it as if this has been a tortuous existence. You know what’s a tortuous existence? Being the fucking Florida Panthers and not having the Gretzky dynasty in your back pocket to validate your existence as a franchise. And not having fucking Connor McDavid on your team is a tortuous existence.

Like, a ten year drought where the last time you were in the playoffs you were playing for the Cup. I’m sorry, I’m not getting out the fucking stradivarius for you here.

DL –   It was the longest drought in hockey…

GW – Who gives a shit? They have a charmed life! They won the lottery 75 fucking times and they ended up with Connor McDavid on their team.

DL – They won it three other times and never made the playoffs. I don’t understand the whole, “you won the lottery” thing. You should’ve known this was going to happen. They won it three times in a row and it didn’t happen.

GW – Right and now they have a great collection of young players on that team. Including one they flipped for obviously Norris trophy winner Adam Larsson.

But my point is that…

DL – This is the longest drought. Everyone goes to the playoffs in hockey.

GW – But look what happened during that drought. Like how could you possibly treat – “Oh my God, the nightmare is finally over…”

The nightmare was over the minute Connor McDavid looked at that camera with tears in his eyes and said, “God dammit I’m going to Edmonton”

DL – Yeah, but everyone said that every other time they won the lottery. This is it.

GW – But it’s McDavid. It’s different. Come on! It’s not Ryan Nugent-2nd line center at best-Hopkins. It’s a generational talent the ended up with.

DL – They weren’t going to be a playoff team last year if he played all 82. So I don’t know how you can say it’s an inevitability.

GW – It was an inevitability.

DL – Did you take them to make the playoffs this year? Nooooo

GW – I picked them to get close I think. I don’t remember my picks.

DL – When you say inevitability, it’s a different word for you than it means for everybody else.

GW – I just think that the way they were treating last night was like a Cubs fan. Like, the curse is over, we killed the billy goat. You have the best player in the world on your team and you didn’t make the playoffs for ten years after making the Cup final.

I weep.

DL – Let me pause at a theory of where this is coming from.

GW – Sure.

DL – Devils are going to miss the playoffs for a 5th straight season.

GW – They are.

DL – You never really had the lottery chance over these 5 years. Who’s the highest pick you got at that point?

GW – It was probably Zacha (Pavel).

DL – Oh boy…

GW – Well Larsson maybe. Well no, that was pre-drought I think.

DL – This is the longest drought they’ve had since they first moved to Jersey. So I’m going to pause at something.

GW – Please.

DL – Bitterness. Jealousy.

GW – Of me towards them?!

DL – Uh huh.

GW – I couldn’t give a shit if the Devils didn’t make the playoffs for a long time. I relish that. I relish the opportunity to have a team on the upswing eventually after decades of being a playoff team and winning multiple Cups and winning 5 conference championships. Fer sure.

DL – The other thing too you have to kind of consider is, how many fans of the Oilers today weren’t alive when they won their Stanley Cups.

GW – Probably a lot.

DL – So what does that matter? Why should they not be happy because they won Cups 30 years ago?

GW – I’m not saying they shouldn’t be happy. They just shouldn’t be this happy.

DL – How happy should they be? What’s the level of happiness they should’ve had last night?

GW – If you’re looking at the chart and you know I love charts. If you’re looking at the chart, it’d be the rollercoaster is flat and then it spikes when McDavid gets drafted and it kinda levels out. To me, the most joyous thing that happened to that franchise is knowing that you have the next Sid or Mario or Gretzky on your team and now it’s inevitable that you’re going to make the playoffs.

They treated it like it was this gigantic fucking weight lifted off of their shoulders. I was just like, “Come on! You didn’t know this was going to happen?”.

DL – Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs with Eichel.

GW – Right because Eichel isn’t as good as McDavid and Auston Matthews isn’t as good as McDavid. McDavid is a very very special once-in-a-lifetime player and they got him. Congratulations! I just think that it’s kinda silly to sit here and be like, “Oh my god, the nightmare is finally over

“Oh my god, the nightmare is finally over. We finally got back to the playoffs.”

Like, no shit. No shit! You got the best player in the world right now outside of Sidney Crosby on your team.

DL – I think the Penguins missed the playoffs the first two years Crosby was there. Definitely the first year. I’ll look that up because based on your theory of getting one awesome guy, they should’ve just known this was coming and be like,

Our tribute to the Team Canada of ’87! Click the pic to get yours!

“Cool.”

GW – Right! And Penguins fans were like,

“Oh my god, our nightmare is finally over. It took 45 minutes since Mario retired for us to be in the playoffs.”

I have no sympathy for this. There are other franchises that should feel this way is what I’m trying to say. Fucking Winnipeg or some shit.

DL – Fuck Winnipeg. They’ve been there 5 years shitting their pants with their shitty GM and coach. They don’t deserve anything.

GW – The Blue Jackets, the Panthers. There are a number of teams that haven’t had a taste of the success that the Oilers have had in their history.

DL – You’re talking about tastes of like 30 years ago. Nobody gives a shit.

GW – It’s Gretzky. It’s the standard by which all dynasties are judged.

DL – There are people walking around now that only know Wayne Gretzky as a coach. The same way there are people walking around that only know that Michael Jordan as a meme.

GW – You’re lying to prove a point! You’re fucking Sean Spicer right now with this argument.

DL – You know how long ago Gretzky retired? 20 years ago!

GW – These people can’t open a record book? They don’t know who the best player of all-time is? They just had a fucking list.

DL – So you’re saying some 23-year-old kid who has just lived through the shittiest years in Edmonton should be like,

“Meh. Who cares. We had cups before I was born.”

No, that’s not how it works.

GW – You had the best player in the history of the sport on your team. You’ll always have that as a fallback position.

DL – So when the Yankees were dog shit for like 15 years in the 80s, you couldn’t be sad about it because you have Babe fucking Ruth. Come on!

GW – As a Mets fan, I was reminded all the time that the Yankees had a storied past that my franchise couldn’t even lick the boots of.

DL – Uh. A storied past? Who cares? Live in the now Greg!

GW – I am living in the now. The living in the now is that they have Connor McDavid on their team and they just treated it as if like, they, for the first time in the history of mankind they made the playoffs.

DL – Oh, it’s the Taylor Hall trade that’s got you mad too.

GW – Noooo. I love Taylor Hall.

DL – You helped the Oilers get to where they are.

GW – I’m happy I did. I think it’s great that the Oilers are good again. I didn’t like when they were complete dog shit. I wanted them to be basically like the Leafs this year. Which is to be really really good and then just fall short of the playoffs. Which, god willing, the Leafs will do.

DL – Now you’re rooting against the Leafs?

GW – I want Boston and Tampa in the playoffs.

DL – Ow! Why do you want Boston in the playoffs?

GW – Well, I like Boston as a playoff team. I think a Boston/Ottawa slobberknocker series would be fun and soften whoever wins that series of either Montreal or the Rangers. But I definitely want Tampa in the playoffs.

I like the idea of keeping the Leafs humble. I like the idea of the Leafs getting right to the cusp of it. These kids get the playoff experience they need and then fall short.

DL – Originally, maybe I thought it was bitterness stemming from the Devils’ putridness. Maybe you just hate the young people.

GW – No, I love young people.

DL – You don’t want the young people to have success.

GW – You’re getting close to it but you keep missing the target.

DL – Is it Canada? You just hate Canada?

GW – Mmmm hmmm.

DL –  Yeah, is that what it is?

Okay, let’s go over the fanbases.  Columbus, everyone hates. Now Edmonton, everybody hates you. Once people hear the Toronto part of this, where everyone in the world I think is happy that Toronto has got a bunch of good young kids…

GW – I’m very happy. I just want them to fall short and stay humble and keep hungry.

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DL – You’re like the guy who’s like,

“Millenials always want to feel entitled to the playoffs.”

GW – I think they are. I think they’re totally entitled to the playoffs.

DL – So are you going to be mad when the Oilers play the Ducks in the first round and beat the Ducks? Are you going to go on Twitter and be like,

“Good job beating an old slow team.”

GW – No, because again, you’re proferring a theory about me which isn’t true. I want McDavid to do well. I want all these young players to do well. I think it’s the best thing for hockey if they get new blood in there but I want to keep the Leafs humble.

DL – But wait. You want the Leafs to do well, I mean, you want the Oilers to do well. You like McDavid doing well. It’s good for everybody but nobody can be happy about it.

GW – No. I think all of this makes complete sense.

DL – You sound like a raving lunatic right now. People are listening to this right now and saying,

“Why does Greg hate my team but wants it to do well? And why should I not be happy about it?”

SKIPS TO 25:25

DL – Okay, Ducks vs. Oilers, are you pulling for the Oilers?

GW – I’m pulling for the Oilers big time. Big league. I want the Oilers to do extraordinarily well. If they win the Cup, great. Dawn of a new era. I just don’t want the fans to be as apoplectic as they were about making the playoffs. It’s stupid.

DL – How many rounds do the Oilers have to win to be justifiably happy as fans?

GW – They can be happy as fans, just not THAT happy.

DL – But how happy? Like as happy as they are now, what would they have to do to justify that happiness? Two rounds?

GW – No, it has nothing to do with the success in the playoffs. It has to do with, if this was 20 years and it was 20 years between playoff appearances. I would understand it. It’s been 10 years.

DL – Nobody goes 20 years without making the playoffs anymore.

GW – But it was 10 years and the last time you made the playoffs you played for the Cup. That’s my point. My point is you played for a Cup the last time you were there and you go McDavid in those 10 years and you’re treating it like,

“Oh my god, we’re opening up the basement doors! The sun is finally shining on our faces. Thank you Jesus Christ for this day!”

DL – Again, I go back to the fact that they had McDavid for two years, you didn’t pick them to make the playoffs with McDavid at all, so it couldn’t have been as such a sure thing that you’re now making it out to be in hindsight.

Here’s my thing, I feel like making the playoffs is the most anti-climactic thing in hockey because everybody knew that the Oilers were going to make the playoffs two months ago. That’s what bothers me, is how it’s just not fun to clinch in hockey unless it’s the last day and you get that second wild card spot and it’s like,

“Oilers are in!”

Well, if they didn’t get in yesterday and they didn’t get in the next day, they were going to get in on Friday. That takes the edge off for me. It would’ve been more fun if the Oilers would’ve got in on that last day while beating the Blackhawks.

BLAME CANADA!

SKIP TO 29:10

GW – I don’t want another Canadian team to ever win the Cup. It’s been a beautiful 23 years.

DL – Wow! It is anti-Canada. That’s what it is.

GW – Of course! I’m an American. Why would I want a Canadian team to win the Cup?

DL – What, you don’t like Max Pacioretty? A good New York boy.

GW – I revoked his citizenship.

DL – Wow! Boy, you really are like Donald Trump. You leave the country, you can’t come in anymore?

GW – I want the Leafs to win eventually, just not now.

DL – I want the Oilers to win, don’t be happy about it… I don’t want the Leafs to win but I do eventually want them to win.

I’ve never heard this sort of logic at play about teams you don’t really care about used as a way of, you’re rooting for them?

 

Might we agree that Wyshynski cleverly capitalized on an opportunity to get some hits to his site here with a massive troll job? I mean whatever takes the sting away from his team being one of the worst in the entire league. Ah well, good for him. The Devils are half way to that 10-year playoff-less mark and I don’t see anybody coming in to save them anytime soon.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

It’s Done. It’s Over.

https://youtu.be/xT_dKn9W_7E

Two night ago I was covered in goosebumps for and entire hockey game. I knew that the LA Kings would give the Oilers all they could handle on such a momentous evening. But just as the Oilers had done so many times this season, they handled it. The flipped the switch on the Kings and ground them out of the game and made it impossible for them to score just as they’d done to the Oilers on so many occasions in the last decade.

But now we can forget the last ten years and look forward to the next ten because a new dynasty is coming.

OILERS NOTES

  • Joe Gambardella, Patrik Russell, Drake Caggiula, Matthew Benning, Joey Benik, Nick Ellis…

Are we seeing a pattern here? The Oilers are going after college players who are more mentally/physically ready for the pro game and allowing their junior prospects to develop in their respective leagues. Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is adding players of high moral character, leaders, and hard-workers. This is a plan I fully endorse and one that Edmonton has failed to utilize in years past.

Speedy right-winger Spencer Foo is also on the Oilers’ radar and if the Oilers sign him, that will give Edmonton some more depth on the right side. I’m not sure he’s got top-6 NHL forward written on him but he’d be a scoring winger in the AHL, I’m fairly certain of that.

  • Saying goodbye to the blue jerseys.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the orange jerseys but the blues and whites are the true Oilers colors. Throwing back to the earlier days with the oranges was nice but I don’t believe they should be a primary home jersey. If the orange is so important, make it a bit more prominent on the other uniforms.

  • This might be my favorite Oilers team since I started really following the team.

I love what Chiarelli has done to this team and what makes it my favorite Oilers roster is its mix of grizzled vets like Kris Russell, Milan Lucic, and Mark Letestu, flashy kids like McDavid, Klefbom, and Draisaitl, the wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve players like Pat Maroon, Zack Kassian, Matt Hendricks, Eric Gryba, and Adam Larsson. Cam Talbot, I don’t even know what to say. He’s been flat out amazing this season. Even the rooks have been impressive! Who knew Matt Benning would fit in this well and Drake Caggiula would be contributing in the fashion he is. I also love that Nuge and Eberle are coming on late in the season. Not sure if they’ll be here next season but I think we should try to enjoy them while they are.

Pat Maroon and Zack Kassian have stood out for me because they’re big guys who play the game the way I grew up watching AND not only are they highly skilled hockey players but they’re also throwbacks.  They smile, they hit, the score, they fight! How could you not love them?

  • The expansion draft will be transparent.

This is good news, not only for the fans but for us bloggers as well. I think it’s a great move by the NHL and it’ll certainly drum up some controversy. Can’t wait to see what Edmonton’s looks like. I’m thinking it won’t look much like the lists that other bloggers and media-types have been publishing due to the amount of roster movement that’ll take place before the actual draft. I’m also wondering how Vegas takes advantage of the buffer window to sign UFAs…

  • Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy) trolled the Oilers fanbase like only he can do so well.

Greg Wyshynski apparently isn’t a fan of Canadian hockey teams or their fans. He responded to the Oilers fan’s reaction to this tweet on the Puck Soup podcast yesterday and I don’t want to say it’s shocking because it shouldn’t be but I question the motivation behind going after a fanbase for celebrating a return to the playoffs. I’m going to dedicate an entire post later on to this because he says some shitty things but between Wyshynski, Patty O’Sullivan (Quite the tag team there eh?), the Flames fanbase and the trolls coming out of TO; the Edmonton Oilers must be doing something right.

  • The first round of the NHL playoffs.

I believe if things continue to go as they are that the Oilers have a good chance of finishing 1st in the Pacific and getting Calgary in the 1st round. I don’t like Edmonton’s chances vs. the California teams to be honest and for me, the Flames haven’t been the tough opponent a lot of people thought they would be for Edmonton.

David Staples had an interesting take on the Oilers playoff prospects leading up to the post-season here.

The Other thing is, and I said this to my dad (who is a converted Flames fan), Calgary peaked too early and now they’re coming back to Earth at exactly the wrong time! Or perhaps exactly the right time for the team who faces them in the playoffs. IF they make it 😉

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

Foo Fighter!!! Are the Oilers in on this Hobey Baker Award Finalist?

So far the Edmonton Oilers’ dive into this year’s NCAA free agent class has come up fruitless. One of the, if not the, best options was Zach Ashton-Reese and he signed with Penguins. Josh Healey, an exquisite open ice checker, signed with the Flames yesterday, and now attention has turned to Union forwards Mike Vecchione and Edmonton native, Spencer Foo since their team was knocked out of the NCAA hockey tournament.

Elliotte Friedman gave Foo a nice plug on NHIC last night during the Oilers/Avs game and correct me if I’m wrong but did he not say (once again) that the four western-based Canadian teams are interested in him. I don’t want to put words in his mouth and I could be remembering that incorrectly. After all, it was only a short blurb.

Bob Stauffer also sent a tweet out that named the Oilers as a team that could be in the mix for Foo’s signature.

~FOOOOOOO ARE YOU? FOO FOO, FOO FOO~

Born: Edmonton, AB
Age: 23
Position: RW
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185lbs
Shoots: Right

Quotes:

The Edmonton, Alberta native is the ultimate team player that battles for the puck and can play on both the power play and penalty kill,  a coach’s dream while adding top college point production. – Broadstreetbuzz.com

I certainly like this sort of review. Players likes this are exactly the type that Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan are looking to add to their squad.

That consistency has been very important because it has allowed the younger players to see that through consistency breeds success,” Union coach Rick Bennett said. “Spencer is one of the hardest workers in practice each day. Hopefully that resonates throughout the year and when he moves on. My hope is that my younger players emulate his work ethic and consistency. – Union Head Coach Rick Barnett

Consistency has been a real area of soreness for the Oilers this season beyond Connor McDavid’s line. We’re just seeing the French Rejection Line (Pouliot/Desharnais/Kassian) as the 2nd most consistent line on the team and with Nuge’s line (w/Lucic+Eberle), it depends on the night I guess. Letestu’s line is never the same for more than a few games, so can we expect a lot of consistent performances from them?

He’s greasy,” Starman said. “He just does a lot of little things that are fun to watch. He’s got electric speed, hands, guts. He’s not afraid to try something difficult. He’s been good. He’s just fun to watch and he plays with an edge. – Dave Starman, CBS/ESPN college hockey analyst

A couple of thoughts on the idea of Spencer Foo joining the Oilers.

  • I still don’t believe that any of the NCAA free agents would be impact players on this Oilers squad and that signing Foo would be to add to the Oilers’ AHL depth as they are currently in a drive to the playoffs as well.

    Perhaps Drake Caggiula would be a good comparable in a case like this.

    If anything, Jesse Puljujarvi would be the guy that comes up if the Oilers need to shake things up or there is an injury. Could you imagine if the Oilers did sign Spencer Foo and then immediately threw him into the lineup? What kind of message would that send to the Puljujarvi camp?

  • I do like that Foo is 23 years old though. He’ll more or less be coming into the NHL with a mature body, meaning he shouldn’t still be looking to add that “man-strength” that 18/19/20 year olds are often lacking when then enter the league.

    Another plus is that he’s a righty and I love my righties!

  • Foo attended the Calgary Flames development camp this year. I wonder how he felt about that given he’s a diehard Oilers fan?

    I reckon it’s something that every player has to go through. It’s not often that a player gets to go to the team he supports or supported as a child. I mean Josh Healey (who also attended the same Flames development camp this year) just signed in Calgary and he was an Edmonton kid too.

  • If I’m not mistaken, the Oilers are sitting around the 48 contract mark (out of 50 allowable) and since the deadline has long passed, Edmonton can sign another player or two and be fine.

    To add to that, there are 10 unrestricted free agents set to leave the club this summer, so tacking on a couple of college FAs shouldn’t hurt the club.

  • Foo has a brother, Parker, who is set to join Union next season. At the moment, Parker Foo is playing for the Brooks Bandits and is having a solid season. He has 34G and 32A for 66PTS in 60 games played there. He’s 6’1″ and 170lbs and I’m just blue skying here but if Parker ends up being better than his brother, wouldn’t it be something to see a couple of local brothers suiting up for the Oilers someday? Has that ever happened for the Oilers?

“Work ethic is a huge thing,” Foo said. “As a player, if you don’t quite have the right work ethic, that is where the consistency problems can start. If you go out every game and focus on working as hard as you can, everything else will fall into place.”

I like Spencer Foo’s attitude and mindset. It’s a winner’s belief system.

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Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Is Cam Talbot Tired? By Marcus Boutilier

Photo Credit to Andy Devlin

Cam Talbot is not tired. At least not physically anyway.

All this talk about Cam Talbot and whether fatigue is becoming an issue reminds me of similar talk which surrounded Washington’s Braden Holtby with much the same argument after the 2014-15 season when he started 73 games. Some suggested he needed rest, but his playoff performance that year was sick. 13GP and a 1.71 GAA with a .944 SV%! I dare say he was not fatigued. Last year the Caps used him in 66 starts. He tied legendary Martin Brodeur’s 48 wins in a season record and was named the Vezina Trophy winner and still was a rock in the playoffs.

One only need to refer to Holtby’s career post season numbers (wow) and you’ll appreciate my perception that the Holtbeast, as he’s called in DC, is not fatigued at playoff time. There has never been and nor should anyone place blame on Holtby’s goaltending as a reason for the Caps unsuccessful playoff runs. I would be willing to bet this will be the case here in Edmonton as well in a couple of weeks. Talbot and his “fatigue” will or should be the least of the Oilers worries though.

I see the Oilers’ Cam Talbot in much the same light at this stage of his career as Holtby. His physical game is not in question no matter how many starts he is in for.  He’s still young and keeps himself in great shape.  Much like Holtby, he tends to play better when seeing a lot of action. However, similar to Holtby, I’ve noticed he also is very hard on himself and takes bad games quite personally. While a noble trait, it’s for this reason that he and Holtby do require more of a mental break at times.

The more a goalie plays, the more of a chance you’ll see a bad game every now and then. It’s simple math. Each guy is different. This narrative that is running in Edmonton right now, with Talbot and his rest, is way overblown and is actually counter productive. Honestly, if you, as a coach, were concerned about Talbot’s fatigue; you would have been worrying about it before this week. And that should tell you where McLellan ranks it on his list of concerns. Would I have sat Talbot in favor of Brossoit in Colorado last game? Sure I would have, but McLellan is the one talking with Talbot. Case closed.

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Edmonton Oilers, NHL

A Capitals Fan Living in Edmonton by Marcus Boutilier

I was not living in Edmonton during the Stanley Cup glory years and like many who weren’t I was very jealous of Oiler fans. I mean, those Oilers were really too good! Unfair almost. Even after moving here and listening to people at work and other locals comment on how fun it was back in the day, it didn’t make it easier to swallow. The wild 2006 playoffs is also used as a point of excitement. While I appreciate the enthusiasm and listen intently, it’s with a little resentment if I’m being honest and you will understand why moving forward.

Growing up in Southern Ontario, I like most was forced to hear all things Leafs and yet, I didn’t grow up to be too crazy. Well, maybe so, but I’ll get to that later. As a kid, I was into the OHL and my hometown Kingston Canadiens (now Frontenacs) and watched a lot of Jr hockey. It was here in 81-82, I first became a fan of a ferocious, hard-hitting Dman playing out of the Memorial Cup Champ Kitchener Rangers. When the Washington Capitals selected Scott Stevens in the 1982 draft I instantly became a Caps fan. Now imagine being a fan of a club that has only ever gotten past the second Rd twice in its history and you’ll appreciate why I have some resentment towards the very successful history of playoff success of your local Oilers.

Stevens made the team as an 18-year-old and scoring in his first game, on his first shot, and going on to help the Caps make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history that season. Though I still remember the day the Caps let him sign with St. Louis as a RFA as my personal Gretzky leaving moment, I had made my loyal allegiance and stayed with my Caps to this date. Hence, why I just may be crazy after all. And while the Caps never went as long as the Oilers did in franchise history for consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, I would take Edmonton’s history including the playoff drought all day long!

Moving Edmonton in fall of ’08 allowed me to escape Leaf nation and while forever will I cheer for the Capitals, I have learned to appreciate living here in Oiler nation. At least now that they finally have actual proper management in place that is. Even as a non-invested fan living in the city it was painful watching this organization for awhile. For those in Oiler nation, I do have a side of me who certainly wants good times for the Oilers again. It’s way more fun in this city now than it has been last 10 years! And I enjoy the new rink just the same. While as a Caps fan I  certainly wasn’t feeling sorry for the playoff drought (aren’t there enough Cups to go around in this city), I appreciated the frustration of where the team was and I relish the opportunity to see this team closeup as they stand today new arena and all. They are fun to watch. Much like my Caps.

Connor McDavid is entertaining. Period. I feel lucky to be able to watch 97 and his career up close. And as a non-biased Caps fan going to Rogers Place to watch live hockey is all about 97 for me.  I feel blessed to be able to have closely watched Alex Ovechkin his whole career and know not to take for granted what legit superstars do during the regular season or otherwise. Yes, I know, I know the Great 8 hasn’t gotten it done in the playoffs. I urge you to first look at his career stats for playoffs and then we can at least debate the merits of that. But for any to suggest at all, in the context of entertainment, that Ovie isn’t worth the price of a ticket they can’t appreciate the value of being entertained. I would argue Nicklas Backstrom is just as entertaining but I digress. He’s McDavid without the speed.

Now watching Connor McDavid is an entertaining event. Like grab some popcorn and keep things away from you in case you jump out of your seat entertaining. Watching him play hockey is like nothing I’ve seen before when you factor in his seemingly nonstoppable speed game. As a Caps fan, I remember Mike Gartner being fast but this is different.

Pick up the NEW “Beat His Ass” shirt right now!!

Because the Caps had drafted Andre Burakovsky in ’13, I watched a lot of Erie Otters games during 13-14 which gave me the now great opportunity to follow along McDavid’s jr career as well. Like anyone who watched him in Erie, it was easy to see whoever drafted him was getting a generational superstar. At times it wasn’t even competitive for him it seemed.

Whether he is making Drew Doughty laugh mid-game trying to defend him or having opposing forecheckers need to adjust positionally a style to how they play against the Oilers because of him, it’s easy to succeed he is the best player to watch in the game right now for my liking.

Scary thing is he will only get better. Whether it be taking faceoffs or shooting more (I find myself thinking he should shoot more when watching – only to discover he leads the team in shots, go figure) he will know doubt improve his deficiencies while enhancing even further his existing strengths. Wait till his shooting percentage inevitably rises a bit! His ability to improve the play of those around him is not questioned (can I say Yakupov here or is that too sensitive still?) and what is less talked about is the way that defending NHL coaches and teams have to change the way they defend breakouts vs Edmonton now. 97 has created a situation where his matchups are opening space for teammates (ask Patrick Maroon) and it helps the Oilers D with more options while escaping trouble. Anyone debating the Oilers have not looked like a different team on the breakout this year? One could argue the Oilers system is just to get the puck to 97, but we don’t want to over simplify things do we. That’s no fun! It’s why I don’t agree with the notion that Cam Talbot, albeit playing outstanding, is the Oilers MVP this year. Would anyone want to take out McDavid for a 15 game stretch or Talbot? For me it’s easy.

Recalling that when I first became more closely tied to Oiler nation when moving here in fall of ’08, Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner were the young future centre pieces of the club. How things have evolved. A number 1 draft pick Taylor Hall has come and gone and the entire organization has morphed into a team with a new plan from top to bottom.  As a Caps fan, I appreciate playing a Chiarelli led team and always respected playing the Bruins and their style.

The Oilers next best positional right-hand guy to 97 is the perfect compliment to the wonderkid. While decent players Gagner and Cogliano are, they aren’t McDavid and the now ever enticing Leon Draisaitl. It seems funny to even relate the two pairs. Leon, while struggling a few games, is a star in his own right. With his size and skill set, he has the tools to be a dominating forward. He’ll be the centre on his own line in the future Oiler attack creating an awesome 1-2 punch down the middle in Northern Alberta for years.

So yes it looks like the Oilers have finally turned the corner as a perennial playoff team. And with that being the expectation for this organization now for the next few seasons, it’s will shift to becoming more about building a case to being a Stanley Cup contender. With 97 anything is possible and so becoming a legit Stanley Cup favourite may not be far off. Could the Oilers win this year? Why not. Should they? Probably not. However, at this point in the today’s NHL playoffs it’s open season.  Everyone in this city only need to refer to ’06 for that to be validated.

I for one will be subjecting myself to the craziness that is anther Capitals run at the Cup. Who knows, maybe the Oilers can make it easier for me to travel to see the Caps in the Stanley Cup final if they play here at Rogers Place!! So good luck to the Oilers and welcome back to the dance.

… Man, is it fun to watch 97 play. Oh, did I say that already….

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!