Tag Archives: Heritage Classic

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers Talk: The Great Outdoor Sh*tshow of ’23

Ever wondered what happens when two teams compete to out-fuck-up each other? Flames and Oilers, once Stanley Cup favorites, are now the stars of our utterly messed-up network comedy show. It’s like watching a sitcom where every episode leaves you pontificating upon the very fabric of reality. Spoiler alert: reality is hilarious, and it’s about to get X-rated.

The Alberta Clusterfuck: A Symphony of Struggles

Picture this: the Flames desperately searching for a purpose, the Oilers making ‘victory’ disappear faster than your dignity after a tequila night. It’s like a full-blown symphony of struggles, a sketch show where every game morphs into an R-rated comedy routine. And here we are, right in the middle of this glorious, filthy joke, chuckling away like there’s no tomorrow.

“You’re going to watch this circus, and for a moment, somebody will pull something off that makes you go, ‘Well, look at that?’ But deep down, you know it’s just a distraction from the dumpster fire that’s been burning all along.” – Anonymous pro scout

Financial Fk-Ups vs. Team Turmoil:

Enter Jonathan Huberdeau, caught up in the chaos of chasing dollar signs while pretending to give a damn about the game. It’s the classic tale of grown-up shit – decisions, dilemmas, and a whole lot of hilariously bad choices. Who said being a responsible adult in the NHL wasn’t a total mindfuck?

Sweet Jesus! Is that Darnell Nurse’s music? With his eyes on the green but feet on the ice, raising eyebrows and questions in equal measure. Is it all about the cash, or does he harbor a secret longing for the glory days of unity and championships? In the gritty underworld of professional hockey, where loyalty often hangs by a thread, Nurse’s tale of fiscal temptation and on-ice aspirations paints a riveting, albeit morally ambiguous, portrait of the modern athlete. Will he prioritize the team’s crest over the allure of a fat paycheck, or is he destined to become just another cautionary tale in the annals of NHL financial escapades?

Outdoor Shitshow: A Battle of Bumbling Fools

Get ready for the outdoor extravaganza, where these teams bring their A-game in the realm of accidental debauchery. It’s not just a game; it’s a sideshow of slips, trips, and the occasional triumphant goal that’ll make you question your life choices. Imagine a circus, but with more ice, way edgier clowns, and a whole lot of “oh, shit, did that just happen?” moments.

Redemption, Anyone? A Glimpse of Hilarity

Can redemption find its way through this unapologetic chaos? Well, if laughter is the best medicine, then these teams are the ultimate cure. As we watch their stumbling journey, let’s savor every moment of obscenity-laden hilarity. In the world of hockey, as in life, the best punchlines are the ones that make you gasp for air, both from laughter and sheer disbelief.

So, grab your booze, your smokes, and whatever else gets you through the night because this outdoor embarrassment between the Flames and Oilers is set to be a comedy special that’s not just NSFW; it’s NSFL (Not Safe For Life).

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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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Edmonton Oilers, Eric Friesen, NHL

Five Possible Defenceman To Join Oilers Alumni Roster

 

After months of speculation, the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets unveiled their rosters for the 2016 Heritage Classic on Friday. The Oilers alumni includes Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy, Randy Gregg, Dave Semenko, Esa Tikkanen, Marty McSorley, Craig MacTavish, Kelly Buchberger, Ken Linseman, Blair MacDonald, Craig Simpson, Ryan Smyth, Bill Ranford and Dwayne Roloson. Glen Sather and Ron Low served as honourary coaches for the Oilers alumni.

Jets forward Blake Wheeler wasn’t wrong when he said “the alumni game might trump the main event” at the Heritage Classic presser. It likely will. As excited as I am for the Oilers-Jets regular-season game, the alumni game will be a once in a lifetime event for many hockey fans, myself included.

Lowe jokingly said that the Oilers would hold a “training camp” to fill the last spot or two for the Oilers alumni on defence. Not unlike the current edition of the Oilers, the alumni roster could use another right-shot defenceman as well. Today I wanted to look at some of the top candidates to fill the last spot on Edmonton’s blueline for the 2016 Heritage Classic Alumni Game.

Jason Smith

For the fans who were hoping to see more players from the 1990s and 2000s named to the Oilers alumni roster, Smith would be an excellent addition. Smith was a hard-nosed blueliner who consistently sacrificed his body to block shots and was team captain from 2001 to 2007. The 42-year-old Calgary, Alberta native was recently named the Head Coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, who play the Seattle Thunderbirds on the night of the alumni game, so he likely won’t be available to the Oilers.

Janne Niinimaa

Niinimaa was the Oilers best offensive defenceman in the early 2000s. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pound, Niinimaa had great size, a solid point shot and was great on the powerplay.  The 41-year-old Raahe, Finland native retired from professional hockey in 2013 and would give the Oilers alumni some “young legs” on the back end.

Steve Staios

Staios is another younger option for the Oilers on the blueline. The 43-year-old Hamilton, Ontario was strong, two-way defenceman and only retired four years ago and is certainly in better shape than any of the already named alumni defenceman. As the President of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, it would be easier for Staios to suit up for the Oilers than his former teammate Smith.

Lee Fogolin

A heart and soul defender, Fogolin is arguably the greatest right-shot defenceman in Oilers history. He’s best remembered as the player you handed the ‘C’ to Gretzky in 1983. The 61-year-old Chicago, Illinois native would be the oldest player on the team, but if he’s able to play, I’d love to see him throw on the Oilers jersey one last time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ahTDixJ7A

Jeff Beukeboom

At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Beukeboom was a hulking defenceman who won battles in front of the net and in the corners and was able to clear the puck out of his zone efficiently. The 51-year-old Ajax, Ontario native won’t provide much offence punch, but would be a solid choice to fill a third pairing role. And who doesn’t love that name, right?

Thanks for reading. Let me know if you agree with my picks and we’ll see if any of these former players make the cut in October!

NHL

2016 Heritage Classic Alumni Rosters

Yesterday the alumni rosters were announced for the 2016 Heritage Classic game on Oct.23rd between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets, which I will say, are on par with the jersey unveils. Meaning that the Oilers seriously missed a perfect opportunity to raise some more skrilla to pay for their new arena and that the Jets roster is left wanting. Whilst the Oilers alumni roster is always amazing and the Jets unis are f*cking gorgeous. I’ll never buy one because they belong to the Jets but great looking nonetheless. Let’s talk about it below.

Rosters courtesy of NHL.com

OILERS ALUMNI

Coaches: Glen Sather/Ron Low

Goaltenders: Bill Ranford, Dwayne Roloson

Defensemen: Paul Coffey, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, *Kevin Lowe, Marty McSorley

Forwards: Glenn Anderson, Kelly Buchberger, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Ken Linseman, Blair MacDonald, *Craig MacTavish, Mark Messier, Dave Semenko, Craig Simpson, Ryan Smyth, Esa Tikkanen

Also, according to the article on NHL.com,

  • Grant Fuhr will be attending but not player.
  • Kevin Lowe will be on the bench as an assistant coach.
  • Craig MacTavish will also be on the bench as an assistant coach.

More players are expected to be added later. Personally I’m hoping to see a whole whack of ex-players like Todd Marchant, Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Bill Guerin, Roman Hamrlik, Boris Mironov, or Curtis Joseph make an appearance on the Oilers side of the ice.

But how on Earth are the Oilers going to win this game with so many left-handed dmen?…

JETS ALUMNI

Coaches: Tom McVie, Serge Savard

Goaltenders: Bob Essensa… (Yup just Bobby here… No Pokey Reddick or Daniel Berthiaume.)

Defencemen: Dave Babych, Dave Ellett, Mike Ford, Jim Kyte, Mario Marois, Moe Mantha, Teppo Numminen, Tim Watters

Forwards: Laurie Boschman, Mike Eagles, Dale Hawerchuk, Kris King, Morris Lukowich, Andrew McBain, Brian Mullen, Teemu Selanne, Darrin Shannon, Doug Smail, Thomas Steen, Ron Wilson

Surprised Dallas Eakins didn’t get the call here. Surely there are no other reasons to play, right? He’d love to be on the ice for another Teemu Selanne shotgun goal celebration, no? I think he could Nail down catching that glove again.

But more seriously, where’s Dave Christian and Keith Tkachuk? If Dave Hunter can get a pair of skates on, Tkachuk should have no problem. Randy Carlyle how about? For the love of Christ, can I get a Phil Housley? Mark Messier was still playing in the NHL when he played in the alumni game versus the Habs back in 2003… I mean Tie Domi would at least make it interesting.

Anyways, If you’re really bored you can read our alumni roster predictions we made back in March here.

Until then we wait…

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Edmonton Oilers, Micah Kowalchuk, NHL

The Heritage Classic – Which Golden Oldies Can Still Dangle?

Well folks, the Oilers are getting their outdoor game against the Jets.  Now, putting aside the fact that the Jets are actually the Atlanta Thrashers and have virtually no classic alumni, the NHL seems content letting them ice the greatest hits of the Phoenix Coyotes.  So, who can we expect to see on the ice for the Oilers?

First off, we need to pick players who are still physical able to compete.  Let’s start with the Oilers.

This was the roster for the original 2003 Heritage Classic game.  In net were Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford and Andy Moog.  At forward was Gretzky, Andersen, Chipperfield, Hunter, Kurri, Linseman, Lumley, Semenko, Simpson and Tikkanen.  On defense, there was Beukeboom, Coffey, Fogolin, Gregg, Huddy, Lowe, McSorley and Muni.

Starting with the goaltenders, there is Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford, Andy Moog, but there are also the other possibles in Tommy Salo or Dwayne Roloson.  Grant Fuhr has been retired since 2000, and played in the 2003 Heritage Classic, so that’s 13 years off the ice as a player.  He was a goaltending coach until 2009, so that’s not quite as bad as it seems, since he probably logged some time on the ice in his coaching capacity, and he’s 53, so he’s not too old to lace them up.  Based on his age I could see him being in a reduced role.

Bill Ranford is 49, has been retired since 2000, and played for the Oilers in the 2003 Heritage Classic.  In 2004 he was the goaltender stunt double for the movie Miracle.  And at this time he is still the goaltending coach for the Los Angeles Kings, so he’s likely still able to put the pads on and not be too rusty, he could be the starter.

Andy Moog, at 56, I expect to be off the roster this time, with one of Tommy Salo, Curtis Joseph or Dwayne Roloson taking the ice.  Now, Tommy Salo logged more games, but Dwayne Roloson’s cup run has made him a fan favorite in Edmonton.  He’s 46, and played until 2012, so he’s only 4 years off the ice at this point.  There’s also Curtis Joseph, the immortal CuJo, but in some ways he’s viewed as more of a Toronto Maple Leaf, so I would guess we see Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford and Dwayne Roloson in net.

Moving on to our defensemen, we should all rejoice in the fact that, once again, we will see an NHL defense playing in Oilers jerseys.  I’d guess by the time this game rolls around Chiarelli will have revamped the existing one to the point it will be competitive, but in the meantime..  We can safely expect to see Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy, Jeff Beukeboom, Marty McSorley and Craig Muni out there.  It’s likely that both Lee Fogolin (61 with no real involvement in hockey since his 1987 retirement) and Randy Gregg (60 and out of the sport since 1992) will be the ones replaced.

As a result, this opens the door for two of the more beloved Edmonton Oilers defensemen of the last little while, Steve Smith and Jason Smith.  Other than the Chris Pronger effect, these are two of the most memorable “newer generation” Oilers defensemen to take the ice, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them both don the alumni silks for this game.  Now, for all of you wondering what a power play quarterback looks like, we can sit back and relax and enjoy watching Paul Coffey once again (as we search for his replacement and pray to whichever gods we hold dear that St. Peter manages to obtain Kevin Shattenkirk for us, amen).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNP4d5kZksE

And that takes us to our forwards.  Although we all now worship the McJesus and the collection of amazing young talent we have here, once upon a time the Oilers had some pretty good forwards too.  We can expect to see McDavid 1.0, Wayne Gretzky, take the ice, along with his entourage of Glenn Anderson, Dave Hunter, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Esa Tikkanen and Dave Semenko on the ice.  The only possibility is the fact that Semenko may have some lingering resentment to how the organization discharged him last summer, so if he can’t go, I would expect George Laraque to be the fan-favorite enforcer alternative here.

Now, there were a total of 10 forwards for the last Alumni game, so we now have 3 spots open.  The names that jump to mind are Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, and Ryan Smyth.  All three are much beloved members of the organization, experienced success here to some degree, and seem logical choices to flush out the heritage roster.  There’s also the possibility of Todd Marchant, another character player loved by the organization, to step in as an alternate here.

So fans, that’s who I’d expect to see on the ice for the next Heritage Classic, who would you like to see lace ’em up for the alumni game? Let us know in the comments below!