Tag Archives: Matt Henderson

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

I Didn’t Want to Write This But…

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As we sit here on the morning of Wednesday, December the 7th and digest the fact that the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League are sitting in 1st place of the Pacific Division, a portion of the fan base still feels the need to bitch and whine and moan about one player. The funny thing is, now that some light has been shed on that player by some pretty smart hockey minds leading to a prominent hockey voice within the oilogosphere to head down the road of conspiracy theories in an attempt to justify his failed witch hunt upon one, Kris Russell.

Now, before I get into this elongated diatribe, Russell has been hot garbage the last few games when paired up with Adam Larsson and that has done nothing but stoke the fires over at Camp Poopy Pants but as we know, hockey has its peaks and its valleys.

It’s my understanding that all of this really got going when Jim Matheson wrote about the Oilers possibly having an offer on the table for Kris Russell in the 3-4 year range (IIRC), and somebody took offense to this and wrote some pieces over at Oilers Nation regarding Russell the Love Muscle. Part 1 of those blogs included a shit ton of stats and numbers that painted the Oilers new #4 in a non-flattering light. You cannot argue with those numbers because they are, after all, factual, but it’s not fair to the target audience of the composition if the writer can’t show the other side of the coin.

What followed was a piece most recently by Mark Spector, and I believe this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for some. Now they aren’t happy with Chiarelli  because… Reasons.

https://twitter.com/SportsnetSpec/status/806361421823021056

I am not advocating that the Oilers re-sign Kris Russell for anything more than 1 year if they do indeed decide to bring him back. I’m of the belief that there will be better players available and by re-signing him, that puts a huge dent in the team’s ability to pick up that right-handed powerplay quarterback to which this season is a perfect season to be buying low. Check out the numbers on Tyson Barrie and Sami Vatanen, or even Travis Hamonic and try to disagree with me.

We move on to the dirty stuff now… If you want to skip this part, you can scroll down a bit and there are some interesting “facts” about Kris Russell that are actually in the positive.  Oh, there’s some BOLD language in this post. So you’ve been forewarned. And it’s kinda long. Good Luck! May the Russell be with you!

IS PETER CHIARELLI BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE?

“Black Box Analytics” Get used to that term because that’s where amateur bloggers and statistics aficionados will be taking you. Taken from Mr.Henderson’s blog over at the highly-respected hockey trade rumors site, Hockeybuzz, we are gifted this definition of black box analytics:

Some firm has generated these numbers and presenting them with (we assume) some analysis to go along with it. We do not know their process. We do not have access to the numbers. We cannot test the numbers because they are hidden from us. We do not know what kind of analysis is being done, by whom, and for what profit.

Wait! That’s not a definition! And how noble of Mr.Henderson to be so protective of the Oilers’ financial well-being. God forbid a company make a profit! Off of the Oilers no less!!

A black box is any device whose workings are not understood by or accessible to its user. (source)

All I read from Henderson’s quote is a severe amount of insecurity. “We do not know their process. We do not have access to the numbers. We cannot test the numbers because they are hidden from us. We do not know what kind of analysis is being done. by whom, and for what profit.”

I don’t know why he keeps saying “we” when it should be “I” and boo f*cking hoo. You don’t know something. Welcome to the club. The fact of the matter is that this one blogger is losing his shit (and his credibility) because he’s gone to ridiculous lengths to come to a very public and questionable conclusion that is slightly flawed but he cannot gain access to the information that may justify the outcome of his research or give him insight into where he IS wrong (which at this point, he’s so convinced that he isn’t in the wrong that he’s talking about black box analytics). It’s ignorant and arrogant.

SERIOUS PSA

So kids, in this case, when there’s SOOOOOO much you cannot do or do not know; you go and talk to the people with the information you want (or need in this case) OR you start to do your own analysis. YOU go and track the player, YOU write down your findings, YOU share your new research results with the online community and open them up for critique because you want that. You want to know where the faults lie within your research so that you can find the true answer.

WHAT WE DON’T DO

Don’t be a little bitch and go down conspiracy theory road because you’re too encumbered by “life” and for sure don’t try to sell yourself to the public that you’re some sort of authority or influencer on the topic if you’re not willing to go the extra mile! And especially, this one is key, don’t post your conspiracy theory on a well-known hockey rumors website. If you’re so convinced, put it up on a respectable platform like Oilers Nation 🙂

It all stinks of desperation and I’m surprised it has come this far.

COULD HENDERSON BE RIGHT?

OF COURSE, there’s a possibility that everything Mr.Henderson is claiming is true but that is no more a possibility than Kris Russell being the worst dman in the history of the NHL. Why? Because it is so bloody apparent that Henderson has an agenda and, at least to me, this is his way of expressing his displeasure towards Peter Chiarelli for trading his favorite hockey player, Taylor Hall.

I guess that’s one route to take but good luck. You’re going to need it.

WHAT DOES KRIS RUSSELL DO RIGHT?

Now, I’m sure “black box analysis” will be a new buzzword going forth because the people using it and believing in it will refuse to admit their ignorance and blissfully look the other way when they are shown up. We’ve got people like former Edmonton Oiler Brad Werenka, who works for a hockey analytics company called True Performance Hockey, who said this past week on Inside Sports with Reid Wilkins that Kris Russell was akin to that of Charlie Huddy or Randy Gregg back in the Oilers’ hay day. These defensemen have value.

From Wilkins’ show:

Wilkins: Can I ask you, is there a player like that in today’s game that’s a bit of an analytics star in today’s game like that?

Werenka: Well, there’s several defenseman, Kris Russell is one of those guys who scores very well because he does stuff that denies opportunities and takes chances away and one of those is obviously blocked shots. 

So even within the Twittersphere there are comments that support Kris Russell.

I could be wrong but having a dman who ranks high in 5×5 SV% should be good, no? We’d like our goalie to be saving the puck more often than not when Russell is on the ice, right? I don’t claim to be a stats guy and I could be reading Willis’ tweet all wrong though. I’ll leave it to you to let me know.

https://twitter.com/MikeKellyNHL/status/805875198985637888

Well this certainly HAS to be of some importance. The Oilers are 11th in the NHL in PK% (at one time they were 2nd). Do you think Kris Russell has had an impact on the Oilers PK?

https://twitter.com/MikeKellyNHL/status/805874972484837376

More than Connor McDavid? That’s insane but hey, why give that guy the puck if he’s so shitty, right?

https://twitter.com/hockeyanalysis/status/748872150036123648

https://twitter.com/hockeyanalysis/status/748872904763379713

Wanna know what that stat is this season @5×5, 200 min TOI? 12.2. Kris Russell relative to his teammates has a 12.2 goals for %. That is good for 28th in the NHL. That is a first pairing defenseman. It’s better than Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Ryan Suter, M.E. Vlasic, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brent Burns, Alex Pietrangelo, Victor Hedman, Duncan Keith, etc… So keep telling me how bad Kris Russell is. (source)

https://twitter.com/hockeyanalysis/status/805627781191180289

Yes, Mr. Henderson. When will it end?

BLH, DON’T YOU HAVE YOUR OWN QUESTIONS ABOUT RUSSELL?

I do have my own questions as to why Kris Russell has become such a point of debate amongst hockey fans, the first one included in the tweet below and the second following it.

So a player’s performance has nothing to do with the team’s record? If that’s the case, and I’m sure to be misunderstanding something, take McDavid out of the lineup and tell me that correlation doesn’t equal causation. Then enjoy your tasty bowl of frosted dicks.

And if Russell’s performances aren’t equal or at least offer a contribution to the Oilers results, what the fuck are we even talking about then? He’s the worst player by certain stats on this team, great. You’ve done the world an unthankable (I don’t think that’s a word) service by pointing our Russell’s flaws…

This team is first in its division and has been consistently in the top half of the Western Conference this season to date. IF you think you’re so smart, show me where Kris Russell is preventing the Oilers from winning better or more. Show me which player on the Oilers roster is better suited for the role that Kris Russell is filling.

We should know by now that teams take time to get on top. LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh, St.Louis, Washington, Anaheim, San Jose, Boston, Montreal, etc. They were all shit at one point or another and then they turned it around. Was it immediate? No. Was it gradual? Yes! Did their GMs make some questionable moves and miss out on some high-end draft picks, fuck ya they did!

I don’t even really know why these posts by Matt have got me all worked up but they have. I have no problem with wanting the Oilers to be better and I definitely don’t have a problem with questioning “the man” but I do not believe for one second that Chiarelli is doing a bad job. And the NHL standings tell me that the stamp that he has put on this team has been a positive one.

I am on #TeamChiarelli because he’s done just *that* much better than MacTavish, Tambellini, and Lowe…

Rant over. Weight off of chest. Have a good evening/morning/afternoon!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Questionable Sources

Well there you have it, Horcoff isn’t coming to Edmonton on a PTO and Gryba is still on the market. Brandon Pirri has signed in New York and if things follow the same path, Raffi Torres will still be a UFA by the time the 2016/17 NHL season starts.

All of the things I have tossed out there in the last week or so have passed without happening and I feel bad for you the reader but unfortunately that’s how she goes. Not everything I’m told comes to fruition, in fact very little of it comes true. I don’t put tons of concern into that though because, to be honest, it’s no skin off of my back. I don’t write for anybody but myself if we’re being completely frank.

I’m stoked that you will come to our site here and read what we have to say and comment on it but it’s really no different that heading over to the water cooler or coffee machine at work and having a chat about the Oilers.

That being said, Bob Stauffer mentioned on Oilers Now! that Matt Benning is signing somewhere (talked about 4 or 5 other teams being in the mix but tossed EDM and LA out specifically) by tomorrow afternoon and to keep an eye on Michael Stone.

I asked my source about Stone and it said that the Oilers are going to watch the Stone situation “loosely”. I guess that means they’ll be keeping an eye on him to see if he re-signs with the club or is shopped.

Stone is coming off of knee surgery and recently signed a 1-year deal with $4M according to Capfriendly.com

 

Now to the Main Attraction!

The title of the post is called “Questionable Sources” because of this post by Matt Henderson.

“It had been reported by some questionable sources that the Oilers were relatively close to signing veteran and former Captain Shawn Horcoff to a PTO. At the same time those questionable sources also suggest that Gryba was close to signing a PTO with the team.”

Now, as far as I know there were three accounts on Twitter speaking to one or both of the Horcoff/Gryba PTO rumours.

Kurt is a good guy. we’ve had a few chats on Twitter in the past. He’s not known to be the breaker of Oilers’ news per se but a wonderful writer over at Oil on Whyte nonetheless.

https://twitter.com/Boscorelli_HN/status/765771283376242689

This account belongs to Joshua Marshall I believe (E3), and it’s the one that put out the Yakupov for Petrovic rumours earlier this summer. I’m of the belief that Marshall is a good friend of Petrovic’s and that rumour might’ve been a practical joke.

I’ve never met this bloke before, seen his posts in the Edmonton Oilers Fans page on Facebook a few times, but a chance to talk to him, I have not had. 3PD tells me he’s good sh*t though.

Personally I have no problem with folks claiming they have an inside track because I know the odds of that being true or not. I think the fact of the matter is that it’s entertainment, we live in a gossip culture and everybody wants to know what’s going on behind the curtain. It drives hits to websites and followers to Twitter accounts. If you’re fortunate to work for a major media player, those hits and followers turn into $$$.

So maybe that’s the motivation for folks to have these rumor accounts? Maybe there’s a pipedream for some bloggers that believe that if they post these things, they’ll get a job with a team or a media conglomerate. I don’t know.

I write because it’s fun. If something comes of it, great! If nothing, that’s okay too!

The problem I do have is when writers like Henderson use phrases like “Questionable Sources” when everyone knows who the bloody source is. We all drink from the same watering hole, do we not? It’s a dick move to be honest. Either you say who it is or you don’t write it.

I don’t know, maybe my ego is so big that I couldn’t fathom anyone talking about anything other than myself or maybe Henderson is afraid to link to my post where I wrote:

“I’ve been told there’s a chance that Shawn Horcoff and Eric Gryba will be offered a chance to make the 2016/17 Edmonton Oilers if they choose to accept a PTO.”

Then again maybe we don’t know but you can take a pretty educated guess if you’re paying attention.

So Henderson writes,

“…the Oilers were relatively close to signing veteran and former Captain Shawn Horcoff to a PTO. At the same time those questionable sources also suggest that Gryba was close to signing a PTO with the team.”

And I write that,

“there’s a chance…”

Maybe my post wasn’t the source but there’s a chance…

Well anyways, that Matt Henderson post on Hockeybuzz is a pretty big ego trip of its own in my opinion.

“I make an effort not to “Break” news unless I have a very good reason to believe I have good information. To date, it has happened once. It was Jeff Petry’s contract negotiation status…

I wouldn’t even consider stating that Horcoff and Gryba were close to signing PTOs without having heard that from a legitimate source.”

Well good for Matty. What a saint.

With regards to that break on Jeff Petry’s contract negotiations, I was talking to the exact same contact that Henderson was but I was told not to say anything online about it. So either in my naivety or my stupidity, the contact went to Henderson with the info and Matt posted it on Oilersnation and was on Lowetide’s show talking about it.

I’ve often found it weird that this person didn’t go to Jason Gregor, Lowetide, or a guy like Ryan Rishaug with the information. Why go to a guy that calls himself Beer League Hero or Matt Henderson?

Anyways, the tidbits I get told are things I feel I should share with you because I feel like you’d like to know. I’m not afraid to share them with you because, like I said above, it’s no skin off of my back and we don’t sell more shirts because of it.

My source trusts me and I trust it.

You should never be afraid to do or say something in fear of what others will think or say. Within reason of course.

Matt Henderson is a wonderful Oilers blogger, really. I have no qualms with him on a personal level. He’s great on Twitter and his spots on Reid Wilkins’ show are quite entertaining. If you’re not reading his posts on Hockeybuzz or Oilersnation, you really should be.

To conclude, I’m a bit bent about his post but what Mr.Henderson wrote is not wrong at all. The source of the information in his blog, be it my post or another, IS questionable. It should be.

But shouldn’t everything be questionable? Especially the shirts below!

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