Cross their fingers -- The Islanders are on track for the league's worst record and a shot at centre John Tavares, the world junior hockey championship MVP. They'll have to be lucky, though, because finishing dead last only gives them a 25-per-cent chance of coming up first in the bingo-ball draft lottery.
As all non-playoff teams (14 in total) are entered in the lottery, and the fact each team can move up only four spots, the Islanders will have approximately a 50% chance in obtaining the rights to John Tavares.
Ales Hemsky isn't going to the NHL All Star bash this weekend, but it's become impossible to argue that number 83 doesn't belong in the upper echelon of talents in the league. He's taken this team by the scruff of the neck and dragged them into a nice 6th place spot in the division going into the break. He's in the top 10 in the league for points/game and he's on track for an 80 point campaign. The kid has arrived. ... I'm looking forward to the part in the Oilers 2009 Stanley Cup DVD where the Hall and Oates game against Phoenix gets referenced as the turning point. ... Yeah, it's been a good week. The Oil are sitting pretty and the Bush era is over down south. Think I'll celebrate:
William Houston, a respected journalist, writes one of his final columns for the Globe and Mail. He recently accepted a buyout - a sign of the impending collapse of the newspaper business.
Some snippets:
TSN's average viewership is up 17 per cent from last year to 481,000 a game.
Versus in the United States is averaging 308,695, a rise of 18 per cent.
And the CBC, despite losing three Toronto Maple Leafs telecasts in its new NHL deal, is drawing prime-time audiences that are up 4 per cent from last year, to 1.206 million a game.
REGIONAL
Regional audiences on Rogers Sportsnet also reflect team performances. The Leafs' average of 321,000 is down 22 per cent from last year. Audiences for another losing team, the Senators, have dropped 33 per cent, to 67,000 a game.
Numbers for the Vancouver Canucks are down 8 per cent (227,000 viewers). For the Flames (135,000) and Oilers (146,000), audiences are up 15 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.
His team has only won 2 in their last 10. They're in LAST PLACE in the division right now. He can't develop youth (Koivu? Who the **** is that anyway?). His team just can't win the big game. Again - LAST PLACE IN THE DIVISION! What the **** is wrong with this team? Clearly he's lost the dressing room. He overplays pluggers all over the place. Andrew Brunette on the PP? WTF? That's not even getting into Benoit Pouliot. Who the hell does he think he is, Brunette? I mean, the guy has 5 ****ing goals this year and he keeps getting ice time.
This is just unforgivable.
As a closet Wild fan, I am beyond disgusted. If this team had a real coach, one who could coach youth and fire up the troops while playing a system I can understand while drinking a 6 pack... well THEN they would be leading the division.
.....
Now, how many of you would agree with that?
... now, go back, and sub the word "Lemaire" for "MacT" and "Wild" for "Oilers."
Via the pervs at Four Habs Fans, here's Sidney Crosby giving wickedly-named Atlanta Thrasher Boris Valabik a little something I like to call "the stocking stuffer."
Have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a kwaazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified, Ramadan.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
I was all set yesterday to write a snarky post this morning about Trevor Linden night here in Vancouver. Linden was a class act for a lot of years, but he never won a thing and he certainly will never be counted in the pantheon of All-time greats. Yet he’s a god among men around these parts, which says a lot about the kind of teams that have come and gone out here on the west coast.
But I can’t muster much snark for the Canucks after last night’s back alley abortion at Rexall. The whole thing reminded me of playing NHL ’94 on the Genesis back when Roenick was an unstoppable, pixelated force and the Oilers were absolute garbage (I think the top line had Klima and Ciger on it). Last night Joel Q. and the boys were playing the computer with the offsides turned off.
Kane and Toews (anybody know if he’s related to author and fellow Manitoban Miriam?) are for real, certainly more so than the young “talent” the Oilers are mustering. I took a lot of shit at HF last year for saying in one of my frequent fits of pique that Ganger is going to top out as a second liner, but he’s making me look like Nostra-fucking-damus thus far this season. Seems to me that if you’re going to run with as many infants as the Oilers are this year either they need to be world-class talents or have a veteran supporting cast that can mask the folly of youth. Edmonton has neither and the results pretty much bear that out.
Interesting words being channeled through the media in recent weeks.
RILEY NASH
Bolting college early for fat pro paychecks is the preferred option for many top draft picks.
It's also one that Nash wants to leave hanging for now.
"It's a tough answer," Nash said. "I'm not going to go just when they (the Oilers) ask me to go. I don't feel I need to go and bounce around in the minors for a few years. Cornell is a nice place to be."
KEVIN PRENDERGAST
"Was I surprised he didn't make it? Not really," said Prendergast. "He was a longshot. They've got (John) Tavares and (Zach) Boychuk as their top two guys, and could move (Angelo) Esposito. Riley can't play the wing.
"Riley had a good second day of camp, but was ordinary in the other ones and you can't have that at a short camp. Not playing enough games at Cornell hurts him."
It's no secret the Oilers feel Nash isn't progressing at Cornell. They don't feel that school plays enough games (Nash has played in only eight so far this season), but even if Nash were to leave after his sophomore season, putting him in the American Hockey League for a short time for a trial-run might not work, either. He's pretty slight.
KEVIN PRENDERGAST - ONE MONTH AGO
The Oilers' slippery situation
Different NHL teams have varying opinions on NCAA hockey, but it's safe to say that all prefer one aspect of the Canadian junior leagues -- the amount of games they play.
In the NCAA, teams generally play in the neighborhood of 35-40 games, though Ivy League schools can end up playing as few as 31. The three major Canadian junior leagues play 68-72 games in the regular season, plus a more expansive playoff system.
That's why the Oilers say they are essentially making the best of a not-so-ideal situation.
"Given the amount of games that Cornell plays, and there's not a lot of high-end games on the weekend, there has to be consistency," said Kevin Prendergast, Edmonton's assistant general manager. "It's a mental thing. He's got to be the best he can be every week. He's got tremendous hockey sense -- it's one of the reasons we drafted him. But there are things that go with that, and we've had a long talk with him about that."
Such as the aforementioned consistency and physical development, which the team has emphasized.
But Prendergast said the issue of where Nash is playing isn't something he harps on. In fact, Big Red coach Mike Schafer said that members of the Oilers organization he's talked to are "ecstatic" with Nash's development.
"You know, it's his decision," said Prendergast, who added he's "happy" with Nash's progress. "We'll back him up whatever he decides to do. ... We're not going to interfere with education. If that's the route he wants to go, we're prepared to wait. But if he decides to stay at Cornell, we're going to do everything we can to make him a better hockey player while he's there."
It will be interesting how this plays out. While going the education route is admirable, these are key years in his development stage. I can see the Oilers position.
Canadian Polar Bears enjoying the fabric of Canadian culture
William Houston reports that the NHL is cherishing exceptional numbers North of the 49.
Two months into the NHL season, national audiences for hockey telecasts in Canada have shown considerable increases.
At the CBC, the Hockey Night in Canada viewership has grown in all time slots, with the pregame show making the largest gain. It's averaging 527,000 viewers, for an increase of 56 per cent over last year.
The Game 1 audience is 1.348 million, up 13 per cent.
Game 2's 763,000 is 19 per cent higher than last year.
The late night wrap-up, After Hours, is watched by 281,000 for an increase of 53 per cent.
TSN's NHL telecasts have an average audience of 496,000 viewers, up 21 per cent from last year.
RDS is averaging 773,000 viewers for Montreal Canadiens games, available nationally, up 21 per cent.
EDMONTON >>> CALGARY
Audiences for the Calgary Flames (130,000) and Edmonton Oilers (145,000) are up 11 and 29 per cent respectively.
I was over at OilerNation reading Brownlee's game day article on Schremp Year Zero and came across this bit that seems lifted straight out of a gay porno script:
Sitting with a big dip in his mouth, Schremp and I talked about this being the right time for him. He was almost at ease.
For the past few years, I would have considered myself a soft supporter of Craig MacTavish’s work behind the Oilers’ bench. The man has never run a PP to save his life, but he’s got a good hockey head on his shoulders and has done as well as can be expected with the crap he’s had to work with during his tenure, so I’ve been willing to give him some slack.
Well, that shit is over as of now.
That the Oilers aren’t getting results is one thing. I’m used to that, I can take it. That they don’t seem to give a shit out there is a whole different story. I’m here to be entertained, goddamnit, not watch a bunch of guys making millions of dollars half-ass their way through another dull, mistake-filled loss to some mediocre club like Columbus, Toronto or L.A. I watched a good chunk of the game prior to last night’s shit show against the Kings (a 3-1 Montreal win over Detroit) and saw two strong skating teams shooting the puck, great goaltending, playing disciplined and sound positional hockey. Thirty minutes later, as Denis Grebeshkov nonchalantly poked the puck on to the stick of Anze Kopitar for the King’s first goal, net, the line separating the contenders from the pretenders couldn’t have been clearer. These goldbricking, slack-ass motherfuckers just don’t give a rip.
Granted this team isn’t exactly underperforming. Despite the early season hype, this was always a team that needed everyone to play to their full potential just to have a hope of contending for the NW title. Instead, damn near everything that could have gone wrong has. The veterans have struggled (notably Horcoff and offseason pick up Erik Cole), the kids look completely lost (Brodziak is stuck in the PB, Ganger is drowning and does Nilsson even play for this team anymore?) and the goaltending…sheeeeeiiiiit. A lot of this was probably foreseeable, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow, especially coupled with the aforementioned lack of effort.
Something’s gotta give. MacT, it’s been widely observed, looks and sounds like man in the late stages of a terminal disease who is willing to try any treatment, no matter how radical (putting Smid on the wing, say), to save his ass. But you’d have a better chance of curing cancer by eating the pituitary glands of Mexican orphans than winning games with the effort these dinks are putting out there. Obviously, not all that is going to be on the coach but it sure looks like a group that’s either tuned the gaffer out or is just not responding well to his methods. Something’s gotta give.
Tying a can to the coach at this point is probably the best option for a short term boost. The team is close enough to .500 that they can see daylight, but not so comfortable that another three or four losses in their next five won’t fuck them good and proper come spring. Time is not on our side here. If nothing else, firing MacT would go a long way towards settling the debate over whether the problem was him or the players, and that alone makes it a worthwhile experiment to try.
Above: Erstwhile defenseman Ladislav Smid shares a prescient Red Bull with former Oilers goalie Mathieu Garon during happier times.
In a bid to add some jam to the toast that is his forward lineup, MacT has pulled the surprising move of sending d-man Ladi Smid to the wing for tonight's game against the Failing Big Three automakers Red Wings. In some circles this move is being looked at as the latest sign that the gaffer has lost the plot and/or his marbles. But I think people are forgetting that MacT has a track record of success when it comes to playing guys out of their natural position:
Ladies and gents, I give you Toby Petersen, former Oilers stalwart who moved from his natural position in the pressbox to the blueline, filling the key role of "warm body" on a injury depleted team back in '89 or something.
This Smid thing is a little different in that the Oilers' training room doesn't currently look like the triage ward in M*A*S*H, so it's not a move born out of necessity. Personally, I like it. It makes sense when you consider he'll be seeing limited minutes on the fourth line and will be looked to to provide some size and defensive zone awareness, so it's pretty low-risk/low-reward. Now, some may chirp that the Oilers should bring up a forward like "Creme" Brule or The Bust Formerly Known As Rob Schremp, but the ongoing three goalie situation has limited the team's options in that regard. Smid has grown on me with his calm and willingness to make his opponents smell his gloves after the whistle. But what I really like about this is it's abject lunacy. Either MacT is convinced it'll work, he's gone insane or he's flipping the bird to the management team. Whatever, the reason, I can't wait to see it. Oh wait: it's another fucking PPV. Er...nevermind. GOil.
Yawn. Another night, another Oilers loss. I dunno, I've been spending some time reading through the gameday threads at LT's and it's like Groundhog Day over there every fuckin' night: "the underlying numbers are good, this team is fun to watch...whoops they fucking lost again."
Maybe I'm missing something here, but how is this team any different from every other sad sack bunch of dinks we've seen sporting the Drop over the past, I dunno, 15 years? Better question: when was the last time it was actually fun to be an Oilers fan? April 2006? May 1990? Nineteen-fucking-eighty-four?
Ain't fun the point?
It's probably easier for those lucky/miserable sods back in Edmonton who are-ahem-covered in Oil. If you can't just flick on the TV or mosey down to your local and catch a game, fandom requires a bit more effort and commitment, more than most busy 30-somethings with jobs, girlfriends, interests etc can probably squeeze in.
Example: Tonight I went for a nice dinner and a couple of drinks before coming home and flicking on Sportsnet's ticker to see the score, which reminded me what a good decision it was not to crouch in front of the computer and squint at a shitty little streaming video feed, or make the trek across the creek to the expat bar for the game. Not that I needed it, because nothing I've seen or heard from this team so far has convinced me they are worthy of more than a dilettante's passing interest. In short: I'm having a few commitment issues around this team right now.
I wish it were otherwise. I would like to believe, but these peckers are making it difficult with their up and down routine, the three-headed goalie monster, the plucking psychos off the waiver wire, the continued mediocrity of guys like Horcoff and the gallingly decent play of personal whipping boys Souray and Moreau. Etcetera, etcetera.
Don't get me wrong: this is not a cri de coeur or a letter of resignation à la Berry and Winters. I'm just a little frustrated by the fact that it doesn't seem to matter who steps on stage with these guys: the song remains the same.
Joffrey Lupul is pretty much beside himself, after getting dropped to the fourth line at today's pratice.
The thing both myself and Tim Saunders of WIP noticed about Lupes is that when he is not being physical on the ice and not hitting, his game is off. He admitted much when I asked about his mere 13 hits in as many games this season vs. 34 in 13 games from a year ago.
But the look of frustration on his face both on and off the ice today convinces me that he is very unhappy with this move even though he said to us, the he would "suck it up."
“I’ve been up and down,” Lupul told me today. “Some games I didn’t play as well as I could. It’s different playing 12-13 minutes than 20. I’ve got to simplify my game. When I’m out there, maybe play a more physical game.”
... Speaking of change, the JDD head of the Oilers' Cerberus-like goaltending creature gets the call against the Blueshirts in NYC tonight (his second in a row). This goalie merry-go-round shit is crazy, but given that none of the trio have really sack'd up and grabbed the starter's job, I can't see what else there's to do. Regardless, I anticipate another L for the Oil tonight because, frankly, this team kinda sucks at the moment. ... Also on the "change" front, I see Mike W is the latest CinO contributor to pull the chute on his blogging career. Read his poignant final missive here. Good night, good luck, GOILERS!
Two afternoon road games in a row, two points from each. Hemsky with twogoals each as pretty as any you'll ever lay eyes on. And much-maligned Old Man Roloson gets both W's. Not bag, not bag at all. Could it be that the sleeping giant that is the Vaunt is starting to stir? We'll put that to the test Wednesday when the Oilers visit Columbus
I mean, the team only generated 11.8M in operating income, 7th in the league despite the fact they were not recipient of any playoff revenues.
That is, Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Oilers are [were prior to Katz purchase] debt free so that potentially could put them in even a better financial position than comparables.
It is also interesting to note how quickly the Oilers paid off their debt in recent years. I'd imagine from a cash flow perspective (which many accountants argue to be the a better tool to evaluate financial performance), the Oilers are doing even better than a few teams ranked above them.
Yeah, that Literally. Crush Rexall place is really inadequate.
Now excuse me while I sign a Cheque to Mr. Batman Daryl Katz quickly, so he can expand on his 7 8 figure business income.
I wonder if the payment will trigger in being recipient of a charitable donation receipt which I could then use to minimize my personal income taxes?
"Hey Caaahrey! The Price is fahhkin' WRAAAHNG, ya faaahg! AHAHAHAHA!"
The Oilers take on the Massholes tonight and are looking to snap a three game skid. They haven't played the B's since Cam Neely could walk, they're home at Literally. Crush. and OG6 games are always fun. So naturally it's another goddamn PPV. Will the responsible authorities please eat a bag of dicks? Thanks.
So it looks like it'll be me and Gossip Girl tonight and if you have to ask why, well, that's your problem.
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