Bullets from a gun

• If you can only read one drunken rant this off season, make it Showerhead's drunken rant at IOF.

• The recent pseudo-announcement on the new arena-cum-Daryl Katz's den of debauchery and two for one appetizers on Tuesdays has drawn Andy Grabia out of his long self-imposed exile over at the BOA.

• The CinO boys make it official and not in the good, gay way.

• And otherwise smart people continue to talk about Rob Schremp for some reason.

Edmonton Oilers 2009-10 season preview

START JASON MAAS

No time to post until September 2009

With that said, I leave you with this.

Speaking of...

Am I alone in finding the fact that Rhianna is a spokesperson for Cover Girl makeup to be kinda hilarious? I guess if anyone can vouch for the effectiveness of their concealer, its her.

Speaking of beatings, peep this scrap between Tampa Bay behemoth Evgeny Artyukhin (6'5", 254 lbs) and lil' Panther Ville Peltonen (5'11", 182 lbs).



That could have been a lot uglier than it was. And speaking of ugly: how 'bout them Oilers? I don't know if there's ever been a duller stretch run with the team still in the mix. I'd like to think tomorrow's meeting with the hard charging St. Louis Blues (7-3-0) is a make or break game that will go a long way to determining the Oilers' ultimate fate, but I'm more inclined to think they'll continue bumbling along until Game 82, at which point they'll have stumbled into a playoff spot or have been edged out by a team that actually gives a shit.

Brad Humphrey's lastest article

Great article by Brad Humphrey's and Dennis Coates.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp89.pdf

Here comes the rumour mill

A couple of Oilers-realted tidbits this afternoon as we head into the last weekend before the Trade deadline.

TSN's Scott Cullen has this on the Erik Cole saga:

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Oilers aren't going to move RW Erik Cole at the trade deadline. A curious decision, if it's true.

I don't think the Oilers should trade Cole just for the sake of trading him so they don't lose him for nothing. That said, the team has looked lifeless in it's last two outings and if they get the right offer, nothing should be off the table. Which brings me to this:

Even if a deal seems less likely with Florida in playoff position, the Panthers reportedly will consider offers for D Jay Bouwmeester, but would require more than just prospects and picks to make such a deal. The Buffalo News says that the asking price is a top-four defenceman and a veteran forward that can be sold to the Florida fan base (and help the Panthers make the playoffs this season).

There you go. Cole and Souray. Wham, bam thank you ma'am. Souray has been a stalwart this year, a pleasant surprise, but he's getting on in years, has a history of injuries and eating a ton of cap space. Downside: he has a NTC and likes it out west. Failing that, TambLowe could dangle Gilbert or Grebs. Hell, throw in Staios to sweeten the pot. Dare to dream...

Jonathan Willis has a post up at Oilers Nation declaring the Oilers must be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Willis’s logic is that, since the Oilers would be certain road kill even if they do squeak into the post season, they might as well take the opportunity to dump some contracts and reload for next year. He identifies four players to ship out: Cole, Staios, Moreau and Rob Schremp, as well as a few guys on the bubble (Penner, Nilsson, one of the big names on D). In exchange, the Oilers would get prospects and picks, as well as a third-line centre. In closing, Willis has this to say:

In the big picture, it’s far better to jeopardize a playoff spot now than it is to risk this team’s ability to contend over the next few seasons.

I have a lot of respect for J-Dub, and can see the logic here. The Oilers are a third tier team and would need a miracle just to make it past the opening round. They have a boatload of overpriced contracts that need to go to make way for the raises earmarked for the kids (although, given the declining cap, their performances this year, and barring a major leap forward next year, I have to wonder what kind of raises Ganger, Cogliano et al can reasonably expect to get) and to patch the holes that riddle the lineup. I get it. I do. I believe it.

But I can’t endorse it.

In a race as tight as that in the Western Conference, it’s probably a forgone conclusion that giving up as many as three veteran roster players (even if two of them are kinda shitty) would negatively impact the team chances of making the cut. I actually don’t think the choice between playoffs this year and future success is as stark as Willis makes it out to be and it’s entirely possible that the Oilers could make the moves he suggests and still make the playoffs, though I don’t think it’s that probable (most of the assets Willis puts on the market probably wouldn’t bring that much value back, but that’s a topic for another time.) To me, just making the playoffs this year is a necessary step for two reasons.

Experience. Yeah, it’s unquantifiable, but I can’t see how first hand exposure to playoff hockey wouldn’t be beneficial to the Oilers’ young guns and contribute to the ability to contend over the next few seasons. Of course, it’s hard to say just how much a difference it would make, so I don’t wish to overstate the importance of this factor. No, there’s a much more important reason for the Oilers try to make the postseason this year:

It’s been two fucking years out of the dance and I, the fan, am getting pretty sick of missing out. Now, I’m not your typical Oilers fan with an enormous sense of entitlement: I recognize I’m owed nothing, but all the same it’s hard to stomach putting in an (admittedly ever-diminishing) amount of energy and emotional investment and receiving nothing in return. A playoff appearance, as brief as it would no doubt prove to be, would be a first step to making amends for the last three seasons of futility. Some might say a playoff appearance would actually be a negative thing in that it would serve to shore up the erratic and borderline incompetent bunch behind the bench and in the front office. And I can see that view as well. But I challenge any fan to look me in the eye and tell me that the euphoria of an Oilers win on home ice in the playoffs wouldn’t erase those fears, even if just for a moment. Fandom is essentially an irrational, emotional exercise and while it’s perfectly logical to look after the long term interests and accept pain now in service of a bigger emotional reward down the road, sometimes logic needs to shut the fuck up.

Me want playoff hockey. Period.

Best Supporting Actress

Jagr?

Per David Staples:

A source close to Czech hockey ace Jaromir Jagr says that Jagr is close to finalizing negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers, reports Euro-hockey expert Peter Adler.

The source would not say when Jagr would report to Edmonton, how much he would be paid, or how long he would sign for. Jagr is now playing with Omsk in the financially-troubled Kontinental Hockey League.

With news that Lubomir Visnovsky will be out for the season with an injury, the Oilers now have several million dollars free to spend under the salary cap.

I'll believe it when I see it.

UPDATE: Never mind.

Growing pains

Strange things are afoot in Oilerville these days.

Coming off the heels of the now-infamous 10-2 drubbing by the Blackhawks and a listless 2-1 decision to the Music City Maniacs, it was reported that MacT bag-skated Penner, Pouliot and Brodziak. Or maybe he didn't. Depends who you ask. On the interwebs, the natives are getting restless. Jonathan Willis wants MacT's head. Lowetide is frustrated. And over on the boards...well, it hasn't come to bloodshed yet, but that might change with an Oilers loss tonight.

Speaking for myself, I'm on the fence. I've said before that I'm not nearly as invested in this team as I once was, but I've seen plenty of shit efforts this year and they still piss me off. I certainly agree with Tyler's theory that the Oilers' brass seems a helluva lot more concerned with protecting their image than attending to the many issues with the on-ice product.

That product has been wildly inconsistent, often unwatchable and frustrating as fuck. They have one veteran centre, one decent offensive line, a whole whack of kids, a shitload of bloated contracts and a 300 year-old starting goalie. Despite all this, they are also in the midst of the fight for a playoff spot.

So the question is, what to do? Everybody with a brain knows this team wasn't built with this year in mind, but for two, three years down the road. If you look at a lot of the moves this year, even the more puzzling ones make a bit more sense. If there's a time for tinkering and seeing what's worth keeping it's now. That the team has done that and still stayed in the hunt is just gravy.

But history has shown that management can oscillate between "win now" and "build for later" five times in the time it takes Kevin Lowe to wake up, shit, shower, shave and get out the door every morning and a lot will depend on whether they stay the course with the group they have or try to force the issue in response to fan grumbling.

I think they stick to their guns. The team is in the playoff hunt and has improved on last year. Fan grumbling doesn't mean squat until they stop showing up and for every one who bails because they won't be seeing Rob Schremp guzzling Moet out of Lord Stanley's mug, there's another two or three suckers customers to take their place. On the flip side, that kind of complacency and satisfaction with mediocrity in the service of profitability leads to icing a squad with big holes (ie. every K-Lowe team since the lockout) with no guarantee they'll be filled in time.

My hope is they keep their heads above water over the next 15 or so that they can deal some assets for a little help at the deadline and make a real charge for the playoffs. I don't expect much more than a first round defeat, but it'd set the stage for a nice off season. Deal some deadwood (Staios, Moreau), pick up a veteran or two for the bottom six. I don't see a UFA home run happening, which is fine. Ideally, next year's Oilers will be a bit older, a lot wiser and focused on making a run. That's not a heck of a lot to ask, I don't think, and it would certainly make teh growing pains worthwhile.

MISLEADING

From a recent Jim Matheson article:

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.

Hey now, you're an all-star

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:

NHL Television Audiences as at mid-season

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.

Inter Milan to play in Edmonton?1?!?

I nearly had an Oilgasm when I read this story in the Edmonton Journal this morning.

FIRE LEMAIRE!!!!!!!!

What an idiot.

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."

I'm not saying, but I'm just saying.

Merry Crosby to all and to all a Crosby night. Crosby!

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.

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.

Getting the message across via media

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.

Your thoughts?

Hockey!

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.

Any theories for such spikes?

Enquiring minds would like to know.