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The greatest hockey player ever (in my mind) will have his number retired February 27th. Yes, Mark Messier, aka Moose, comes home to Edmonton. I’ve been waiting for this moment since he announced his retirement. Of course, New York had to retire his number first, but the best have been saved for last.

I want one thing on February 27th: TEARS. Mess blubbered like a wee little baby when the Rangers retired his number, and I want lots of tears for the Oilers. I want Mess to be crying on Gretzky’s shoulder. Is that too much to ask?

Anyways, I’m looking forward to this night. I have my season ticket but I am going to buy a gold seat, sit practically in the front row. I saw front row for Fuhr’s retirement, and it was truly a magical night. Coffey had his last year, and of course I was there to see it.

Of course, it’s too bad it’s against Phoenix. I don’t like the thought of giving them two more points. We always seem to lose these ceremony nights, so don’t expect the boys to win. Sad.

On another note, the boys rebounded quite nicely against Vancouver. They played a pretty good game. I can’t remember the last time I said that. A complete game. Yeah they got a couple lucky goals, but this team needed to get a break go their way.

The Oilers will be playing some crappy team from the US. I can’t remember their names, I’ve blocked it out. Ok, it’s Carolina Hurricanes. Blah, blah, I hate them, blah, blah. I have never watched the end of game seven, nor do I intend to. I’m sure my friends remember me turning the tv off after the empty net goal. I refused to watch it. But of course, I could not keep away the pictures of Brind’Amour’s ugly ass mug holding OUR cup. It was on every paper, on every website, everywhere.

Also, our favorite ref will be working tonight….Magoo. I hope he gets hit with another beer!!

Wow, I’m watching TSN and they’re showing an Ottawa game. Wow, shocking. But of course, that means we get to watch TSN kiss Ovechkin’s ass all night. I’m glad to be at the Oilers game later, so I don’t have to listen to Pierre McGuire raving about the Canes. Oh yes, Brind’Amour is amazing, Ward is the greatest goalie ever. Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!!!

Jussi will be starting tonight. I’m actually not surprised. Roli had a good game against Vancouver so he can sit and relax. Let’s hope Jussi can bring back his magical play from the playoffs. Keep smiling at the Canes, the reflection from your teeth should blind them!!!

It is time. Time to hit the panic button.

Last night is the bottom of the barrel. The Oilers lost to Columbus. Yes, Columbus. One word describes last night: embarrassing. I don’t care if Hitchcock has taken over reigns of the Bluejackets, this is a nightmare. Columbus is horrible. HORRIBLE. Icing to this cake, we’ve lost Smitty for some time due to a fractured thumb. He’s been played on the IR, so that means what? Probably gone for over a month, maybe two?

So now the Oilers are without Moreau, Hemsky and Smyth. So how many rookies do we have on the team now? And how many players with extremely limited experience? Too bloody many. Stoll, Horcoff and Pisani must step it up and help carry the load. Roloson is tired of carrying this team. Help that man out.

So does Smitty’s injury postpone a trade for a d-man? We can afford to give up any forwards right now, but after losing three games, they need help. Can they afford NOT to make a trade? Roloson needs help. Without him, this team would be sitting at the bottom of the standings.

Send out the SOS!!

You blew it tonight.

But I still love you.

With love,
S.

The devil returns to Edmonton tomorrow night. I was going to review all the articles and media coverage concerning Pronger’s return to Edmonton, but I’ve been beaten to the punch. Thanks Andy! Check out the long long list of articles that he mentions (Edmonton Journal, another Edm Journal story, Edmonton Sun, TSN, Sportsnet, Globe and Mail, and so on). I’m going to comment on a select few.

The media is really stoking this fire, and yet are asking for the fans to restrain themselves. Yeah I’m sure you want that. If we did, you’d have nothing to write about. So the media tells us to be respectful, restrain ourselves and don’t get carried away. Umm, stop throwing wood on the fire. By admonishing the fans, you’re making them angrier. You can’t tell us how to feel.

The general consensus in most of these articles is: booing Pronger is the equivalent of being a schoolyard bully. Seriously? Oh and it’s immature. I pay my season ticket (it ain’t cheap) and if I want to boo some whiny cheating bastard who didn’t have the balls to stand up and be a man about this whole fiasco, it’s my bloody business.

In today’s NHL, players change teams all the time, but this was more painful than all others combined. It was days following losing game seven, his agent leaked the info to the media before contacting the Oilers, Pronger was off in Mexico, refused to comment for weeks, and when he did, it was via a conference call where he refused to answer why he wanted out. Oh yes, and this happened following the signing of a five year deal. Oiler fans finally could attract the big names, and be able to afford to keep them. Years of losing players because of money was over. Pronger stated, I woudln’t

I take issue with one man in particular, Kelly Hrudey. Now, I used to absolutely hate him and that damn rag he wore on his head when he played. However, he became an excellent commentator on HNIC. Actually, he became one of my favorites. No longer is that the case. Kelly has waded in on the Pronger issue and comes off sounding like an ass. The excellent Battle of Alberta has commented on this already, so check it out. The most hilarious part is his attack on the blogging community, which something he readily admits that he knows nothing about. Yeah Kelly, way to state that expert opinion, which you admit is baseless.

I did enjoy Kevin Lowe’s comments. Basically, trading Pronger is going to be an advantage. Without trading him, there would be little money for the Hemsky’s and Smyth’s on this team. He makes an excellent point. He freed up a lot of money by trading the devil, and sure, they lost some skill on the back end but by keeping the young core of this team, he’s giving this team a real chance.

There’s a bit of Kevin Lowe that wants to boo, too.
“I can understand how people feel duped,” he said. “They warm up to a player quickly. The player has a hell of a year. The team has a great year …”
The Oilers appear to be taking the high road as Pronger arrives today, but Lowe said that’s not because of any team policy.
“I’m not afraid to bad-mouth Chris Pronger,” said the GM.
“And I’ll tell you I still don’t understand it.

Well said Kevin. It’s still shocking.

I’m very disappointed with all the media coverage. Most of it is supportive of Pronger and his decision to demand a trade. They want to feel morally superior to the average fan, and ask us to take the high road. Puhleeeze. Stay on your knees boys, I’m sure Pronger appreciates what you’re doing down there and won’t clam up on you (or zip up). It’s all for the interview. You can’t bash a “superstar” and live to talk to him.

The game will be on pay-per-view, brilliant move by the Oilers. They should rake the money in from this game. Oilers must win. MUST.

It was also a typical November day in Canada…..freezing!!! Brrrrrr!!!!! It was -25 Celcius and being outside for eight hours, yes yes yes it was cold. However, it was worth it! We even had a streaker. Yup, a streaker in -25 degrees Celcius weather.

The Legends game saw the return of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, finally back in an Oilers uniform, plus Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, and the greatest player ever, Mark Messier!!

I grew up in Manitoba and saw the Oilers as often as I could in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, I never got to see Gretzky play until November 22, 2003. Plus to see Messier and Fuhr, my two favorite players, back in Oiler blue was fantastic.

Steve Staois has signed a 4 year contract extension worth $10.9 million. He gets paid $2.9 million for each of the first two years of the extension, $2.8 million in year three and $2.2 in the fourth year. Overall, it’s a 2.725 hit to the salary cap. This is about what I expected Stevie to sign for. Personally, I was hoping for something closer to $2.5/yr for 3 years. Especially considering he is getting long in the tooth. He’s 33.

Next up, the Magical Mullet. Get that boy signed….asap!!!

Speaking of the mullet, Colorado’s John-Michael Liles was FINALLY fined by the NHL on his dirty knee hit. Basically it’s pocket change and another example of how teams in the West are treated. If that hit had occured to a player from the East, a suspension would have been handed out.

UPDATE: Oilers beat the Flames 2-1. Boring game to be completely honest. I almost fell asleep in Rexall tonight several times. Ok, that might be some slight exaggeration but seriously, both teams were not very exciting. It also wasn’t until middle of the second period that I realized, hey Iginla plays for Calgary. He was invisible tonight. Sykora, one of our two favorite Czechs scored twice, nice. Otherwise, Zzzzzzzz. Oilers, get it together. More giveaways as usual…..poor communication led to Calgary’s goal. Roli was a god again. We might as well just deify him now.

I just got back from Rexall Place, and an Oilers victory 4-3 in the shootout.

The man with the world’s ugliest goatee is out of MacT’s house, for now. Raffi played a decent game, a goal in regulation and the winning goal in the shootout. I’d like to see a more physical game from Torres, but he’s very hestitant to hit. We all know he can punish the opposition with his hard hits, but is such a streaky player. I think the Oilers should create a position within the organization: their job would be to poke the bear, get in Raffi’s face on game day. He needs to get that edge and be angry to play aggressively.

Other musings on this game:

– Another disjointed effort. Horrible second period, with only three shots on net. But it wasn’t just that, the Wings pinned the Oilers in their end for most of the period.

– Too many giveaways. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was at least 20 turnovers in tonight’s game.

-Bergeron took another step back on his even strength play. I wish they’d stop putting him and Greene together. They do not compliment each other, unless you count their endless giveaways. BOTH were guilty tonight on many occassions, along with more players than I can name

– There must have over a dozen occassions that Oilers were thrown out of the faceoff circle, with Stoll taking half of them. This is not new to tonight’s game. I’ve noticed this so far this season, especially Stoll getting thrown out ALL the time. I’m perplexed as to the reason.

– Roli is a god. If you disagree, check this out and eat your words.

– The Oilers have abandoned their physical play apparently. It wasn’t until the middle of the second period until the first big hit (by Jason Smith).

– Goals/Points from Lupul, Horcoff and Torres tonight (and Thursday against St. Louis): slumps over?? Not quite yet, but we’ll know once the homestand is over.

– Detroit is a dirty team that gets the benefit of the doubt. Non-calls led to two of Detroit’s goals yet the refs don’t hestitate to raise their hand on Edmonton. Come on, just call it fair.

– It must have taken over 15 mins to review Detroit’s first goal. Now, what the hell took so long? My feeling is that if it takes that long to review a goal, then it can’t be conclusively called a goal. I just got home and saw the replays, but it doesn’t look definitive to me. Imagine that, a call going Detroit’s way. Hmmm.

– Oilers almost blow the game, letting Detroit tie up the game with 3 seconds left in the game. But win it in the shootout (which I hate, hate, hate. Please get rid of it).

– And lastly, the best sign of the night: “Retire Already Chelios.” Yes, not clever but a great message.

So overall, a decent win for the Oil. They need to stop snoozing in the second periods. It’s become a bad habit. Just say no. Say no to a nap! This team has a multiple personality disorder. One moment they a hard and fast-skating team, playing physical and creating chances. Other moments, they can’t skate, don’t forecheck and are sloppy in their own end.

Oh, on a completely non-Oiler related note, the Senators beat Buffalo for the second time this week. Is this team finally turning it around? I hope so.

How long will the Edmonton Oilers and their fans be able to see Ryan Smyth in an Oiler jersey? He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Will he resign with the Oil ??

After watching that dirty hit on Smyth by the Avs’ Liles, and possibly losing Smitty to a season-ending inury, it just makes you appreciate him even more. I think we all gave a collective sigh of relief when we heard it was a charley horse. Right now, Smitty (along with Roli the goalie) is the best Oiler. This team can’t afford to lose him right now, or ever!!

Will he stay?

According to the Edmonton Journal, Smitty turned down a 3 year, $12 million offer at the start of the season. He’s making $3.5 million right now, so obviously a raise is in order. Especially since he had 36 goals last year and is on pace for maybe 40 this year. He’s playing the best hockey of his career (don’t players always seem to do that the year their contract is up, hmmm interesting. Not in Smitty’s case, he also played great last year). So you’re probably looking at $4.5-5 million/yr to keep him, right?

The Journal also said:

I would love that to be true. Do we think it is? He has already turned down $4 million/yr. Is he looking for more money (all players do), or is it the length of the contract (wants a 4-5 yr deal?)?

Do we give him whatever he wants? Is he worth $5 million/5 years? I would say yes. With idiots like Tanguay making over $5 million a year, the bar has been raised (way to go Calgary, you bunch on inbred hicks). By the way, he has only 3 goals thus far. Good pickup Calgary!

So Kevin Lowe, give that man whatever he wants (obviously try to get him for as low a price as you can)…..the magical mullet must remain in Edmonton!!!!

Good news: Oilers beat Colorado tonight.

Bad news: Knee-on-knee on Smitty by John Michael Liles of the Avs. DIRTY!!! It was intentional and he should be suspended. And who gives a fuck if he’s not typically a dirty player. That means nothing. It was a dirty play, and the league needs to take a look at the play all by itself.

Smitty had trouble getting off the ice, couldn’t put weight on his left knee so it looks very serious. He had two goals tonight, a powerplay goal and a shorthanded (the Oilers first this season). He’s having another excellent season, so this would be horrible if he’s out due to injury.

So it just makes you think: what else could possibly happen to the Oil? I have a bad feeling about Smitty. The Oil have no luck lately, so Smitty is probably out for the season. I really hope not. They need him so much. Roli and Smitty are the two best players on this team right now.

(okay Sportsnet just said Smitty has a charley horse in the left knee, so that’s good news. Whew, I was really nervous. Did the Oilers luck just change? They might actually have some good luck finally coming their way)

UPDATE: Liles will not be suspended, according to TSN. Is this because Smitty is not hurt badly? The resulting injury should not be taken into account with regards to a suspension. Punish the action not the result. NHL, another mistake on your part.

So Roli sat out today’s game and Jussi played. All I can say, I miss Roli.

Jussi was horrible. Bad goals. Period.

Torres, where are you? And why do you stop skating in the neutral zone? No wonder the Oilers can rarely gain the zone when Torres (and yes, numerous others) stop skating in the neutral zone. You boys are fast, one of the fastest skating teams in the league. Get skating!!!!

I abandoned my “Greene Experiment” sometime in the first period. He was rarely on the ice and I couldn’t be bothered to keep an eye out for him. He barely played much time in the third period too. Have the Oilers finally realized this kid needs less ice time to be effective? Also, Bergeron sat out again. I’m assuming he’s a healthy scratch again. Hedja got the start again, and I don’t notice him much so that’s probably good news.

So the boys lost to St. Louis…….bottom of the barrel. Good news: there is no other way to go but UP!

So how do they get out this slump? When Winchester is your best player, you know things are not good. He’s been the best player on this road trip (along with Smitty). What the hell is wrong with everyone else???

I don’t even want to watch the game tomorrow night, but with Roli back in net, they will stand a better chance than they did today. It’s very disheartening to watch this team right now.