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I can’t believe I’m about to say something nice about Calgary…..okay here goes nothing.

Calgary, you guys don’t completely suck.

Whew, that was hard to do. I almost feel dirty uttering those words. My hate for Calgary is only eclipsed by my hate for Chris Pronger. I never thought I could hate anyone or thing more than the Calgary Flames but yes I do. So obviously hell has frozen over since I can now say one nice thing about Calgary.

Pronger, who was booed by the (Calgary) fans every time he touched the puck, had his point-scoring streak brought to an end at six games.

So it was nice to see the Oilers finally win last night. I had forgotten what it felt like to watch the Oilers play good. Please don’t make me forget again!!!

Smitty and Roli are the two best players on the team right now. Lowe, forget about getting Staios resigned right now. You should be devoting all your time to Ryan Smyth! Get him signed first, then move on to the secondary players. Smitty is your core.

Bergeron sat out last night. I’m not a fan of that. Bergeron already has confidence issues, and this will not help. I thought he has played pretty good of late. He has been carrying the puck more, taking more shots (hello, you have a monster shot, use it) and really stepping up defensively.

One thing I am perplexed about…..Matt Greene. The Oilers love this kid. I am completely in the dark as to why. Do the Oilers like his giveaways, defensive breakdowns, or getting beat wide per shift?

So the next game up for the Oilers is St. Louis. I’m going to do a mini-experiment. I’m going to watch Matt Greene, and document every time he gives the puck away, gets beat wide, is out of position, etc. I will also document the positives: hits, checks, good positioning, and so on. I think St. Louis is a good team to do my experiment with, cause they suck big time. So a team that is as bad as that, the Oilers should have an easy time. Therefore, Greene “should” have an easy time. I believe Greene will have more negatives than positives

Oilers will win on Sunday vs. St. Louis 5-2. Sykora and Hemsky get two each, with Horcoff getting out of his drought for the final goal.

Snagged this video from HERE. Thanks!

Is there a worse call in the history of hockey?? I don’t know, but damn, that was horrible. Magoo is behind the net, yet has x-ray vision. He sees through five people. Don’t you think if it really was a hand pass, the other ref or linesmen would have seen it?

Oh yes, Magoo was apologetic following the game. But too late!!

And to put icing on the cake, MacT gets fined $10,000 for his comments following the game.

“It was a retarded call,” Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish snapped. “There is no other explanation for it. I know he is a veteran official and at times I have found his antics humorous. But if this is the product of that there is a problem.

“It was a ridiculous call. I had no idea what he had called. Nobody saw the hand pass on the play because quite clearly there wasn’t one. It’s beyond reason.

“He should be suspended.

Okay, so a disallowed goal and a goal by Dallas that should not have been allowed (poor Roli was interferred by baby Lindros). A tough game for the Oilers. Sure, they didn’t play great but also not bad. They had a bad first period, but dominated the second and came out hard in the second half of the third.

Did they deserve to win? Who gives a fuck!! It’s not about deserving to win or lose. It’s about battling hard, coming back and putting yourself into a position to win. The Oilers did that. That’s Oilers hockey. They battled hard, got back into the game and tied it up.

One question: why is Magoo always our ref? He seems to ref A LOT of our games. My guess is each ref is given a certain division or conference to ref. Is that accurate??

Magoo needs to be fined at the minimum. I think a suspension is due. His punishment needs to be public. I’m tired of the refs being reprimanded behind closed doors. No more!

A public hanging is all I’m asking. Is that too much to ask???

Now what should be done with the NHL’s officiating problem? There is a problem. I’ve heard talk about following what the NFL does, where the officials work together. Maybe we can have a bit more of that. Or bring in challenges. A coach can challenge a particular call, one that is not “reviewable” such as face-offs. Obviously, put a limit to the number of challenges but I don’t see why this would not work? Sure, refs make mistakes but the rules are set up in a way that if a mistake is made (that is not goal-related), they can’t review it. This needs to change.

Refs need to be make more accountable for their actions. Too much is dealt with behind closed doors. No more. I think if you make such a blatant mistake as Magoo did, there needs to be repercussions. I mean, you have a ref, who has a very well-known reputation of phantom calls. He’s in the corner, behind the net, there is ten seconds left in the game, and he calls a hand pass on the face-off. He was obviously looking for something, anything. You have the linesmen and other ref in a better position that yourself, and yet you’re confident enough to make the call??? Sure, no bias at all.

So how are the Oilers going to respond? They are heading off on a road trip, playing five games in seven nights (yikes). Are they going to respond, use this as motivation and get back their edge? I say YES! Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I just feel this is a huge motivator. It has to be.

Update: Magoo will not be fined nor suspended. I am very disillusioned with the NHL right now. This is a big mistake. BIG!

Update: The boys at Battle of Alberta have set up a MacT Relief Fund to help pay for his $10,000 fund. Go on over and contribute!!!

Thursday night gave us three natural hat tricks. Two in the Oilers-Sharks game. The beautifully mulleted Ryan Smyth scored three goals AND in a span of 2 mins, 1 sec to break a Gretzky record for fastest three goals (2 mins, 18 secs). Yes the Smitty broke a Gretzky record. Awesome!!!!

A quick recap of the game:

-Oilers come out quick, manhandling the Sharks and score the first goal from Winchester (after the game, it was given to Thoresen, his first NHL goal)

-I don’t remember what happened next. I must have blacked out. Next thing I know, the Sharks are leading 4-1.

-Hemsky gets a hooking penalty (12 mins total tonight) when he had the puck and both hands on the stick. Hmmm refs made a mistake. I’m shocked. They never screw up like that.

-Oilers get a quick goal from Lupul before the second period ends.

-In a span of 2 mins, 1 sec…..Smitty scores three goals. He also gets his 500th point, all as an Oiler! Captain Canada rules the night.

-Hemsky scores on a breakaway and the game is over. Oilers win 6-4.

-Another Oiler comeback. I think the Sharks saw that several times during the playoffs. hahahahaha How does it feel?

-My favorite cheer from the crowd tonight….Let’s Go Oilers, Fuck you Cheechoo.

Overall, not a bad game from the Oilers. Penalty trouble, yes. But several phantom calls (hello Hemsky? Or the too many men? They didn’t touch the puck. Oh yes, give the Oilers a bench minor for complaining for too many men. Hmm refs seem to dislike the Oilers. Oh is that McGoo? I believe it is. It’s strange that he is around every time the Oilers take lots of penalties. Very interesting). Great comeback, typical Oiler hockey. Roli gives up a couple bad goals, hug the post baby! Hug the post!!! Lowe will be making a deal for the defense by January. No doubt about that.

The 2006-2007 NHL season is about to begin for our Edmonton Oilers. The puck drops at 8 pm, so we’re less than two hours away. This is my second year as a season ticket holder, the most glorious purchase I have ever made. It’s nice to have money. So nice!!!

So the Oilers have been getting dogged by all the pundits (Hockey News picked them to finish 12th in the West). Either most are picking the Oilers to miss the playoffs or just sneak in as usual. I do not believe that will be the case. I’m picking the Oilers to fight Calgary for the Northwest Division crown, thereby, either finishing in the top three in the Western Conference or top five if they don’t get the Northwest crown.

Yes, lots have been made about the Oiler blueline. I don’t want to get into that very much, but I will say the blueline you see on opening night will be drastically different come April. Lowe will use his magic wand and voila, great deals will be made.

So with strong goaltending, the most deep set of forwards in the league will balance out our inexperienced defense and the Oilers will have a great year. Roli and Smitty will be giving each other more love come the playoffs.

To see other predictions, check out the following sites:

Sportsnet
TSN
Edmonton Sun (pretty good predictions here from several sportswriters)
USToday
ESPN (most are picking the Ducks to win it all….hilarious!)
Sports Illustrated

Well there are a few predictions. But we all know how well they predicted things last year, don’t we? So these are more for entertainment purposes.

I’m predicting an Oiler victory tonight over Calgary in the season/home opener…..4-1.

UPDATE:

Well damn I’m brilliant. The score ended up 3-1 so I was pretty close! Also, the Western Conference banner was unveiled. It was short and quick (thank you Kevin Lowe), and then the players came out on the ice. Perfect. I didn’t want a prolonged celebration for finishing second. The opening had a nice highlight reel of the Oilers playoff run…..and guess what? Pronger was practically non-existant in it. I think there was one quick shot of him in the entire video. hahahaha Awesome!!!!

Hemksy and Sykora are dynamite together. The best 1-2 punch I’ve seen since Gretzky/Kurri. Seriously, they got some chemistry!!!! It’s very possible the Oilers will have their first 50 goal man since 1988 this year.

Lupul was invisible tonight.

The defence was quite good. The Swede was horrible in the first period, settled down a bit and then scored the third goal.

Roli was excellent. He’s picking up where he left off last year, so that’s nice to see. He was sharp and on his game. I think that bodes well for the Oil.

This team is going to be dangerous……they will be a scoring machine. Teams are going to have their hands full. They are better than last year!!!

What do you think of tonight’s game??

Yes Chris Pronger still doesn’t get it. He still doesn’t understand why the fans hate him so much, why there were so many rumours concerning his departure. He even has the nerve to be pissed off about all of this. Hmmm really Chris? Check out the abused Pronger’s interview. Anyways, I’m sick of this story because everytime they mention Pronger leaving, they always seem to imply that he hated Edmonton. So Edmonton gets a bad rap. Enough. These damn sports writers in Toronto have got to shut the hell up.

Here are two commentaries on this story: check this one out

Welcome to the club:
My brother dropped 40 bones on one of those cool NHL t-shirts last season… you know the ones — they look like mini-jerseys all pimped out with a logo on the front and the name and number of your favorite player on the back. Bro-dude treated his #44 Chris Pronger t-shirt like a damn tuxedo – he wore it on dates for crying out loud. Now he uses it to wipe brake dust off his front rims, and he has nothing to wear to the bar.So, Pronger’s pissed? Join the club, dude. On June 23rd, Chris Pronger unceremoniously made the most suspicious trade request in the 32-year history of the Edmonton Oilers organization. Four days after game seven of the Stanley Cup final. What exactly did Chris expect the fallout would be in a city that was still drunk on Stanley Cup beer? A pat on the ass? Best of luck? Give your wife our best?I dropped out of psychology in university because I saw no point in trying to make sense of nonsense. But the fact that Chris does not understand the fan reaction in Edmonton this summer is as mind boggling as his trade request. IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE. How could a 31-year old former NHL captain get within two goals of his first Stanley Cup and then walk away from it all? We’re still not sure. But you can’t blame passion for looking for an answer. And passion is what this comes down to. Chris is right when he says that the rumours surrounding his departure were pure insanity. But so was Oil Country for the six weeks ending June 19th. If Oiler fans were capable of such insane levels of support, why then, is it a surprise that insane levels of speculation would follow a request that no sane individual could comprehend?Now, I’m not saying that Chris is a bad dude. We all have issues in our lives that may perplex others, but seem completely reasonable in our own minds, so this blog is
not about ripping Chris for doing what he did. But Chris’ feelings are hurt? C’mon dude.A word to the wise: Careful what you wish for, Chris, because after 6 months in Anaheim, you’ll be wishing people cared enough to burn your old furniture.

Now, this is exactly what I’m thinking about the whole Pronger thing….taken from the Journal.

As revealed in Hall of Fame hockey writer Jim Matheson’s interview with ex-Oilers defenceman Chris Pronger in Tuesday’s Journal, Pronger still doesn’t get it. He spoke with some heat to Matheson about the ire of the Edmonton fans as if he had nothing to do with their feeling betrayed. Amazing.

To sum up: This guy is traded to Edmonton, asks for and is given a five-year deal for $6 million and change a year, moves to Edmonton where he buys a home, walks the walk of the Big Man on Campus for an entire season and playoffs. Days after Game 7, he requests a trade, leaves town with no explanation at all, disappears on vacation. By way of his agent, he lets it be known that maybe his wife, Lauren, is the engine of all this. Not happy in isolated Edmonton. Oh dear. Rumors swirl, some of them scurvy, damaging ones, to many more people than just Pronger. The big defenceman sends word, via his agent, that he is displeased with all the tittle-tattle. He pledges to hold a news conference to clear the air. No mention that his own silence has provided precisely the vacuum that will be filled with gossip, particularly in the absence of a more reasonable explanation for his trade demand. He is traded. He then holds a conference call during which he categorically refuses to explain his departure, except to say it was a family decision and a personal one. Nobody else’s business. No apology to those in Edmonton who have been hurt by the rumors his own silence and irresponsible behavior helped create. It develops that, via his agent, he had made it known to Oilers management as early as mid-season that he wasn’t happy in the Heartland of Hockey. Which, doing the math, means that Pronger and family, who moved here in late summer 2005, had all of five or so months to conclude Edmonton was not for them. Which doesn’t seem like much of a try-on, especially for a guy who insisted on a long-term contract to begin with. So now, out there in Anaheim, Pronger remains miffed that many fans feel irked that he bolted their city. He glibly suggests that “fans are fickle, it’s the nature of the beast.” What arrogance!

The nature of this situation is the fans welcomed Pronger as the centrepiece player of the franchise they so passionately care for. They were thrilled when he delivered a brilliant regular season and an utterly spectacular playoffs. None of them saw his sudden departure coming. Unlike, say, the departure of Peca, who could be rightly criticized for indifferent play in the first half of the year, but not for being dishonest about his one-year tenure in Edmonton. And for Pronger to compare his one-and-done situation with the departures of Messier, Coffey, Kurri, Anderson, Lowe and the rest is fatuous nonsense. Those Oilers greats, as everyone knows, were nurtured within the organization, became stars here, played here for years, winning clusters of Stanley Cups before leaving small-market Edmonton to earn fair-market value for their high-end talents. In Pronger’s case, ironically, signing with Edmonton provided him with long-term financial security in the New NHL, while enabling him to make his home somewhere else. And, most galling of all, after all of this time, Pronger still has not come out and said precisely why he and his family had to leave Edmonton after one admittedly brilliant season. He remains in the weird world of denial only the spoiled sports or entertainment superstar seems to inhabit.

A new Edmonton Oilers season brings one very important thing: new mugshots. These guys look like they are staring down the barrel of a gun, not getting their picture taken. Hello guys, it’s called a smile. You are not being shot, you are not being tortured. It’s only a camera. I swear. Secondly, please invest in a proper hair stylist. These poor guys are clueless.

Reasoner: Whoa, where am I? Who am I?

Horcoff: Hey, I know how to smile! And I don’t look so creepy when I do. I’m quite adorable actually.

Torres: Do you think I’m sexy? No? Come on, landing strips are sexy!

Mikhnov: Я буду вашим новым русским богом!!

Markkanen: I could be in a dental commercial.

Roloson: Hi, I’m the saviour of the Oilers. I’m too busy being your saviour to know how to smile. Someone please teach me?

Sykora: I’ve got the hair, I’ve got the smile, and I’ve got the moves.

Hemsky: I can’t believe I’m 12 years old and an Edmonton Oiler. Cool dude.

Smyth: You know me, I’m Captain Canada and the owner of the NHL’s most beautiful mullet. Wanna touch it?

There are your Edmonton Oilers…….

Also check out the hot off !!

Charlie Wang is at it again…..this time he has signed goalie Rick DiPietro to a 15 year contract. Yes, 15 years. The contract will expire in 2022. Oh and it’s a guarenteed contract…..if Ricky goes down to injury, he gets the entire $67.5 million. Yes folks, the inmates are running the asylum. There is no other explanation.

On a completely different and un-crazy note, the Edmonton Oilers have signed Joffrey Lupul to a three year deal wroth $6.935 million. Thank you Kevin Lowe for bringing back sanity to the GM position (Yeah Wang isn’t technically the GM of the Isles, but he might as well be. Snow is just his puppet now). 2.3 million a year, a bit higher than I thought he was going to sign for, but hell, compared to the Isles, the Oilers are rocket scientists!!!

So we lost two Russians over the summer…..Samsanov and the great Ulanov. However, the Edmonton Oilers have just signed Mikhnov to a one year deal. So we will finally get to see if this guy can live up to all the hype. It will be interesting to see if he makes the team, what line he plays on and just how productive he will be. Anyways, I’m just happy to see a Russian on the team. I adore the Russians…..

Bring on the hockey season, I am sooooo in need of hockey. Has this not been the longest off-season ever? Damn, I can’t wait for hockey to start.

This Saturday, I will be heading down to pick up my season tickets. This is my second year as a season ticket holder. My life is now divided into two sections: pre-season ticket holder life and post-season ticket holder life!!! hahaha. Lots of Oilers will be hanging around that day, so that will be nice. Autographs and photos shall be had!!!

I had a long post ready to go about the Malkin story, but something else has come to my attention. As for Malkin, check this out. I have to agree with it’s opinion that Malkin’s ‘escape’ was not an escape at all. Sure Malkin is a kid, sure he’s being pulled in many different directions, sure life in Russia can be harsh and sure, he wants to play in the NHL. BUT, he’s playing hockey in Russia, and they treat their hockey players very well. And, I’m sure Ovechkin was in the same situation last year but he managed to get out of Russia easily. He didn’t sign ten different contracts, switch agents every week….

Anyways, on to something else; the possible and seemingly more likely demise of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. With CBC’s contract due to expire at the end of the 2007-2008 season, and the mobilization of forces by the evil opposition, otherwise known as Bell Globemedia, HNIC is possibly two years away from extinction.

“Bell Globemedia is reportedly considering paying the league $140 million a year for 10 years for the deal in an attempt to outbid the CBC, which has been broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada since 1952.”

Since they might be offering $140 million per year compared to CBC’s $65 million per year contract right now, it does not look good. With TSN/CTV winning the 2010 and 2012 Olympics (ugh I hate CTV Olympic coverage), exclusive rights to curling and possibly exclusive rights to the CFL, they’re taking over the sports world.

I, for one, am not amused. I prefer sports on CBC. I have found TSN to be damn annoying, particularly their hockey broadcasts. Pierre McGuire and Bob Mckenzie are THE most annoying people in the entire world. When they are on tv, I change the channel. Yes, they are that irritating. And since they are taking sports away from CBC, I am beginning to hate TSN.

I remember back in 1995, I was in university and just moved into my first apartment. I finally got cable which included TSN. I no longer had to watch the local hour-long news to get the sports highlights. I now had sports 24/7. I was blissful. I still preferred my Olympics, football and hockey coverage to be on CBC but TSN had the highlights. Sportsdesk was the name, and highlights were their game. Those were the days!

So, is anyone else happy that TSN might be stealing our hockey and broadcasting it full-time?? CBC can’t compete with that amount of money, if it’s accurate. I read somewhere that maybe the federal government would pony up the rest of the dough to help save hockey on CBC. Soon, there won’t be any sports on CBC. That’s the only reason I watch CBC, yes the only reason. Also, with hockey moving to cable and not free tv, the audience might diminish (I read that somewhere too). I think that’s a very good possibility.

So join me in denouncing satan, aka TSN.

Well, it’s official…..Petr Sykora is an Edmonton Oiler. Personally, I’m not impressed. I think our forwards were already a good group, and I’ve never been a fan of Sykora. He’s one of those typical Europeans…..inconsistent and lazy. Sure, you can see glimpses of brilliance, but it never lasts and fades away. He averages between 50-60 points so if the rumour of $3 million is true, then I’m really not impressed at all. I think that’s too much money. Also, it’s mid-August and no one else has signed him? Yeah I think that speaks volumes.

Ok ok, it’s done so I guess we should give him a chance.