Author Archive: MarshaSportsJunkie

PyeongChang Olympics 2018

MarshaSportsJunkie February 2, 2018 0 Comments

We are one week away from the most exciting sporting event in February. No, it is not the Super Bowl. Sit yer ass down. It is the Winter Olympics. Every four years, us Olympic junkies prepare for the most exciting 16 days of sport. Are you ready to lose your minds over luge? You had better be because it is time to get your Team Canada gear out, fly the Maple Leaf, and become the curling expert you were always born to be. The PyeongChang Olympics awaits.

Pyongchang or Pyongyang or Pyeongchang or PyeongChang – What is in a Name?

If you plan to attend this Olympics, try to end up in the right city and country. Do you want to end up in Pyongyang? That is a big NO. That is in North Korea. When PyeongChang was bidding for the Olympics, they decided to change up their original name of Pyongchang since it was far too similar to a North Korean city. They added an E and capitalized the C with hopes it would stand out. Even now, you will see it written without it. But rest assured, that is the same city: PyeongChang, the host of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.

PyeongChang Olympics and Tickets

How does one plan a trip to an Olympic games? I wrote previously on my travel blog, The Travelling Historian, for my trip to the Sochi Winter Olympics. I updated my original 2014 article last year on Planning Your Olympic Adventure for the Korean games and it remains accurate. Just remember, every country will have a different process to go through. Research yours and you will be fine.

Each country has a dedicated reseller that you need to go through. However, they will open up the main website to everyone. The when is not always known. This time, it was opening in November before shutting down in December. It has not reopened in mid-January for everyone again. You can print your ticket or download the mobile app where you will receive the entry code the day of the event. A Fan-To-Fan reseller website will usually open up as well and you can purchase additional tickets in this fashion.

Tickets are released often so if you miss out on the first ticket drop, do not despair. You WILL have more opportunities.

Canada – Gold and More Gold

We expect to see Canada sitting near the top of the total medal count at the Olympics. Canada, with increased funding from the government and improved results culminating from the legacy games of Calgary and Vancouver, Canadian winter athletes are winning and medalling more than ever before in a wide variety of sports.

I was quite strategic in my Olympic planning – I picked some of my favourite events and events that I knew Canada would do well at or were strong contenders not only for a medal, but for gold.

The one event that I coveted the most was the Men’s Big Air in snowboard. It is a new event and while I normally gravitate towards the more traditional winter sports (hello hockey, curling, figure skating, downhill), this event has me intrigued. With Canadians leading the way, it should be an explosive debut at the PyeongChang Olympics. I’ll be standing in the general area (best ticket I could find) and going crazy for our Crazy Canucks.

You will also be able to find me at some other big events – hello hockey gold. I was lucky enough to watch the electrifying Sidney Crosby score the Golden Goal on home ice and lucky to watch our women mount an epic comeback with the aid of the goalpost in Sochi. We are stereotypical Canadians when it comes to hockey. Yes we love it; we dream about it; we cannot get enough of it. I am four for four at the last two games. I would love to go six for six.

Crosby Celebration in Vancouver 2010

Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony Snafu

Women’s Hockey Gold in Sochi

Weirdly enough, the PyeongChang Olympics will provide for a very different men’s tournament. Gary Bettman and the NHL owners/governors had a tantrum which resulted in the NHL NOT coming to the Olympics. Unfortunately, the players had NOT negotiated this Olympic participation in their last collective agreement. Do NOT trust management boys. Next time, they will get it and I bet they will be in Beijing in 2022.

But back to PyeongChang, it will be a ragtag team of players, some playing in Russia, others in smaller leagues in Europe, bandied together with hopes of a miracle. Make no mistake, Russia is still the favourite. But we have seen how well they handle the favourite pressure. Hello Canadian eradication of Russia in Vancouver quarter-finals (I was at that glorious game) or hello Russia on your HOME soil in Sochi choking out in the semifinals with Canada waiting for you in the final. Can we finally get a Canada-Russia hockey final? Dare we dream?

Technically, there has never been a Canada-Russia gold medal game in hockey at the Olympics. There was a bastardized version in 1992 between Canada and the Unified Team which joined together after the fall of the Soviet Union. Almost all the Unified Team were Russians with two exceptions.

Still, we clamour for a best-on-best final between Canada and Russia. We will not get it this year. We wait for 2022. In the meanwhile, we cheer on Canada and a tournament that is wide open.

PyeongChang Olympics and How the Hell are you Getting There?

This is a more difficult question to answer as it is more complicated. I was thankful to find a flight out of Edmonton with only one stop in Vancouver on the way to Seoul, South Korea. From Seoul, I will hope on the new high speed train (KTX) on the way to Gangneung where some of the events will be held. These are all the area events from hockey to curling to figure skating to speedskating.

This was the same in Russia in 2014: the main indoor events and the location of the Olympic Park was not in the named city. In Russia, it was Adler. In South Korea, it is Gangneung. PyeongChang will be “near” the mountain events. And by near, it’s not really too close. From Gangneung, you will take the train to PyeongChang or Jinbu station, hop on a shuttle which could run from 15 minutes up to 45 minutes depending on which venue you are planning to visit.

So for me who has several days of two mountain events in one day, it will include a train ride, multiple shuttles back and forth venues, lots of walking to get to the seated area from the entrance, more shuttles, and another train ride at the end of the day back to my base in Gangneung.

PyeongChang has FINALLY released their transportation information and their official app so that has been helpful. Transit is free during the games and I am sure there will be plenty of volunteers to help make sure you end up on the right train or shuttle bus.

WHY?

I get this question often. Honestly, I have been an Olympic Junkie for as long as I can remember. I even have video tapes from the 90s that I taped – I can watch Kerrin-Lee Gartner win the downhill gold whenever I want, or watch Norway’s Bjørn Dæhlie storm through the 50km as if it were a light stroll (trivia note: Dæhlie is one of my all-time favourites – I really need to put together a list. That’s for another post). I used to watch those tapes endlessly. But let’s all give a shoutout to youtube – I no longer need to dig through a box of tapes, I can simple google it.

One Week

One week and I will be landing at the PyeongChang Olympics. I will not be attending the opening nor closing ceremony this year. I attended the Closing in Vancouver and the Opening in Sochi. Both were truly enjoyable but the prices were insanely high for PyeongChang Olympics so I passed. Instead, I have TWENTY events that will keep me more than busy.

Canadian Gear for PyeongChang Olympics

My suitcase is NOT packed but I have all my red Canadian gear ready. Bring on the cold weather, bring on the cheating athletes from Russia, bring on our amazing Canadian athletes, and bring on the GOLD!

You might also be interested in:

Men’s Hockey Gold Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Looking Back at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

Dreams of Russia: Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony

2014 Sochi Olympic Hockey: THE WOMEN

Sochi 2014 Men’s Figure Skating Long Program

Speed Demons: Alpine Skiing at Sochi 2014 Olympics

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Olympic, PyeongChang, South Korea, Team Canada, Winter Olympics

A Weekend with the Toronto Blue Jays

MarshaSportsJunkie September 29, 2017 0 Comments

A Weekend with the Toronto Blue Jays

Last home weekend series – Toronto Blue Jays

I spent this past weekend in Toronto watching our Blue Jays in the final home series of the year. This year, I will not return in October for some playoff action. Sadly, the Toronto Blue Jays will not take part in the post-season. The past two years have been glorious and great fun to watch Canada’s Team return to the post-season after a long 22 year break.

It would likely be Jose Bautista’s last home games for the Toronto Blue Jays. The crowd cheered and chanted for Jose all weekend. I attended the Friday and Saturday games before I returned home to Edmonton. I did watch Sunday’s game and cheered along with 55,000 fans for Jose.

Originally I was sitting around first base in row 30ish. I decided to upgrade both seats and ended up situated three rows behind the Toronto Blue Jays dugout. I had a perfect vantage point for both games and thoroughly enjoyed sitting that close. The only other time I sat closer was the last playoff game in 2016 when I was in row one near first base.

I spent both games just creeping on Bautista and Donaldson. Donaldson is my favourite Toronto Blue Jays’ player and Bautista is my second favourite.

Couple great game – the Blue Jays won the Friday game which included a grand slam from Ryan Goins and an excellent start from Estrada. That was fun! An 8-1 stomping of the idiotic New York Yankees. Saturday’s game was not quite as lucky with a 5-1 loss as Biagini had a tough start.

I did meet up with a friend who happened to be sitting right in front of me on Saturday’s game (not planned at all). We met in Russia at the Sochi Olympics through facebook groups prior to the games and ended up sitting in the same row at the Women’s hockey gold game.

I have bought my game pack for next season already. I will return to watch my Toronto Blue Jays at the end of March. This off-season will be interesting: Estrada just signed a one year deal, Bautista is likely gone, and Donaldson returns is my bet. They can’t trade their MVP. Now if things are looking dire in July, that is a conversation to be had. One can argue it is something the Toronto Blue Jays should consider now but I cannot think straight when it comes to Donaldson. I want him on this team.

What other changes happen this off-season? Hernandez has looked very good since his September call-up. He needs work in the outfield but there appears to be a player there. We need the whole team to rebound next year and for the love of baseball, STAY HEALTHY. The team missed Donaldson for a big chunk of the early season, Tulo has been MIA for some time, Sanchez basically missed the whole year with his damn nail/finger issue, Martin was lost for stretches, and on it went.

The StroShow has been dynamite for the Toronto Blue Jays, but we need other pitchers to up their game. Estrada has found his form and Happ is looking quite good of late. We’ll need them to show better consistency next year to compete with the evil Boston/New York teams that can throw hundreds of millions to their salary while the Jays’ ownership is not willing to do so.

Fans across the country continue invested in this team: this past weekend the Toronto Blue Jays games garnered the highest television ratings. We are still all in. Next year, let’s get back to the post-season.

Last home series for Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays

Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays

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Oilers Return to the Playoffs – Hell did NOT Freeze Over

MarshaSportsJunkie April 12, 2017 0 Comments

Oilers-Jets Outdoor Hockey Game in Winnipeg – Oct 23, 2016

Although it has been so long since the Oilers qualified for the NHL playoffs, it was a logical assumption that something would need to freeze over before we could experience playoff hockey again in Edmonton. However, it is official: Oilers return to the playoffs. It is happening.

I suppose it is time to resurrect this neglected blog and gear up for the playoffs. I wish I had saved my old MSN blog from 2005-2006 as I did predict the Oilers would be contenders IF they could find a goalie. Roloson gave them that contender shot, and then some, until he was criminally assaulted in game one of the final. Thank you Marc-Andre. Old man Roli will be at tonight’s opening game of the playoffs as a special VIP alumni – damn rights he is special. Special shout out to Jussi for taking that team to gave seven in the final.

Tonight, playoff hockey in Edmonton. That sentence seems wrong. Is it grammatically correct? 🙂 Let’s have fun tonight and enjoy our other special player, Milan Lucic. Nah! Kidding. It’s CONNOR MCDAVID. This team is in the playoffs due to Connor. Sure others have contributed (mainly Talbot), but this team does not make the playoffs without Connor. He has scored 40% of their points. He hit 100 points – our first since ole Dougie Weight in the 1990s. The end.

A moment of silence for Taylor Hall. You waz wronged, buddy. Whether Oil make playoffs or not, he was and team is not better without him. The end.

So as we get ready to head down to the new Rexall or Coliseum, let’s enjoy. We’re not making the final this year people. And that is fine. The end.

[Update: yeah I was right about not making the final. I. Know. All.]

Okay, I had about five minutes to spare at work to get this going. I will TRY to post regularly. Tonight will be spectacular: the building will be on fire. Not literal fire – it’s only game one. If they make it to round three, it is totally going up in flames.

Connor, lead us to victory. Lead the way.

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The Answer is Yes.

MarshaSportsJunkie February 10, 2015 0 Comments

The question is have the Oilers lost their mind?

There will be a dramatic price increase for the new arena (not news) but some of the potential increases are a bit crazy.

Here are some screen captures from the Oilers survey that was sent to the season seat holders last week. These are not set in stone nor did everyone receive the same survey; prices varied in the survey.

As you can see, some of the price increases are crazy. This is also just a survey to gauge our reaction. They are not increasing prices 300%. I would be pretty shocked if that happened.

Likely the increase will be in the 15-20% range as it was for the Penguins new arena a few years back.

Keep in mind though, the Oilers are already near the top in average season seat price. Supply and demand will the reason cited. It’s true but let’s not forget that after the Oilers Stanley Cup run, prices jumped dramatically. Mine went up 18%. I wasn’t happy to pay for that increase but my team had just made the final so I wasn’t about to walk away. On-ice performance matters.

However, with a team that has finished near the bottom of the league for more years than I care to remember, jacking ticket prices up that same 18% is going to make me think a little bit longer.

Here is what will happen: fans will not abandon this team YET. Why? We want to see the new arena. I do. I hate that I do but I will be there opening night. The biggest test comes in years two and beyond. Will we still be willing to pay that 15-20% jump in year one and then the expected price increases in subsequent years?

The past five years, I’ve paid between 2-8% increase each year. After that first year in the new arena, I will be less inclined to continue wasting my money on a losing franchise.

I do not see this team improving any time soon. Any minute now, they will trade their best defenseman (Petry) for nothing (similar to the Hemsky, Perron, etc trades). Actual NHL players will be shuttled off to new teams and the Oilers will have more draft picks while management continues their incompetent reign.
This isn’t about affording Oilers season tickets. I can afford these price increases. The question is do I really want to pay that kind of money for that kind of on-ice performance. Pretty easy answer to that question.

So take a look at some of these suggested price increases. The increase in the 300s/upper bowl is insane. From a current $1372 to $4300 (between blue lines) – that is over 300% increase. That seems unlikely, right?

I have a seat in the 200s – first row of the 200s. With the lower bowl increasing in size, does my seat go from the 200s to the lower bowl? It would become a club seat if it did; to stay with the same row number and location. That’s an increase from $4762 to $10,300: more than double the increase. Or would I be given the option of dropping levels; going higher?

We have no information on seat allocation at this time. We do not know how they are going to decide it. But if my seat becomes a club seat, I won’t be impressed with the double increase. I can see club seating increasing dramatically.

And all those other fancy seats – goalpost grill? Theatre boxes? Sky grill? That’s for the corporate people. I would never want to pay that kind of money for hockey. I’d prefer to save money to go watch Olympic hockey! 🙂

It’s an interesting time in Oil Country. Improve your on-ice performance and the fans can stomach an expected price increase of 15-20%.

But no way to 100-300%. That’s likely just a scare tactic so that final increase won’t seem so insane. Or maybe I’m totally jaded by now.

So thanks Oilers for getting me to post about you; I was thinking of holding out until this team became watchable. Yeah I’ll be waiting a long time.

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Sail on Captain Canada….

MarshaSportsJunkie April 11, 2014 0 Comments

I couldn’t bring myself to post much this past year especially after the Oilers ditched my Ales Hemsky! I also went to Sochi to watch the Olympics and was there for Canadian gold in hockey and curling! But we have something to talk about….important news!

Ryan Smyth is announcing his retirement this afternoon and his last game will be on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.

I was thoroughly shocked. I did not see this coming; I assumed the Oilers would offer him another one year contract especially since Smitty has played well this year. There should be room for him on this team. Look at the fourth line? Gazdic? Hendricks? Arco? Lander? Hell yes there is room for Smitty: fourth line minutes and lots of PK time!!

My guess is MacT is giving him a shove out of the door. Another mistake for MacTavish this year which includes ditching Hemsky for nothing and watching him light it up in Ottawa while he gets minutes with good players.

With Smyth retiring and Hemsky receiving his freedom, the last link to the 2006 playoff run will be gone. Twitter also mentioned Smyth is the last active player from the Stars-Oilers playoff series in 1997. That is amazing.

From the 1994 draft, only Alfredsson and Elias have more points than Ryan. Another amazing stat!

Smyth has a pretty good resume: Captain Canada; winning gold at the world junior, world championships, and the Olympics. The only thing missing is the damn Stanley Cup. I really wished he had won it with the Oilers (or any team). He’s the type of player and person who should have a Stanley Cup.

Memories – I don’t remember when he became my favourite player but he was until February 27, 2007. I was angry at both Lowe and Smyth for letting a small amount of money get in the way of signing a contract extension.

I never thought we would see him in Oilers colours again. Then rumours started before the NHL draft in 2011 that Ryan Smyth wanted to return to the Oilers or Alberta. Tambellini almost screwed up that deal but a few days after the draft, Ryan Smyth was an Oiler again and all was right with the world.

My first Oilers jersey was Tikkanen: a xmas gift when I was a teenager. The first jersey I ever purchased was Ryan Smyth and that is the one I will be wearing on Saturday night as we say goodbye to a great player. He didn’t have the best skill but man he was a fighter. He fought for every inch on that ice; played the tough minutes; took so much abuse in front of the net. No one plays like Ryan Smyth.

I grew up in Manitoba and didn’t go to many games. I was at the playoff games in 1990 and a couple preseason games in Winnipeg where none of the good players showed up. My first great memory of Ryan Smyth came in 2001 when I made my boyfriend visit Edmonton for some playoff action instead of a golfing trip! The Oilers lost of course to the Dallas Stars but it was a helleva game and they lost by one goal.

I moved to Edmonton in 2003 and was lucky enough to attend the Heritage Classic outdoor game. I was more focused on finally seeing Gretzky in person but always remember Smyth in that game.

I became a season ticket holder in 2005 just in time for the magical run to the Stanley Cup final. One game away from getting Smitty his Stanley Cup. I was gutted that he never won a Cup.

On Saturday night, we hope to see one more powerplay goal for Ryan. He is currently tied with Glenn Anderson for most powerplay goals. Just one more for the fans, Ryan. After this year, the fans need something to cheer for that is not related to draft positioning.

I hope to see the Smitty slapper…..one more time!!

I hope Ryan will be wearing the C for the first and last time. He is the unofficial Captain of any team he plays on.

The tears will be flowing on Saturday night.

Ryan Smyth looking deep into our souls! 94 Forever

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Welcome to the Campbell Conference, Bitch!

MarshaSportsJunkie October 1, 2013 0 Comments

The Jets have not played in Edmonton since March 29, 1996 (ignoring our recent preseason) and I’m quite excited to see them again. I grew up in Manitoba, cheering for the Oilers of course, but I have many friends and family who still live in Manitoba. I’ve been smacking talking my brother all day. Don’t let me down Edmonton!!

Hemsky and his Oilers are going to put a few pucks behind Pavelec.

Welcome to the Western Conference, bitch (CAMPBELL CONFERENCE)! You are not in Kansas anymore. No easy games in the West anymore; it is a much tougher conference. It is going to be a rough season for those little Jets.

Let’s remember the old Smythe division years (and a name that should have been resurrected for the realignment instead of the exciting name of…..Pacific) when the Edmonton Oilers played the Winnipeg Jets all the time. I like to refer to the Winnipeg Jets as the free spot on the bingo card. The free spot on the bingo card is BACK!

Oilers and their fans should be VERY happy the Jets are back in our conference. Unfortunately they are NOT in our division (the lovely named Pacific) but the Oilers will still play them several times this year. Welcome to the Western Conference, Bitch! 🙂

One final note, Andrew Ference is now the 14th Captain in the history of the Edmonton Oilers. I would have preferred Taylor Hall but as I said on twitter, this probably is not a big deal. Everyone knows that Taylor Hall is the BEST and MOST important player on the Oilers. Hall doesn’t need a C to lead – he does that every night ON the ice.

Tonight – Oilers vs Jets. Let’s bring it on.

Update: Thanks to Ryan Batty for setting me straight – it is the CAMPBELL CONFERENCE BITCHES!!!

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Halleluiah, Ales Hemsky is still an Oiler

MarshaSportsJunkie August 15, 2013 0 Comments

Halleluiah, Ales Hemsky is still an Oiler. I did not see this happening. Of course, I hope when training camp opens in a few weeks he is still here. Maybe I am a bit paranoid but I expect him to traded for a bag of pucks because the Oilers are stupid.

Do I dare expect him in the lineup on opening night? I want this SO badly.

Dude can still play. Oilers need NHL players. It is a no-brainer that we MUST keep him. I know MacT wanted to trade him so I cannot fully get on board with the MacT-is-smart. Sure Hemsky remains an Oiler because MacTavish did not ditch him for some idiot third line checker. So yes, MacT is not a complete idiot but he did want to trade him in the first place.

Speaking of trades, I am sad to see little Shawn Horcoff leave us. While he was overpaid, he was a VERY useful player. The Oilers will miss his defensive play. He played those tough minutes, along with our Hemsky, for many years. His tenure with the Oilers should not be noted for getting one of the greatest contracts one could get for having a good year (points-wise).

The pre-season starts in a month and yes I am starting to look forward to hockey. Seriously, in the past week, I am jonesing for hockey BIG TIME! Let’s go Oilers, hook me up.

Opening night is set for October 1st when the Jets come to town for the first time in…..how long? According to hockey-reference.com, it appears the last time a team from Winnipeg played in Edmonton was March 29, 1996. Oilers won (OF COURSE) 3-2. Fun fact, Nikolai Khabibulin played goal for those Jets. Oh and Satan scored two goals for the Oilers. Good thing they traded him not long after for basically a bag of pucks.

My last game in Winnipeg was way back in 1995 (October 11) when I cheered on Mark Messier’s Rangers. They did win 6-4. The Moose had two assists and the players loaded the bus from an area blocked off from the fans so I could not snag an autograph. I did get a blurry picture….must find that somewhere.

Sadly, I may miss the home-opener because I have tickets to John Cleese’s show, “Last Time to See Me Before I Die.” I cannot miss an opportunity to see Cleese before he dies. His show kept selling out so damn fast, they added three more shows. I have a ticket to the first show. If I can switch my tickets, I will be in Rexall cheering on my Oilers over the Jets, just like the days of old in Manitoba.

I was born and raised in Manitoba and NEVER cheered for the Jets. I was the annoying kid in the stands cheering for the Oilers. And believe me, I was SUPER annoying. I took a lot of pride in that.

So as I told me brother and several other Jets’ fan when I was in Manitoba for vacation this summer (and hope it is true), welcome to the Western Conference BITCH! 🙂

Last thing, check out my travel blog, The Travelling Historian. I’ll be posting about my travels and giving tips. Plus I will post as we lead up to the Sochi Olympics. I’ve been to Europe five or six times and am planning another trip for this upcoming February 2014 to Moscow, the Sochi Olympics and Prague. I have been to the last two Olympics in London and Vancouver so I am ready to cheer on my Canadians one more time.

In particular, I am hoping to see both hockey teams win again. I was lucky enough to have tickets to both events in Vancouver and hey, I have tickets to both events again in Sochi. Women’s and men’s hockey, let’s go!!!!!

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Out of the Darkness

MarshaSportsJunkie March 15, 2013 1 Comment

Do you ever wish that you were still in the dark? I made that comment recently on twitter regarding the Oilers. It was partly in jest but I almost meant it. Sometimes I wish I did not know all that I know.

I know so much more than I did when I was a teenager living in southern Manitoba watching the Oilers on CBC, if they happened to show them. That was rare. In those days, there was one game on Saturday night and it almost never included the Edmonton Oilers. We all know who they showed; the god damn Toronto Maples Leafs. I lived in Manitoba but they would show the damn Leafs while people in Saskatchewan and West would get the Oilers game. It was frustrating to us Oiler fans in Manitoba. I remember writing letters to the CBC bitching about this and asking them to show my team more often. Then came the double header, I think in the 1990s. Finally, the Oilers were on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada regularly.

I remember a time when anything I knew about my Edmonton Oilers came from either the CBC Hockey Night in Canada people or from the local newspapers in Manitoba and later in Alberta where I moved. This was and is still considered the MSM (mainstream media). Bloggers did not exist. Fancy stats did not exist. The internet was in its infancy. We have come a long way in a short time. The amount of information available is incredible. Anytime we want to know something, let’s google it and you will have it within seconds.

When did everything change? For me it was after I moved to Alberta in 2003. I was now in a hockey city again. The Jets had been gone from Winnipeg for around seven years and it just was not the same living in Manitoba without a hockey team (sorry minor hockey does not count)! I came here for graduate school, picking Edmonton over Toronto, a decision I would still make today, but I was more excited about being able to go to Oiler games on a regular basis more than anything.

My first year in Edmonton: I went to Grant Fuhr’s jersey retirement ceremony and then the Heritage Classic. It was the first time I had seen Gretzky play in person and I was excited. I was actually more excited for Messier as he was my favorite hockey player. I had seen him play for the Rangers in Winnipeg, the last Jets game I have been to, but was glad to finally see him in Oiler colors!

By 2004, I think this is when I started my blog. Not this one on blogger, I had one on MSN. It is now long gone. When I made the switch to blogger in 2006 maybe, I never went back to msn until it was too late and never saved my old blogs before they switched over to wordpress. I wish I had just to save one post where I called the 2006 Edmonton Oilers serious Stanley Cup contenders IF they found a decent goalie.

The Oilogosphere was born around this time. Dozens upon dozens of Oiler blogs popped up around this time. I will not name them all but there were some great ones. Some are now defunct, possibly due to seven years of mediocrity, but many continue. These blogs were fun and informative. Some blogs were super into stats, particularly new stats or expanding on current stats. No longer were you looking only for goals, assists, penalty minutes and plus/minus. Now there is the Corsi, zone starts, goals and points over 60 minutes and per game averages, quality of linemates and opposition, and scoring chances.

So when the Oilers make a bad trade or signing, I know. Or at least, I have access to more information to know that it is probably not a good trade. One example: when the Oilers traded Tom Gilbert for Nick Schultz, I know it is a horrible trade. In the preblog world, I would hear how tough and big he is, how gritty and physical he is from the media and not know that it was not entirely accurate. I would not know that trading a two-way puck-moving defenseman who is more physical than the stay-at-home tough guy was a bad trade.

I love that we have access to information. I wish more hockey fans would read these blogs and educate themselves. Do not listen to the MSM or radio people who work for the team. Read up, check the other stats and find out for yourself that adding more fourth line plugs maybe is not a good idea. I know now that the Oilers management are completely incompetent, from Kevin Lowe to Steve Tambellini. I used to be a Lowe defender, saying he had no money to manage this team during the dark years and did the best with what he had.

After the first lockout, Lowe had a great run and made some fantastic trades which helped the team get to game seven on the Finals. What has he done since 2006? Whether it is him or Tambo making the trades (does Lowe have final approval? Who makes the decision? Is it by committee?), there is a LONG list of horrible trades and signings. From giving four years to Khabibulin or trading Visnovsky for Whitney who already had foot problems or trading Grebeshkov for a second rounder (then lamenting they did not have any puck movers any more), the GM’s has mismanaged this team. Let’s not even talk about the second Pronger trade which was absolute crap (funny enough former AGM Howson who has returned as a scout recently touted that trade, saying how you have to wait 4-5 years. What year are we in Scott? Yes year seven of no playoffs).

I know this. Complete mismanagement. Seven years of absolute crap. Outside the first overall pick (which were easy choices), the Oilers have botched almost everything else from the rest of the draft, pro-scouting, trades and signings. I sit here fearful that the Oilers will trade Smid for Jack Johnson or Hemsky for more dregs or prospects. If you want size and toughness, great, but do not forget to get skill WITH it. Enough with the plugs that are tough (Eager and Hordichuk who thankfully have been waived but both deals failing were foreseeable to everyone else but management); Oilers needs skill.

I have rambled enough and it is dark outside but not inside. Those days are long gone. Most days I am glad I know what I know. 🙂

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edmonton oilers, horrible management

Oilers Hockey is Back

MarshaSportsJunkie January 20, 2013 1 Comment

We are a few hours away from the return of Oilers hockey. I admit that I am excited and as the NHL expected, the fans have returned. Have we returned completely? Probably more so than not. I did vow that I would buy less merchandise and beer; so far I have held up that promise. Although I am already regretting my ‘less beer’ stance.

This shortened season will be interesting. 48 games with many players not playing for months. The Oilers do not have this problem as many have been playing either in the AHL or in Europe. They should have a head start to the season over quite a few other teams. Will the success in the AHL and Europe translate to the NHL? I imagine some of it will and there will be struggles as well. Aside from an appearance in the Spengler Cup, Dubnyk did not play during the lockout. This is his moment to seize as he starts as the Oilers’ number one goalie. He played well during the second part of last season and if he can continue, the Oilers will have a chance for some playoff hockey.

The forwards are the most game ready with Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Yakupov, Hemsky and Gagner all playing during the lockout and playing extremely well. This is your Oilers top two lines and they are expected to light teams up this year. Last year, the team scored fewer goals than the previous season so the team must take a step forward and not back. They won more games last year but still finished near the bottom (29th if you do not remember). They had the fortunate luck of winning the draft lottery and picking the exciting Nail Yakupov who had a very good stretch in the KHL but underperformed at the World Junior’s. The OKC boys lit it up down in the AHL and Nugent-Hopkins continued his dominance at the World Juniors but that was not enough to medal. Hemsky and Gagner played in Europe and while both did very well, Hemsky in particular showed he was back to his dangling self. With two healthy shoulders, this should be Hemsky’s year and if practice has showed anything, he has developed chemistry with Gagner and Yakupov and he may finally have a finisher on his line in Yakupov at the same time as being healthy.

The defense….what to say about it? With a hopefully healthy Whitney and the signing of Justin Schultz, they should be able to put up the points particularly on the powerplay. The BIG question is can they stop the bleeding in their own end? The Oilers defense is their weakness and it has been for some time. The other Schultz and Smid should help but this team does lack a bit of depth even with the addition of Fistric. With the offensive-minded forwards, the defense will need to step up if the Oilers wish to see hockey in May.

To predict where the Oilers will finish this year is difficult. They finished 29th last year and added a Schultz, a Yakupov and a Fistric. Is that enough to jump from 14th in their conference into at least 8th place? That seems like a daunting task since the Oilers need to improve in almost every single area. The only great stat from last year is the powerplay where they finished 3rd and they will need to maintain that to have a chance. Their PK was an improvement last year but they’ll need to take less penalties and improve the killing to top ten at least. Oilers were a very penalized team last year so they must cut down on the number of penalties while improving the pk.

The other change has been behind the bench. Can Ralph Krueger take over from Tom Renney and lead this team into the playoffs? One hopes so.

I think the Oilers are the hardest team to predict. From finishing 29th last year to having so many players kicking butt during the lockout, to having an iffy defense and unproven goalie, this is a hard one to see. Many see the Oilers finishing 13th in the conference (so said the TSN dudes). I think they will finish more than one spot higher than last year but that defense will probably be their downfall. I’ll predict 9th place but they really do have an outside chance at making the playoffs. The forwards look great!!!! Let’s hope they score like we are expecting they will (as we thought they would last year). I am hoping for some playoff hockey. It has been TOO long in Oil Country!

I’m off to the pub tonight to watch with some friends but cannot wait for our home opener on Tuesday. I will buy only one beer. I will buy only one beer. Maybe.

GOILERS!

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Freddy’s Back!!

MarshaSportsJunkie June 27, 2012 1 Comment

Ralph Krueger (not Freddy) is the Oilers new head coach. Do I like the call? Not really. Do I hate it? No. I’m more meh on the whole situation. First the Oilers let Renney hang out to dry for a month before they fired him. Second, it took the Oilers a month and a half to hire Krueger. Normally that would not be a problem but when you promote someone from within your own organization, you would assume it would not take months to accomplish. Third, Krueger comes with no NHL head coaching experience. While that is not a prerequisite for a successful NHL coach, I thought it might be the way to go. Or go after one of those AHL rising stars.

The Oilers are pimping Krueger’s successful stint as the head coach of Team Swiss and in particular, ONE victory over Canada in 2006. Sure that was an upset but should not be the reason you hire him. You can say he took a not very talented Swiss team and made them into a quasi-hard team to play against. It was all defense. Krueger states he won’t coach the Oilers the same way he did with the Swiss because the Oilers have better skilled players. That is a positive.

Oilers are pimping his role in the improvement in the Oilers powerplay. I believe he probably played a role in that but do you not think maybe it was more to do with personnel (such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in particular) than with the coaching?

Oilers are pimping his motivational skills. I have no idea if this is accurate or not. If it is, then he never said anything to anyone last year in terms of team motivation (not including his possible role in improving the powerplay). Apparently he wrote a successful book in Germany. Okay?

TSN’s Dreger says the young Oilers really like him. Also he claims to make everyone accountable for their actions. If true, that is another positive.

I do not believe the Oilers 29th place finish last year is all on Tom Renney. The Oilers did NOT provide enough NHL players for him. Did he make mistakes? Of course (hello Belanger on the powerplay point) but he was not the sole reason for 29th. He improved the young players immensely. He did not seem to have much affect on the veterans so maybe Krueger can light a fire under them.

If Krueger does improve this team, it will not be his victory only. It will be partly due to Renney, improvement of the young players and partly due to Tambellini giving him better supporting players this year. Tambellini MUST sign better free agents. The first test if Justin Schultz. Can the Oilers with Krueger tempt him to sign here? Does hiring Krueger help the Oilers case to free agents? That is a big question and one I’m not sure of yet.

I’m still meh on this hiring but hope to be proved wrong.

GOILERS

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