Is This The Year?

With the NHL Regular season getting under way today (SQUEEEEE!!!!1!!), I thought it would be fun to sort of lay out my hopes and dreams for the upcoming season as far as my beloved Oilers are concerned.

I'm going to go with that "Is this the year?" thing the NHL had going on a while back in their marketings.

Let's get down and dirty, shall we?*

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Ales Hemsky plays almost an entire season and reaches that coveted "point per game" mark?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Dustin Penner further expands on his role a top line 30+ goal scorer?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that JF Jacques plays more than five whole games in a row before going on the IR list?  (Nope...he's already on the IR)

Is this the year!?!?  ...that the entire team doesn't succumb to Swine Flu/Mono/Broken Limbs/Erectile dysfunction?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Shawn Horcoff battles back into the good graces of Oiler fans with savvy veteran leadership and a solid 2-way game?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Sam Gagner starts to pile up the points like he did in Junior?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Theo Peckham sends someone from the Flame's organization to the infirmary thanks to a bone crushing hit?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that we don't have to listen to Mark Lee do the games on CBC?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Gilbert Brule scores 30?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Andrew Cogliano goes over 50% at the faceoff dot?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Tom Gilbert finally finds the perfect shoe to go with that European Carryall bag?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that one of the Edmonton rookies of MPS, Eberle or Hall lead in rookie scoring?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Tyler Seguin crashes and burns and makes the Hall pick look soooo good?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Khabibulin plays more than 20 games on his way to Team MVP?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that the Oilers play exciting hockey, but finish with a top 3 pick in next year's draft?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that the Oilers surprise everyone and make the playoffs?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Sheldon Souray plays the entire season with the AHL's Hershey Bears?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Stortini says "uhmm", "andhuh" and "youknow" 3,239 times in interviews over the course of the year?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that MacIntyre actually does his job as a Nuclear Deterrent and provides the younglings and little guys with the confidence to play without the fear of getting destroyed...while also scoring 5 goals?

Is this the year!?!?  ...that Steve Smith scores one in his own net...from behind the bench?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Curtis Foster makes everyone forget about that Souray fellow?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Jim Vandermeer reaches 15,000 followers on Twitter?

Is this the year!?!?  ...the beer in Rexall goes DOWN a dollar in price?

Is this the year!?!?  ...the Oilers decide on whether it's JDD or Dubnyk?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Ryan Jones proves why he was a better choice than Reddox?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Ryan Whitney provides stability on the back-end?

Is this the year!?!?  ...I finally put a name and number on the back of my two blank Oiler jerseys?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Bell TV gets Sportsnet One?

Is this the year!?!?  ...Tom Renney somehow earns coach of the year honours?

Is this the year!?!?  


LET'S DOOOOOOooooo THIS!!!!1!**


-TB




*that's what she said!
**that is also something she said.

Speaking of Wookiees

The new batch of kids were handed their numbered jerseys today. MPS will wear 91, Eberle will wear 14 and Hall was ceremoniously awarded Kevin Lowe's old number 4.

Not real earth-shatteringly shocking news.  But interesting none the less as I suppose this means they will all have a spot waiting for them on the roster - It's theirs to lose.

I can't wait for this season to start already.  It's going to be a lottery year again I think, but a least we might have some fun watching these guys play.

-TB

Photoshop Tuesday!

Nothing to do with hockey?   CHECK.

Nothing to do with Oilers?  CHECK.

Chewbacca content?  CHECK.


Three outta three aint bad!

You're welcome.

-TB

Bored On A Saturday Night

Fuck am I bored.

Long weekend, supposed to be off camping in one last hurrah of the the season.  Instead I'm in my basement clacking on my computer.  Had to cancel the trip due to a sick little one.  Boooo.

I decided, in my boredom, to make a desktop pic for my computer.  What better topic than the Oilers, right?

Yeah... so here it is:

GOILERS!!!1!

-TB

Getting Excited - UPDATED

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season. So excited that I figured I needed to write about it. Ok, I am excited but I'm really only writing this right now to prove to Oilersnation stalwart commenter "Buck75" that my blog is indeed still active. I was planning on writing something about the upcoming season in the next week or so, but he just kicked my butt into doing it. No problem. I blog in my sleep.

So lets get started, shall we?

The topic of discussion I want to talk about is how Tambo's summer went from my point of view.

Short Answer: Great.

He started off by firing/reassigning the training staff. Awesome. I didn't like the way that one guy tossed Hemsky towels during a game last season. I'm no physiologicalist, but I think that towel toss may be the reason Hemsky bowed out of the season early with a shoulder injury.

He reassigned the great Pat Quinn higher up the ladder and stripped him of his coach-ship. Really, it's just a fancy way of firing without all the optics of a "firing". Renney has the reigns now. That's cool. I think Pat is a good hockey mind, but it was quite evident last season that he had no real pulse of his lineup - not that it was much of a lineup. Really nobody, except Penner, excelled during his reign. That should say something. Renney brings a more scientific approach to coaching, as well he seems to be more dialed in with his players. That being said, Renney doesn't scare the fuck out of me like Quinn does. Maybe that was part of Quinn's problem...who knows. Only time will tell I guess.

Tambo also unleashed his wrath on the roster. Nilsson, O'Sullivan and Moreau all were placed on waivers. Good riddance. I don't necessarily champion the idea of waiving your Captain...but, in my opinion, Moreau shouldn't have been named Captain to begin with. So...yah, that's a whole other blog. Moreau was picked up by Columbus off waivers, O'Sullivan was traded to Phoenix for Vandermeer (and then released by Phoenix - OUCH!). Nilsson signed in the KHL. Good stuff.

Tambellini also added a few peeps to the roster by acquiring some players via trades, free agent signings and re-upping some existing Oilers:

SAM GAGNER	C	21	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT AUGUST 29
LIAM REDDOX	LW	24	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AUGUST 9
MARTIN GERBER	G	35	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AUGUST 6
JEFF DESLAURIERS	G	26	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 31
GILBERT BRULE	C	23	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 27
RYAN O'MARRA	C	23	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 16
GREGORY STEWART	LW	24	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 16
THEO PECKHAM	D	22	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 15
J-F JACQUES	LW	25	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 14
DEVAN DUBNYK	G	24	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 13
SHAWN BELLE	D	25	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 13
BEN ONDRUS	RW	28	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 9
BRAD MORAN	C	31	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT JULY 7
TAYLOR HALL	LW	18	SIGNED 3-YEAR ENTRY LEVEL CONTRACT JULY 5
ALEXANDRE GIROUX	LW	29	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AS A UFA JULY 3
STEVE MACINTYRE	LW	29	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AS A UFA JULY 2
JASON STRUDWICK	D	34	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AS A UFA JULY 2
RICHARD PETIOT	D	27	SIGNED 1-YEAR CONTRACT AS A UFA JULY 2
KURTIS FOSTER	D	28	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT AS A UFA JULY 1
JIM VANDERMEER	D	30	ACQUIRED FROM PHOENIX FOR PATRICK O'SULLIVAN JUNE 30
COLIN FRASER	C	25	ACQUIRED FROM CHICAGO FOR 6TH ROUND CHOICE (151ST OVERALL) IN 2010 DRAFT JUNE 24 & SIGNED TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WITH OILERS JULY 1
MAGNUS PAAJARVI-SVENSSON	LW	19	SIGNED 3-YEAR CONTRACT JUNE 2
LINUS OMARK	RW	23	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT APR. 6
CHRIS VANDE VELDE	RW	23	SIGNED 2-YEAR CONTRACT APR. 6

As you can see, plenty of depth/role players, some key re-signings and of course: Taylor Hall. There's also a plethora of, presumably, AHL players that were picked up over the summer. Good stuff. Setting up shop in Oklahoma over the summer was a catalyst to build a team that can at least compete. The shitshow in Springfield last year was atrocious. Come to think of it - the NHL team wasn't much better. It did get us Hall though. YEAH!

The only RFA waiting to be re-signed is Cogliano. From what I've read there is a deal on the table and it's pretty much in Cogliano's hands at this point. Obviously there's a bit of a gap between the two sides. I'm sure it will be agreed upon in the near future.

What else did Tambo do? Oh yeah...He let Pisani go out to pasture (signed with Chicago) and he also will apparently let the newlywed Comrie have an extended honeymoon by not re-signing him. It's probably for the best. Sad to see both of them go, but there's a lot of young talent bubbling under the surface here that the team needs to have a good look at.

Tambo also had plenty of drama to deal with this summer. There's the Souray thing and of course this whole Khabibulin thing. Tambo has been trying to deal Souray since the end of last season. As you can imagine, there's not much of a market for an oft-injured, old, high salaried player that doesn't have that "team player" aura. Tambellini waived Souray...nobody wanted him...even at half price. That's a kick to the junk from Souray's point of view. Well, I suppose it's a kick to the junk to the Oilers too. :(

Khabibulin just got his sentence the other day for his DUI trial in Phoenix. His lawyers appealed the sentence, further delaying any real resolution. This seemed to catch Tambellini a bit off guard. The plus to all this is that by appealing the sentence it makes Khabibulin available for training camp and the beginning of the season. From what I've read the appeal process can drag on forever - perhaps even to next summer.

That's pretty much it for the major news hits from the Oilers over the summer. It's hard to believe summer is almost over. Rookie camp kicks off in a couple weeks and main camp is shortly after that. Unreal.

So, back to the beginning of all this rambling. Why am I excited?

Mostly because of these beauties: (nohomo)

Who saw this coming?!? Not Buck75...that's who didn't see this coming.

-TB

UPDATE:

P.S.  Don't click here.

Happy Canada/Free Agency Day

Happy Canada Day!! Or as us Canadians like to say: NHL FREE AGENCY DAY!!!

No, in all seriousness...this is one of my favorite holidays not just because of Free Agency; I'm proud to live in a country like Canada because it is easily one of the top places in the world to call home. Anyone who complains about living in this country should spend some time in a third world country or a country run by a maniacal dictator....or the U.S. - ZING!!! People that complain about this country have no idea how good they have it.

Anyways, enough of this patriotic-quasi political soapbox stuff....let's get down to business: NHL Free Agency Day.

This is traditionally the time of year when the Edmonton Oilers run around like the outcast kid in high school that tries too hard to get the eye of the popular girl. Running around behind her, holding her books and offering to do her homework. All the while the popular girl is laughing at this kid while she's got her eye on the captain of the football team. Classic.

The past few years of free agency have been mostly failure on the part of the Oilers. We've seen our team chase after big name free agents only to have them sign with the teams they truly wanted to sign with. Read: Stanley Cup Contenders. We've seen the Oilers try to "make a splash" by "signing that big name" on free agency day; usually for too much money and for a once good player that spends more time in the IR than on the ice.

But what can you do at this point if you're the Edmonton Oilers? You haven't committed to an actual rebuild. You've been thinking your team is just 2 or 3 good players away from being something. Well, that pipe dream burst last season. The injuries exposed this team for what it was: A team with a couple decent players that lacked depth / role players. Injuries to the best players left this team with a squadron of shit and a 30th place finish was the result.

So far this summer we've been witness to the fallout from the realization that the Edmonton Oilers were maybe not as good as they thought they were. Tambo has blown up this team from the management all the way down to the training staff. People are being fired and let go like they have some sort of disease or something. I guess they do, it's called LOSERITIS!! These firings have marked an important point in the timeline of this team. It has set in motion an actual honest to god rebuild. Something that probably should have happened two or three years ago.

This brings us back to Free Agency day. Now that the team has accepted the fact that they need to rebuild they can stop chasing the popular girl and concentrate on the glaring holes in the roster instead. There's a plethora of young, talented forwards that will be vying for a spot in the top 6 at training camp this fall. So I think we'll be alright up there. But here's some things I hope to see today (or over the summer) that should round out the team to, at the very least, be competitive:

1. 3rd/4th liner that can win faceoffs and work the PK. (Remember Kyle Brodziak?)

2. Depth stay-at-home defenceman to round out the 4/6 range.

3. A top 4-ish d-man in return for Souray. (I just don't see how he can come back to the team.)

4. Trade one of the young goalies maybe for a veteran FWD or some AHL depth? If they're hanging on to them because they fear Khabi won't be available they shouldn't...cuz there's always a goalie looking for work somewhere.

4.5 Speaking of AHL depth...perhaps some signings to build up the depth in Oklahoma wouldn't be such a bad idea either. New team, new identity, new fans...you probably don't want to shit the bed down there.

5. A gritty, mucker that will drop the gloves to protect our babies coming into the lineup. Someone that will punch the first guy that takes a run at Hall. Preferably a player that can actually use his hockey stick to play a little bit of hockey now and then too.

That's pretty much it for my wish list. I say the Oilers roll the dice with the kids coming in and shore up the glaring holes and see what happens. They can't get any worse!!

-TB

The Fall For Hall Has Finally Fell

Well well well.

The Edmonton Oilers have done it. They went with Hall. I gotta say I was leaning towards the Seguin camp coming into this draft; but let's be honest, either kid is a great pick. I don't think the Oilers could have gone wrong either way.

I look forward to this kid leading my favorite hockey squadron to victorious victory!

P.S. Tambo couldn't get anything else done in the first round? Bummer.

Taylor Vs. Tyler

OHhhhhhhh MAN!!! Only one more sleep!!!

-TB

UPDATE:

No more sleeps. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Day Of Reckoning Is Near

Have you looked at a calendar recently? Do you realize what this Friday is? That's right lady and gentlemen, it's NHL Draft Day!

A little team I like to call "The Edmonton Oilers Of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, North America, Earth" or "Oilers", for short, will be smoothing things over with their fan base by selecting first overall in the Entry Draft on Friday. It's a small token of appreciation shown to us fans by the team after last season's something something that I don't want to talk about. *COUGH* LAST *COUGH* PLACE *COUGH* SHITTIEST TEAM EVER *COUGH* FML *COUGH*

Basically, unless you live under a rock and haven't heard, there's two kids hoping to be selected 1st overall: Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.

"Who do you think the Oilers will pick?" you ask.

Well, since you brought it up, I believe the Oilers will select Taylor Hall. Here's a list of reasons why I think this way:

1. Bob McKenzie from TSN said he thinks Hall is the best pick for 1st overall.

2. ....that's all I've got.

Basically I don't have a clue which kid the Oilers should take. I've seen Hall play a couple times on TV and I have never seen Seguin play. I can't base my judgement of which kid is better based on my drunken hockey watching so I have to rely on people that have seen the kids play multiple times, with their own eyes. Bob McKenzie doesn't just spout off his opinion based on which kid he "thinks" will be better - he actually uses linear regression analysis and statistic baselines to formulate an accurate projection of who the best pick will be. ...ok, that's total bullshit....but what Bob does is interview scouts from all over the damn place and get their opinions of who the best pick is. So, by doing this he gets a broad spectrum of opinions and I think a more accurate "projection" of who should go first and why.

Honestly, I don't care which kid the Oilers take. Either one of them will be a nice cornerstone piece to initiate an honest to god rebuild of this team. No more chasing old balls free agents that want to sign in some city with palm trees. No more trading away youth for "experience" which we've all learned is just a euphemism for "10 to 13 games before a season ending shoulder injury occurs." No, it's all about the draft and developing the youthful core nucleus of a team that will grow and learn together from here on out.

One more thing - did you guys know that TSN is showing a behind the scenes documentary about the Oiler Brass and their trials and tribulations as they prepare for the upcoming draft? It's called "Oil Change". It will have footage of the Oiler big wigs interviewing the top prospects Tyler and Taylor as well as behind closed door meeting footage of the GM arguing with his scouts about who's the better pick. It will also supposedly show footage following Tyler and Taylor around from their visits to Edmonton over the past couple of weeks. Rumor has it we'll also see the inside of the Wayne Manor (Daryl Katz's house). I can't wait to see it. It's going to air Thursday night (June 24th) at 7PM MST on TSN.

-TB

Eberle Mancrush Starts in 5, 4, 3, 2...

Photo above: Canadian Players huddle around Jordan Eberle for warmth.

Most likely because he was on fire in the 12-1 romp over Norway

at the WHC in the southern German city of Mannheim on May 14, 2010.

1G, 4A, +3

Team Canada Player of the Game

I love this kid. I know...I know...It's only Norway. I will hold off on the statue and parade for now.

Still, I think the future looks bright in Edmonton with MPS, Eberle and Hall/Seguin knocking on the door.

-TB

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG

*swoon*

Eberle gets his big shot this morning. I honestly don't expect anything crazy. I'm just happy to get to see him play with some real NHLers. I'm curious how he'll look.

Giddy up!

-TB

Is This Thing On?

Hello there.

Where do I begin?

Well first off, how about a little story as to where in the hell this lovely corner of the Internet went over the past few months...

Our story begins around month two of the 2009/2010 Regular Season of my beloved Edmonton Oilers. Up to that point, there was still the annual hope in the air that the Oilers could somehow churn out another mediocre-barely-make-the-playoffs-in-fact-not-even-make-the-playoffs-but-give-a-good-showing-over-the-final-twenty-games effort. Turns out that was nothing but a pipe dream, as the Season From Hell™ was gathering steam...and lots of it.

Injuries, the flu, mono, concussions, surgeries, DUI's, general malaise, constipation, urinal tract infections...you name it, it happened. Not to mention what the Edmonton Oilers went through! Ok...kidding...that was all them. The team could not buy a break, even with the billions of dollars in Katz's piggy bank. They sucked. I grew weary.

As the losses mounted and the roster took on an ECHL flavor this feeling of "I don't give a shit" began to take a hold of me. It was rough. As a die hard Oiler fan for many many moons I can tell you this feeling of not caring about my team was quite foreign to me. As a result of the Oilers' Shitshow™, the "Who Saw This Coming!?!" you all know and love took a direct blow to the post count. My posts came further and further apart, eventually with me not even caring enough to post something like "at least we have the 1st overall pick!1!!" But no. A picture I found of Jordan Eberle was my last post...World Juniors? Seriously? WOW.

It's sad, because I'm the guy that buys all the PPV games no matter what...even after the Smyth Trade™. Not this year. I'm the guy that plans his social calendar around off-nights of the Edmonton Oilers. Not this year. I'm the guy that plans his social calendar around on-nights of the Edmonton Oilers. "Let's meet for drinks at (insert name of place with TV's that show Oiler games)" I would say. Not this year. I'm the guy that goes to as many games as I can possibly afford. "I don't need to eat this month." I would say. Not this year. I went to two games ...and they were free.

Now that the Season From Hell™ is long over and I have had some time to heal. I feel my love for my team creeping back in. There's a lot to look forward to for next season. I mean...they can't get any worse, really. There's a pretty good draft pick coming in. Some young prospects will be knocking at the door. Tambo is supposedly done assessing and plans on cleaning some house this summer. It can't possibly turn out any worse. Can it? I don't think so. I don't expect them to be a playoff team next season, but I do expect them to not be DEAD FUCKING LAST again.

So, with that all in mind, this place is NOT dead. It is still here. I will still toss up my beautiful photoshop creations. I will still spew what ever is in my head out into this blogging machine and I will do it a little more regularly. I am, afterall, The Towel Boy. I have fans. (Thanks Mom!)

Speaking of The Pint - NationDraft Playoff Editions.... Have you seen where I currently sit?

That's right. 7th. Who saw this coming!?!

But I'm gonna admit. I am royally fucked after this round of the playoffs is over. Look at my team:

Yeesh.

Well, it was good while it lasted.

-TB

A Real Canadian Hero

I stumbled upon this gem on the old internets today. Classic.

Two Words: 1. AWE. 2. SOME.

There's been a lot of talk in the Oilogosphere since the end of the World Junior Championship about Jordan Eberle. Some fans think he is the savior that this team needs. Some have a more measured outlook that we should wait and see how he looks playing in the NHL before we plan the ticker tape parade. Then there are other absolute buzzkilling trolls that call him a bumb and a loser. We ignore those guys. Well, I do at least.

I'm in the "let's wait and see how he does against NHL players" group. I'm not stupid and I realize that good Jr. numbers don't always translate into elite level NHL numbers. For that reason alone I haven't ordered my Oiler jersey with "EBERLE 14" on the back. That being said...I wouldn't hesitate to get a Team Canada jersey with "EBERLE 14" on the back.

Nobody can question the ability of this kid to score clutch goals in very tense situations on the world stage in the name of Canada. He's a gamer. I just hope he can translate some of the magic he's performed on the Jr. stage in the NHL. Time will tell.

GOILERS! (DFF)

-TB