Oilers Doing Well....Pikey Has 10 Year HS Reunion on the Horizon!

Well, holy shit! Apparently, it's been 10 years since I last walked through the hallways of McNally Composite High School, calling myself a Tiger. Oh how the time flys! Now I'm left with an unenviable decision....the reunion is on November 18th. The Edmonton Oilers also play on Nov18, and I have tickets to the game. So which event do I go to? When I told my fellow high school graduate Sketch about this dilemma, all he could ask was... is ATA going with you? Thanks for the input Sketch. (I'm sure you'll have a comment on this, so please read comments for further information on the battle)
As much as I would love to go and re-live old memories (or emotional scars, whichever you decide to call them), I think I'll have a better time watching the Oilers battle the Red Wings. If you read this blog, and are a McNally grad though, check out the site....www.mcnallyclassof1996.blogspot.com

Onto the Oilers. Oh how I love thee! Four games into the season, and the mighty Oil are 3-1.
First thing I want to address is the defence. It's looked pretty good. Sure, the blueliners are bound to make some dumb mistakes, but overall, they haven't looked out of place. I've been especially impressed with Smid, who at 20, looks like he'll be a player in this league for years to come.
I can't remember who made the comment during the off-season, but I do recall someone telling me that Kevin Lowe wasted $2.9 million dollars on a Czech forward named Petr Sykora. I'm not sure who that was, but with 6 points through the first 4 games, I'd say that comment was a bit off.
And what can you say about Ryan Smyth. #94 epitomizes this franchise, pouring his heart soul, and at least 1 tooth into every game he plays. He singlehandedly carried the team on his back against San Jose, scoring the fastest hat trick in Oilers history, en route to a 6-4 come from behind win over the Sharks. In scoring the hat trick, Smytty broke a record held by none other than Wayne Gretzky. Although, just a note for the Edmonton Journal, Gretzky couldn't have set the Hat Trick record in 1991, as he was no longer playing for the Edmonton Oilers at that point. Not that anyone from the Journal would actually read this page!!

Until my next post or announcement about an upcoming high school reunion..........

Just Get The Season Underway Already!

I know that it's only been 11 weeks since the Edmonton Oilers lost to Carolina in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. But all I can say now is...drop the goddamned puck!!
Watching the Oilers roll through training camp and the pre-season has given me some hope that the defense won't be so bad, Roli can carry the team, and that the forwards are going to score some goals. But we won't get a true picture of the team until 2 points are on the line.
The forward lines look set:

Smyth - Horcoff - Lupul (1A)
Torres - Sykora - Hemsky (1B)
Moreau - Stoll - Pisani
Mihknov - Reasoner - Thoresen

Yes, the line up doesn't include Robbie Schremp, who was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. Hopefully, he doesn't cry his entire way there. Don't get me wrong, 4 points in 5 pre-season games in a much stronger TC from Schremp than we saw last year, but he's still a one dimensional player. He needs to go down to the AHL for a while and work on what he does away from the puck and outside the attacking zone. MacTavish likes his players to play in the A for a while, and I think a year in the minors won't hurt Schremp...in fact, it'll make him a better player. And don't forget, 1 injury is all that is needed for #44 to hit the big show this year! Some may wonder why a guy like Schremp gets sent down, but Traktor Boy sticks. The reasoning is simple. Mihknov has played the last 9 years in the Russian Superleague. That's not too bad, given that he's only 24. Throw in the fact that the Oilers don't have an AHL team of their own, Mihknov's language issues, and that he is still adjusting to the North American game, and you have your answer. The Oilers want to keep Mihknov close, and allow him to develop under the watchful eye of K-Lowe/MacT. Schremp isn't that kind of player, who needs to be babysat. So he can go to another franchises farm team, while Mihknov learns the game in Alberta's capital.

On defense, it looks like part 2 of the Pronger trade will stick with the team and play regular minutes. Yes, I'm talking about Ladislav Smid. (Pronounced SMEED). Here are my projections for the defense pairings to start the season.

Smith - Tjarnqvist
Staios - Greene
Bergeron - Smid
Hejda (7th)

Smid has shown glimpses of brilliance, and given Oiler fans an inside look as to why he was the second component of the deal that sent Pronger to Anaheim.
I'm still not confident with the defence, but after watching Gilbert, Syvret and all the rest during the training camp, I am not so worried. And I still think Lowe will make a deal before the trading deadline though.

In net, I'm not one of those Oiler fans that thinks Dwayne Roloson should be our next Prime Minister (although, given Stephen Harper's enjoyment of muzzles, I think someone else should take over the PMO). I do, however, expect Roloson to lead this team. I know that he's never been a starter on any team (fuck you Roger Millions), and that his career record is 97-123 or something like that, but I think as much as Roli surprised us last year, he surprised himself more. And that run has to do wonders for his confidence. Watching him in TC this year, he looks like he's in mid-season form already. Look for Roli to pick up 30-35 wins this year.
Markkannen also looks good, and we all know that Jussi does well for 10 game stretches at a time, which makes his perfect for the back up role.
The man who has really impressed me though is Devan Dubnyk. When the Oilers called his name at the draft a few years ago, I almost defecated in my pants. I thought to myself, the only reason this guy stops pucks is because he covers half the net with his torso! But in the 2 games he played this TC, he let in just 1 goal. And one of those games was against Calgary (who according to Roger Millions, have more depth up front than the Oilers...again, fuck you Millions).
I'm almost ready to write off Jeff Druin-Deslauriers, who will start the year with Schremp in Wilkes-Barre. Now this might be good for JDD, as the Penguins' only goaltending prospect is Marc-Andre Fleury, who will start the year in Pittsburgh. This could mean that JDD will get some playing time this year. Dubnyk will most likely start the year in Stockton (ECHL), but I firmly believe that Dubnyk has moved up to number 3 on the Oilers goaltending depth chart.

Overall, I just want to repeat my earlier messages......The Oil will be fine....and drop the goddamned puck already!!