Pronger's Absence Starting to Be Felt?

As I sit and write this, the Oilers are mirred in a 3 game losing streak that doesn't look like it wants to end. And it doesn't look like the Oilers themselves want to end it either. A 7-3 loss to Colorado, while not enjoyable, is understandable. But a 4-0 loss to Columbus??? The same team that signs a 1 year lease every year to stay in the NHL basement? The same team that signed Anson Carter for 3 mill and have only gotten 4 goals out of the dreadlocked left winger?? Are you shitting me? These Oilers have basically imploded in a matter of 5 days. On Tuesday, I was worrying about Pronger have a good game against us. Now? I'm worried about the Oilers ever getting out of this slump. Now I know this attitude seems slightly pessimistic, but having watched the Oilers in these last 3 losses, I think I have reason to be concerned. The Oilers just haven't been working. They haven't been competitive. And Petr Sykora looks lost out there without Ales Hemsky. And now that the heart and soul of the franchise, Ryan Smyth, is out indefinitely with a broken thumb, I'm almost ready to press the panic button. Guys like Lupul, Horcoff, Pisani, Peterson (how is still with the big club?), Winchester, Thoreson, etc need to step it up. And we shouldn't have to be pointing it out. These guys should relish the opportunity to cement their place in the lineup. At the beginning of the season, all we heard about was the Oiler's incredible depth at forward, and how injuries won't be a problem. But with Lupul the only one close to being in double digits GOALS wise, perhaps the depth isn't what is was trumpeted to be. The problem here is that the Oilers can't get out of their own zone. They can't make that pass that is needed to get beyond the blueline. And it's starting to cause alot of baldness in Oil Country from us pulling our hair out in frustration. Is now the time that Kevin Lowe pulls his head out of the sand and trades for a confident, puck handling blueliner? This guy thinks so. But what does a Liberal viewpoint matter in Alberta?

Speaking of the Liberals, we have a new party leader. Stephane Dion. Is this the man to lead the Grits back to the seat of power? Probably not. Is this the man to re-energize the party and chart a new direction? Maybe. Can we call him Steve? Yes. But in all seriousness, I don't think Dion is the guy I would have voted for, because my support was fully behind Gerard Kennedy. Although, with the way the delegate system works, I, in essence, would have voted for Dion, because Kennedy dropped off of the 3rd ballot and threw his support behind Dion. All I can say is thankfully Ignatieff didn't win. The last thing the Liberals need is a leader who is basically a mini Stephen Harper.

And over here in Alberta, Steady Eddie (Ed Stelmach) is the new premier. Thank Fucking God it wasn't Morton. That's all I have to say about that.