Time to Polish Up the Clubs!

Four games left in what can only be described as an abysmal season. As most of you remember, July 3rd, 2006 is when it all went downhill. That was the day Kevin Lowe traded Chris Pronger, but failed to replace his 30 minutes of icetime a night! There's a very interesting debate going on over at Oilfans.com right now, outlining what UFA is on every Oilfans wishlist.

Personally, mine looks like this.

1). Brian Rafalski (NJ)
2). Kimmo Timonen (NSH)

Those are the 2 UFA defencemen I want to see K-Lowe make a hard charge for. They may not be as big as the gaptoothed wonder, but they can move the puck, make smart decisions with and without it, QB the PP, and play top minutes. Plus, it doesn't hurt that they have experience on the blueline, something that has been devastatingly exposed by opposing teams this year.

Forward Wishlist.

1). Scott Hartnell (NSH)
2). Paul Kariya (NSH)
3). Petr Sykora (EDM)

I know that Petr Sykora is already an Oiler, but I would like to see him back in Copper and Blue next season. The only thing that scares me with #71 is that he is absolutely invisible without Ales Hemsky. Scott Hartnell would be a great addition to the club, and Kariya...well that's a Pikey Pipe Dream.

With the cap expected to sit somewhere around $43 Million in 2007-2008, methinks K-Lowe will be allowed to spend $40 M. This will be the season that makes or breaks Kevin Lowe. I just hope he's prepared to spend what is needed to get this club confident and back in the playoffs.

Oh yeah, and Calgary sucks.

And just to take a jab at Atypical Albertan...the guy gets a girlfriend and forgets how to return messages. HEY ATA....you can access your voicemail by pressing #98! You can also answer text messages by hitting REPLY! Learn it, use it! Fucker!

And We Let The Ryan Smyth Chapter Close Forever...

It hurts me. It physically hurts me to see this. But I also wanted to make one last remark with regards to whole #94 affair, before closing that chapter for good. A colleague of mine summed it up best with this little essay (ok, it was an email that he sent out unsolicited to people...some who care, some who probably don't).

"No disrespect to Ryan Smyth, we all love Smytty, the guy is unreal, for a multitude of reasons, which we all know of.

That being said, no one player is bigger than the team.

This has been a tough year for a number of reasons. Loss in Game 7, Pronger screws us, slumps to Lupul, Horcoff, Torres, Pisani.

The exodus of Spacek, Peca, Samsonov to free agency, and now the latest rash of injuries. (Moreau, Stoll, Smyth for 10, Hemsky for 5, Smid, Staios)

We're NOT making the playoffs, and Smyth wanted the next 5 years at 5.75. Is he worth it?Yes. Again, that being said.

This team, WITH Smyth, (having a career season) was not a playoff team this season. The reason why?

No Pronger...or for that matter, any semblance of an adequate defense.

Gilbert, Smid, Syvret, Greene...all good, but all very young, all nowhere near what we need. The impact a number one defenseman can have on a hockey game, or a hockey season, cannot be overemphasized.

Why then, would Kevin Lowe sign Smyth, when that money can be allocated to this teams real need, which needs to be addressed in the offseason.

Kevin Lowe was making a statement...again....NO ONE PLAYER, is bigger than the entire team, and THIS team, is one being built, and rightly so.... around one of the most talented players int he NHL, the 22 year old, ridiculous, Ales Hemsky.

Come next season, with 3 first round picks to come, Cogliano, Schremp, Gilbert, Chorney, Pouliot, Syvret, and now Nilson and O'Marra in the system, its the time for a new identity.

Horcoff, Torres, Stoll, Lupul, Smid , Hemsky,...all under 25, all signed long term. as much as we love Smyth...at 31 years of age....this is THEIR time.......and we just opened up 6 million dollars on the books, and have 3 first round draft picks to help in our bidding.

This was a terrible year..a wasted year, a sad year, a year in which everything went wrong.

But we will be better for it.

Kevin Lowe KNEW that..and the backlash he was willing to take to make this deal, makes me realize it all the more.

Go Oilers." - Andrew Walker

And now onto the next chapter....why the Oilers can't score, and why the Refs need new jobs!

When Do Oiler Fans Get a Refund?

Over the last few days, all we've heard here in "Oil Country" (nice gimmick LaForge...by the way, you're a douchebag!) is that GM Kevin Lowe had to trade away Ryan Smyth. Every talking head within the organization is saying that it's a business decision, it's a business decision, it's a business decision. Yes we get it. But I think it's high time Oiler fans starting excercising their own "business decisions"! Since February 27th, the Oilers have looked deflated, disorganized, and almost like they just got kicked in the balls. This is not hockey that Oiler fans should be subjected to, let alone put up with. Not only did I pay to go to Thursday's game against the Wild (5-0 Minny...Oilers extend shut out streak to 140 or so minutes), but I drove up from Red Deer! What a waste! It was so bad, that by the end of the game, I was cheering for the Wild!!! Not that the EIG cares, but I'm going to make a business decision of my own now, and that's to make sure none of my hard earned cash goes into their pockets, unless they put a decent product on the fucking ice! Are you listening Cal Nichols? Get your shit together, put some cash into the team, or you won't get any of mine! I just wish other fans would do the same!

On a side note to the National Hockey League Officials Association - your employees are a joke. Maybe some of them should learn how to do their jobs before you give them a whistle!!