Pikey's Back!!

Hello all 2 of my readers! I'm back from an extended hiatus. What was I doing you ask? Nothing really...other than hopelessly waiting for the Oilers to do something! I was also waiting for my wife to give birth (which she did, to a beautiful baby boy named Iain!)

As far as the Oilers are concerned though, it was a summer that didn't disappoint me too terribly!

Additions:

Joni Pitkanen (D) - trade
Geoff Sanderson (F) -trade
Dick Tarnstrom (D) - FA signed
Denis Grebeskov (D) - signed
Sheldon Souray (D) - FA signing
Dustin Penner (F) - RFA signing
Mathieu Garon (G) - FA signing

Not a bad looking list, other than the fact that we are overloaded on D-men now. Although, we did lose Captain Jason Smith to grab a puck mover (Pitkanen), and haven't replaced his toughness. Maybe Matt Greene will fill that role, maybe not.

I don't really know what the point of this post was, but I truly believe in my heart of hearts, that Kevin Lowe did what he could to better the team.

Post season prediction: Oilers will finish anywhere between 7th and 12th. (real ballsy, I know!)

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!!

Why Do I Even Cheer?

7 straight losses to Northwest Division opponents. I think that is probably the best place to start when it comes to these Dr.Jekyl/Mr.Hyde wannabes we call the Edmonton Oilers.

How are you supposed to win the division when you can't even beat the teams in YOUR division?

Let's look at our esteemed opponents.


NORTHWEST GP W L OT PTS GF GA HOME AWAY L10
CALGARY 43 24 15 4 52 135 110 18-5-0 6-10-4 7-2-1
VANCOUVER 45 25 19 1 51 115 117 15-8-0 10-11-1 8-2-0
MINNESOTA 46 24 19 3 51 131 124 17-4-2 7-15-1 6-3-1
COLORADO 44 22 19 3 47 140 129 11-10-2 11-9-1 5-4-1
EDMONTON 45 21 20 4 46 125 132 13-8-2 8-12-2 3-5-2

How on Earth does Calgary have more GOALS FOR than Edmonton? Where is this vaunted offense that was projected to be the replacement for #44 at the start of the season?
The Oilers are basically 21-25 (when you count the OT losses as losses), with a bit more than half the season gone.
Is it coaching? Is it the defense? Is it the Powerplay? Is it Craig Simpson's hair? I don't know. I really don't know. I do know one thing, though! I can't take this inconsistent play any longer!!

Look at the last 10 games played for each of the above mentioned teams. The only team close to putting up the same putrid numbers as the Oilers is Colorado, but at least they are over .500 (by one game, but over .500 is over .500)

What will it take for the Oilers braintrust, or more specifically, Kevin Lowe, to make a move (s) that will better the team?

I know that puck moving defensemen are a prime target for many teams, but there has got to be some move that K-Lowe can make to strengthen this team.

And to top it all off, I have tickets to Thursday's game against Anaheim, but Chris Pronger has a broken foot, and didn't even make the trip north with the Ducks. I guess I'll have to boo Todd Marchant, or Ryan Getzlaf, or Corey Perry, or Randy Carlyle (like he'd care!)

But on a positive note, the Tragically Hip hit Red Deer on Tuesday, and I'll be there!!! (Hopefully it's not the Lonely End of the Rink...get it? hahaha...I'm so fucking clever!)

And, sorry for the delay, but it's time for the Weekly Shout Out!!!

This Week's Shout Out goes to (insert mirror here)

What? If TIME Magazine can use the cop out, so can I!!

Until next week, or at least the next Oiler victory...

Powerplay Woes Continue

As I sit here, playing with the new All-In-1 HP printer Mrs.Pikey and I got for Christmas, I can't help but think that the Oilers didn't get the powerplay quarterback they were hoping for. I can just see it now....It's December 25th...Craig Simpson wakes up, gets out of bed, and realizes that his hair hasn't moved or changed since 1988. He lumbers down the stairs, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. He looks at the Christmas Tree and instead of a neatly wrapped PP QB in the form of a Peter Forsberg or Chris Drury, he realizes that his PP QB is still Marc-Andre Bergeron. Instead of getting down about it though, he goes into the kitchen to fix his morning coffee. He grabs a cup, puts in some sugar and pours his coffee. Now here is where it gets interesting. He goes to the fridge and grabs the milk. He goes to pour the milk, but before he can, he has to pass the milk to every member of his family, before trying to shoot the milk into his cup. After the milk has been passed around 5 times, Simpson thinks it's ready. He goes to pour, but spills a little on the counter. That counts as a missed shot. So he passes the milk again 5 or 6 times, before trying to pour it into his cup again.

Now, excuse the sarcasm, but that little story is indicative of the Oilers powerplay. (Of course, as I write this, the Oilers have just scored 2 powerplay goals to go up on Los Angeles 3-2).

Someone, I don't care who, but someone in Oilers management needs to realize that the club needs some help.

Ladislav Smid is starting to look a little tired, Daniel Tjarnqvist looks suspect, Jason Smith is battered, Staios is starting to wear, Marc-Andre Bergeron is Marc-Andre Bergeron, and Matt Greene is, well Matt Greene's ok.

But why hasn't Jan Hejda been given a chance. In the 8 games Hejda has played in Oiler silks this year, he's looked good. He hasn't looked out of place, and he hasn't cost us any games. When he was sent down to Hamilton before the Xmas break, he played 5 games in 7 nights and had 3 assists. Give him a shot damnit!

One of the best blogs on the internet (other than mine) is suggesting that maybe MacT give Smid a rest and insert #25. Is there anything wrong with a rookie playing 50 or 60 games, instead of 82. This blogger thinks not. The Oilers desperately need a puck moving d-man, but they also need a reliable veteran back there (another suggestion from Lowetide...see link above). Let's see if Hejda is that veteran.

Oh, and I almost forgot...It's time for the Weekly Shout Out!!

This weeks Weekly Shout Out goes to Atypical Albertan. ATA, after a seemingly endless period of self-imposed celibacy, is back on the horse.

So ATA, you get the Weekly Shout Out, for finally getting your dinky stinky (even if you haven't yet!)

Weekly Shout Out!!

In a new feature here on Oilers By Pikey, it's time for the first ever "Weekly Shout Out!"

This week's award goes to my buddy Sketch and his wife (technically, you've lived together long enough to be considered common-law by the Government Of Canada).
Sketch and the little lady bought their first house in Calgary this month, and move in at the end of December. From all of us here at Oilers By Pikey, we give you Sketch, the first Weekly Shout Out!!

On a side note, it doesn't come with any sort of prizing or swag, just bragging rights!!

What will the Oilers find Under the Christmas Tree?

Just 8 days to go until Christmas, and thankfully, I wrapped up the rest of my shopping in an hour and a half today. But if one more senior or father steering a shopping cart hits me in the ankle, I will lose it. But, hopefully, I won't have to go back to the mall..(On a side note, when did parents stop parenting their children....I saw shit today at the mall that if I had pulled as a child, my mom and dad would have beat me senseless...In the words of Dennis Leary "My parents used to beat the living shit out of me, and quite frankly I'm looking forward to beating the living shit out of my kids...before you go calling the Kids Help Line or the RCMP, I'm not advocating child abuse here...I'm just saying some parents need to regain control of their snotty, bratty offspring!!)
But as I speed walked through the mall today, I started thinking...what will the Oilers find under their Christmas tree? The NHL Holiday Roster freeze goes into effect on December 19th, and I have a feeling nothing will happen in Oil Country before that. I still think the Oilers need a puck moving D-man, but a recent article indicates that Kevin Lowe will most likely hold off on making a deal until at least mid-January. So we're back to the original question...what will the Oil find under the decorated Pine Tree? Ales Hemsky came back in last Friday's loss to Colorado, so does that count as a present? Ryan Smyth can't be that far away from coming back, and I would have to think that that would be considered a most kind gift as well. But what I really want to see under the tree is the return of one Petr Sykora and one Joffrey Lupul. Both these guys haven't performed as expected during the Oil's recent injury woes, and with their salaries, they really should be. I know in a previous post, I mentioned that Sykora looked lost out there without Hemsky, but what's Lupul's excuse? Sure, he's a home town boy, playing in front of a very unforgiving home town crowd, and he was the key piece of the Pronger deal, but so far he's scored 9 goals. That puts him on pace for 25 this year. Now, there's no way that I could even score 2 goals at the NHL level, let alone 25, but Lupul scored 28 last year playing on the PP and getting third line minutes. In my humble opinion, Lupul needs to at least match that. But on the flipside, maybe it would help if Kevin Lowe could get #15 a centre he can rely on. Lupul just hasn't clicked skating beside Horcoff, Sykora or Stoll. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how Lupul does with Marty Reasoner, one of the smarest hockey guys on the Oilers in my opinion. Also on the wishlist, the Northwest Division Crown, 2 50 goal scorers, and 1 Stanley Cup.