When I think of Jib Cutters, I think of Dwayne Roloson. What isn't to like about Roli? He's a true professional 100%. He does what is asked of him without complaining. He shows up ready to play every game. And he rarely takes a night off.
At first I didn't know what to make of this "career back up" when he first came to the Oilers in 2006. I thought that Kevin Lowe lost his mind. Why did we pick up a non proven player? It made no sense to me. But...
The 06' playoffs made me a believer. I seen a guy that could not only be composed in all situations, but a guy that was ready for a chance to show his stuff. There was no doubt in my mind that Roli would have won the Conn Smythe if a certain someone didn't push Andrew Ladd into Roli and caused the injury. (That still to this day, pisses me off.) With Roli down and out so was the Oilers guaranteed Stanley Cup. Carolina wins in the 7th and final game. *tear rolls down face*
Fast forward to this year. He went from being a hero, to being the team goat (07/08) and now today, back to hero. I love Roli. He has good "game" as MacT puts it. He is what he is. A capable goalie that will do anything for his team. My favorite part of Roli is when he gets pissed off. He plays better mad. The other teams should know that by now and should just leave him alone. But they don't and when that happens he excels. Another favorite of mine is when he does his patented baseball swing, where he bats the puck down the ice instead of shooting it. It's freaking great. (as long as he doesn't miss it that is.) He has also started using his mask/head this year. He hits the puck soccer style. It really does look cool and it has been effective. His real only major weak spot is his 5 hole. He gets burned there at least once a game. His other weak spot... Glove high. The other team goes for there as well.
Weaknesses aside, Roli is the man. This very well may be his last season with the Oilers. And if it is... we thank you. We thank you for coming into our lives. We thank you for being a professional. We thank you for the commitment when others wouldn't. (Spacek, Samsonov, Pronger, etc...) We thank you for putting the Oilers 1st and family 2nd. (Roli has seen them only 3 or 4 times this year as they are back in Ontario) WE JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING AN OILER. Roli, Roli, Roli!!!
Dwayne Roloson, I like the cut of your jib... you jib cutter you.
I think we'll see Roli back here for another year. He's the difference between this team being bottom feeders and fighting for a playoff spot. Dubnyk and Deslauriers aren't valid options yet, and there's no one on the free agent market who's any better than Roli.
ReplyDeleteThe only variable is his desire to play for a contender... He'll have to go elsewhere for that opportunity.