Showing posts with label Craig MacTavish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craig MacTavish. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tambellini Fired, MacTavish Hired

Every fans dream came true this morning. Kevin Lowe is about to announce that Steve Tambellini has been fired as GM of the Edmonton Oilers.

Tambellini has done a poor job at assessing and move forward with a progressive plan to make the current Oilers better. The fans sigh a collective sigh of relief.

Craig MacTavish is rumored to be the new GM. I believe that MacT will do a better job. Time will tell.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

Monday, June 11, 2012

MacT Is Back!!!

Congrats to Craig MacTavish!!! He's now Steve Tambellini's boss as he's been hired as Oilers Senior VP of Hockey Operations.

The writing is on the wall. It's not if he takes over, but when?

MacT is back!!! Once an Oiler... Always an Oiler.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

Monday, August 1, 2011

Craig MacTavish Joins The Canucks Organization

Since parting ways with the Edmonton Oilers around 2 years ago, Craig MacTavish has been doing television work for TSN and that's about it. Well that's about to change...

Officially today, MacT was hired to coach the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. This isn't new news, because if you have been following the tweets on my twitter page, it was retweeted when Nick Kypreos announced it -- unofficially -- on July 16th.

I have mixed feeling about this. I liked MacT and still do. I have great respect for him and I'll always consider him an Oiler. But now, he's a Canuck? That's hard to swallow.

My feelings aside, I'm happy to see him back behind the bench where he belongs. I thought for sure he was going to be the coach of the Jets or different NHL team. Never figured he'd end up in the American Hockey League. I would assume he will have the best shot to replace Alain Vigneault if he's ever fired from the Canucks.

Good luck MacT!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

No More BS. Gagner's on the 4th Line.


You read the title right.  According to Jason Gregor of OilersNation.com,  Gagner is on the 4th line to start the season.  Wow!  Quinn means business here.  Gone is the MacT reign and gone is the "that's ok, you can do it" attitude that we had the last few years.   I am a little stunned that Quinn is doing this, yet very happy about it.

Here is the projected lineup for the 1st game of the year against the fLames on Saturday.

Jacques — Horcoff — Hemsky
O’Sullivan — Comrie — Stone
Penner — Brule — Cogliano
Moreau — Gagner — Stortini

Gagner had two years to do whatever he wants and now it's Quinn's time.  He's in charge around here and he's letting everyone know it. 

He's made it known that Pisani and Moreau were on the bubble in training camp.  He's expressed his displeasure of the way the vets "handle" this team.  And now he's making sure guys like Gagner take this year seriously. 

Way to go Quinn.  I'm liking the cut of your jib.  You might just be a Jib Cutter after all.

Oh yeah... Rob Schremp is an Islander.  Like you didn't know already. #idontknowhowimsupposedtofeel

Sunday, April 5, 2009

The Fire MacT Rally Flops.




"What Rally?" That was the headline on the front page of my edition of the Edmonton Sun. Here is the full story. CLICK HERE


It appears to me like the rally flopped. The organizer Adam Risling, 19, tried to get people to come and show support for MacT to be fired. Good in theory. The grand total of people that actually showed up was seven. The reporters (Sun, Journal, TSN, Sportsnet and HNIC) out numbered the protesters. How embarrassing. I'm sure that was not the amount of people they had expected as the paper says that they had almost 10,000 people signed up to come down.
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But a lot of people that voice their opinions are not really Oiler fans. I see it at work everyday. The Oilers suck in the 3rd, they should only play in the 1st and 2nd. What? They may not even be NHL fans at all. I mean really. Look at that picture on the front page (if you can). One guy has a jersey on. That's it. No one is wearing anything with the Oilers name or logo. No shirts, no hats, no anything. And that in itself is sad. I'm not saying that they are not fans, but wear something. I thought that the fire MacT band wagon was bigger and better than that.

I personally think that doing something like that is a waste of time. Hell, me writing about it is a waste of time. Katz doesn't care what seven people think. He probably wouldn't care what 10,000 regular people think either. (unless they are season ticket holders that is.)

Have no fear Oiler fans. I'm sure that MacT will step down anyways. Relax and enjoy the last three games. Isn't that why we even give a crap about this team in the first place? For the joy of watching? It is for me.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Beers and Jeers # 55 (Apr 4/09 vs. Vancouver Canucks)


*EDIT*

Roli is the oldest goalie to play more than 60 games in a season. Sweet. A record is a record.

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1st Period

Right off the hop Kotalik scores. Yeah! 1-0 Oilers. (Kotalik from Horcoff and Souray at 0:27) Nice start. At 2:03 Peckham has to go sit for 2:00. Oilers kill it off and start to get into the game more. The flow is great, barely any whistles in the first 7 minutes. Roli sure is looking sharp. Somehow Hemsky is the 1st man back and he trips up Burrows and he gets a penalty. WTF?!? First man back? Wow. Lucky for Hemmer the Oilers kill that one off. A short while later Hemsky tries to redeem himself by busting in and stick handling through a crowd and gets hooked by Edler. Oilers PP. They looked crappy. Terrible PP. But the Oilers get another PP at 15:28 and this unit looks a little better. They can't score on this one either, but like I said, they looked better. Just as the period is winding down, Rypien and Stortini want to go. Rypien pops Storts in the face on the first punch. Ouch! They have a good tilt but Storts gets beat pretty good. Oilers come out of the 1st with a goal and a decent start in front of the home crowd.

2nd Period

52 seconds in, Grebeshkov takes a hooking penalty. Not the best way to start a period. Never mind that it's the 2nd and we all know how crap ass the Oilers are in the 2nd. Good thing the Oilers kill that off. The first 7 minutes is good hockey. Great action. Gooooaaaaallll Oilers! Yeah! 2-0 Oilers. (Grebeshkov from Gagner and O'Sullivan at 8:14.) Oh Yeah! Grebs pinched down low and stuck it past Bobby Lou. The Oiler crowd is going crazy and so am I. The Canucks keep pressing with shots on the Oil, but Roli has been great so far stopping everything. At 19:10, Staios takes a borderline BTP late in the 2nd. He was just being over aggressive. Oilers kill off a bit of that penalty and will have to finish it off in the 3rd. Canucks shots so far are 32. Oilers have 16. At least the Oilers didn't get destroyed in this period. That was a first.

3rd Period

With a minute something left on the Staios penalty, the Oilers kill it off. At 1:27, Kesler trips up Grebs and will have to sit in the box. The Oilers can't score but they do have some good chances. Kotalik hits the post. Sundin out powers Staios and for some reason, Staios stops playing just a 1/2 second to adjust his helmet. Just then, Sundin fires it past him and finds Raymond and he scores at 6:51. 2-1 Oilers. WTF Staios?!? Canuck fans at the game are sure loving that. I can't believe how many there are. Gagner grabs the puck in the Oilers zone. He gets to Vancouver's blue line and burns Mitchell with a nice move. He jukes and jives all the way in and slides it past Luongo. Yeah! 3-1 Oilers. (Gagner unassisted at 10:28) How sweet was that move? That was classic al' a Hemsky. Gagner is going to be a really good player in the near future. Wow! Well Souray and Staios were too busy looking at the play in front of them that they forgot to look back. Burrows gets a long pass and breaks in on Roli. Scores. Damn! 3-2 Oilers. Getting scary now. Shortly after that goal, Burrows runs over Roli and takes a penalty. What a moron. If that isn't a BTP for Vancouver then nothing is. Wow! Idiot! Boom!!! Souray fires one into the net. 4-2 Oilers. (Souray from Hemsky and Gagner at 14:49 on the PP) Crazy folks. This game is getting intense. Moreau takes a BTP late in the 3rd. He goes off for slashing at 16:32. Surprised? Not really. Awwww... The Canucks pile into Roli's crease and jam a PP goal home. Dammit Moreau! 4-3 Oilers. Way to go Captain. So the Canucks pull Luongo and somehow the puck pops out of the neutral zone and Hemsky is free and scores on the empty net. Yay! 5-3 Oilers. (Hemsky unassisted at 18:58) That is the game folks. And it was a good one too.




-------------------

Tonight's Starting Lines

Kotalik Horcoff Hemsky
Nilsson Gagner O'Sullivan
Moreau Cogliano Pisani
Penner Brodziak Stortini

Souray Staios
Grebeshkov Gilbert
Strudwick Peckham

Roloson

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FINAL SCORE

Vancouver Canucks - 3
Edmonton Oilers - 5
--------------

BEERS

Sam Gagner - Gags was great. He was doing everything out there. It did take him a while to get going but once that hapened he was a force. He scores a goal and picks up 2 assists. Good for him. He seems to be fitting with O'Sullivan nicely. His defensive play is good but he still needs to work on his faceoffs (27% tonight). For playing such a great game, enjoy a frosty beer. Cheers!

Dwayne Roloson - Roli the goalie broke a record tonight for being the oldest goalie to play in 60 or more games in a season. He also broke his own personal best for wins in a season. Roli faced a ton of shots (46) and played to the best of his ability tonight. He deserves a nice cold Budweiser. Cheers!

Ales Hemsky - Hemmer had a great game as well. His passing was pretty spot on. He found Kotalik a few times that made me need to see the replay becuase I couldn't figure out how he did it. He scores the empty netter and picks up an assist on the Souray goal. I thought that his gamesmenship was way better tonight. For a fantabulas game... Have a drink on me. Cheers!

Honorable Mentions - Craig MacTavish (He gets win #300 with this win. That's a great milestone to achieve.), Denis Grebeshkov (Had a solid outing and managed a nice goal.), Ales Kotalik (He had a solid game and a nice quick goal. I liked that Hemsky is starting to work with him.), Patrick O'Sullivan (I thought that he did good. Picked up an assist and had 4 shots.) Kyle Brodziak (He played a nice all around game. Did well on the PK.), Shawn Horcoff (He also played fairly well. At least he was shooting this game.)

--------------

JEERS

There is none rally, other than Ethan Moreau's late BTP in the 3rd. Good god man. Boooooo!

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2 games in a row we take a good/hot team to the limits. Where the hell was that all year?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

*Breaking News* MacT Steps Down and Apologizes to the Fans


APRIL FOOLS.


I know. Not really all that funny. Couple more games it will all be over.


Try and have a good day everyone.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Dear Mr. Belvedere... #2


Dear Mr. Belvedere,


Sometimes I sit outside and pick flowers. (They love me... they love me not... They love me...) Yay! They love me today. (better enjoy it while it lasts) I am sooooooo happy. Yesterday was Valentines Day and I was lucky that I was on the golf course with my loved ones. Like Liam. He is such a nice boy. Very polite and such a hard worker. I really think that people are really starting to like him. (I told you so!) He mows my lawn. He washes my car. He opens my beers for me. He even has dated my ugly daughter. He's great. He even polished my knob on my handle of my club. He is really showing this squad how to be a weiner. (I mean winner but I have no white out) I just wish he could actually play hockey. Oh well.... at least he is winning the hearts of at least a dozen fans.


Sometimes I have to wonder why the general public hates me so much? What did I do that was so wrong? Come on! Pisani at center was a good idea. And it wasn't my fault that Cole can't play the left side. Isn't that where he started playing in minor hockey? I mean really... he's left handed! And if I didn't play Smid on the 4th line then no one would believe me that he couldn't play as a forward. So none of this is really my fault. It's their fault. I played for many years with no helmet and that didn't hirt me at al.


So here goes another road trip and I hope the boys can just be like Liam. Oh yeah. I have been doing those exercises that Dr. Kuckobryd recommended. I look into a mirror and I tell myself. "You are a winner! You are great! You are smart!" You go guy!


Thanks for listening,

C. MacTavish


*not an actual letter. Just some made up, lame humour by Smokin' Ray Burnt*

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Beers and Jeers #31 (Feb 11/09 vs. Montreal Canadiens)


Welcome back everyone. Life has been interesting. Lubomir Visnovsky has a dislocated shoulder and is out for the remainder of the season. Ouch! Both literally and figuratively. It's a huge loss and I'm not sure how the Oilers plan on replacing him. A trade? Minors? What's the plan?


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The Oilers are sitting in 10th with 56 points. Not great, but really... not bad considering that Dallas is in 5th with 59 points. Still time left for a good push. I am still not hitting the panic button. Yet.


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Jaromir Jagr may just be an Edmonton Oiler after all. Not this year, but very much a possibility for next year. David Staples broke the story yesterday and I was also sucked into the excitement. But even though it won't be able to happen this year, I have no doubt that we should take a chance on him next year. What's it going to hurt? Just not Sundin/Hossa money please.


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1st Period


The game is starting and I still can not believe how many Habs fans there are. Montreal gets out to a great start by getting the 1st shot away. This game seems like it's going to be a good one. But soon after (4:30) Gagner draws a penalty. MacT sends out the Kid line. Gagner ends up whacking in a rebound and scores. 1-0 Oilers. Gagner (5:41) from Nilsson and Cogliano. I love being the 1st team to score. It feels nice. It seems like all the lines are working tonight. At the 11:00 minute mark Hemsky looks like Hemsky and pulls off a sweet toe drag move but..... didn't score. Nice move though. Holy crap! The 4th line does score... Stortini scores his 3rd of the year. (watch out Gagner!) They provided good pressure to the Montreal defence and managed a goal. Stortini (13:31)from Gilbert. 2-0 Oilers. 10 seconds later the Oilers score again. Cogliano scores the 3rd goal of this game assisted by Moreau and Pouliot. Crazy!!! 3-0 Oilers. Montreal is stressing out now. But I guess we all know how that feels, right Oiler fans. It feels nice to be on this side of the fence for once. Oh no. Hemsky scores now. Geez... 4-0 Oilers. Hemsky (19:34) from Penner and Horcoff. All 4 lines have scored a goal in this period.(well sort of. Gagner's goal was on the PP with 12 and 13). 10 seconds later the Habs do get on the board. Dandenault is the goal scorer. End of period score : 4-1 Oilers.


2nd Period


Well that was the best period the Oilers have played in.. in... a long long time. Let's hope the 2nd goes as well. No mercy boys. No mercy. The start of the period has good flow until Stortini takes a high sticking penalty at 2:35. But shortly after that, the Habs fall into penalty trouble. Twice. The Oilers have a 5 on 3 Power play for 1:32. And they blow it. On a side note: Quinn and Brown say that Grebs won't be retuning today. (I wonder if Reddox can take his spot. Jk.) With Smid in the box a little while later, Brodziak gets a short handed breakaway (11:40). Scoooorrrreeeesss! Holy cow. 5-1 Oilers. Brodziak from Strudwick and Gilbert. This is awesome. But do you know what isn't awesome? Taking a puck in the face. Ouch! Souray takes some rubber to the nose. No worries. It builds character. Then at 17:19 Penner hits one of the crossbar and in. The Oilers score again. Penner from Hemsky and Horcoff. Is this the Chicago team that has been here? 6-1 Oilers. Right at the tail end of the period Souray takes a penalty and one minute will be carried over to the 3rd. End of period score : 6-1 Oilers


3rd Period


The 3rd period started of pretty good for the Oilers. Killed off the rest of the Souray penalty. The flow from all 4 lines has been exciting to watch. The Habs started to get into penalty trouble again. At 5:53 Reddox scores to make it to seven. 7-1 Oilers. Reddox from Gilbert and Brodziak. This is crazy. However, 4 minutes later the Habs finally pop their 2nd goal. 7-2 Oilers. The part I hate the most is when there is a break in the game and Quinn and Brown carry on with some dribble of banter. Most of the time they make no sense. Or they state the obvious. Well... Montreal takes their 7th penalty of the game. And the Oilers smell blood. What's going to happen? A freaking huge save by Roli that's what. WOW! That was highlight reel stuff. Roli! Roli! Roli! 3:34 left in the game and I still can't believe that the score is 7-2 Oilers. Awesome stuff. It's about time that it's us and not the other team running up the score.


-----------------------------


Tonight's Starting Lines


Penner Horcoff Hemsky (This was a good line tonight. Hemsky was looking back to normal. Penner was full of energy. Horcoff was better than we have seen in awhile. Very Effective line.)


Nilsson Gagner Cole (This was also a pretty good line. Well Cole wasn't that good. But Gagner and Nilsson looked really energized tonight. Good speed. Effective Line.)


Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (This line was pretty decent tonight. They worked hard and it payed off with a goal for Cogs. All three were good. Effective Line.)


Reddox Brodziak Stortini (This line was WAY better than I could have ever expected. Stortini seems to be on a real tear right now. Brodziak has also been good since the dog house bit with MacT. Even Reddox scored. Pretty Effective Line.)


---------------------


Final Score


Montreal Canadiens - 2

Edmonton Oilers - 7


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BEERS


KEGGER!!!


All the boys really deserve a beer. I don't really want to single anyone out. But Hemmer and Roli were great. Sam Gagner was slick tonight. Gilbert had 3 assists. Stortini was a man on a mission. MacT didn't make any changes during the game. Life is all good now. So Cheers everyone! It's kegger time.


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JEERS


No one was really stinky tonight, so no Boo's from me. Although I wonder what is up with Erik Cole? He wasn't great tonight and didn't really play much but he did block 3 shots. So is he hurt or just crappy right now? Or maybe he wants out?


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The next game will be on Saturday at 2:oo vs the LA Kings. They are hot right now, so that will be a good test for the Oil. Hopefully this win tonight can instill a little more confidence on this team as they prepare for the stretch run. Go Oilers!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Blame Game #2


Well we wake up after a hard night of drinking. (we all did it after that game) Who's on at 10:30 this morning? Detroit is playing in Pittsburgh. So we better not hear any excuses after this game about playing early twice in a row. Detroit is doing it as well... only earlier.


So after another loss like that, questions need to be answered. And not the usual answers that MacT likes to dish out. Be honest here. Tell us that you panicked. Tell us that the game was out of control so quick that you had no idea how to react. Tell us that you screwed up. Again. My good buddy Whitey writes to me last night, "I'm really starting to think a change of coach is the best thing for the Oilers, 9 years is too long. Time for a new voice/message." Seriously... How can I argue with that anymore? In the past I have. I've fought it to the death. But my fight is getting smaller. I just maybe calling over to JSBM and have them swing by with the old firemactbandwagon to pick me up. I may be going on a wagon ride.


It's not just MacT though. Even Moreau beats around the bush. Just say "I sucked as a Captain yesterday and I didn't play to my full potential." Don't tell us it's a process. We don't want to hear that. Time is running out. A process my ass! Win. Or at least try to win. Play hard. Check hard. Shoot hard. Try and start there. Pfft... a process. *shakes head* I want a NEW captain. We deserve a new captain.


To me I have the most problem with the guys up top. Tambellini and Lowe. I don't know who really has the authority to make a trade. And let's be honest... I don't care. But when Garon was traded for Stone and Sabourin, Tambo said that Sabourin was only temporary. He said that he will be moved. Where is this deal? Where is any deal? Is there no one to "dance" with? The Oilers have been linked to Bouwmeester and Spezza and Lecavalier and nothing has been done. Why? Jason Gregor made a great list over at OilersNation.com. These are good candidates for Tambo or Lowe to act on. What's the deal with Cole? Is he the next Sykora? Likes it here but the team is moving in a different direction? Why not pick up Doug Weight? What's the hold up?


Lots of questions... not many answers. At this point we need to blame all of the organization. Management, Coaches and the Players. The Oilers are in 9th as of this writing and all is not bad. It just needs to be better. It can be better. Minnesota in 1/2 hour. GAME DAY!!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Beers and Jeers #27 (Feb 3/09 vs. Chicago Blackhawks)


To start the night off, I'm relaxing and I'm playing with my daughter. I better check out OilersNation tonight. What? Someone says it's a PPV. I look on my wallpaper made by the Edmonton Oilers. It says it's on Sportsnet. Can the well oiled machine we call the Oilers make a mistake like that again? (I say again because they did this last month too.) Surprise! You have to pay to watch them lose. I wonder what the PPV record is? I think I have only been satisfied 3 times this year. Whatever, they better win or they should have the team come door to door and hand me/us a refund for every crap game that I/we pay for.


--------------------


1st Period

- The game started off with some great action and massive amounts of intensity. There was some big hits from the 4th line. Stortini even managed cause a bit of emotion by throwing a couple of real nice hits, which Matt Walker to exception to. The two fought and it was a draw. 10 seconds later Moreau goes down behind the Hawks net and flicks it. It deflects of a stick and over the net and knocks of of Huet and goes in. Talk about lucky goal. Try and do that one twice. The halfway mark poses a bad time line for the Oilers. This is when the defensive blunders begin and never really go away. Chicago slowly picks up the momentum and pace. This can't be good. The Oilers escape the period with the lead 1-0. Lucky us. So far so good. Well... Roli was good. One of the main reasons the Oilers are leading.

1st line-Not Effective, 2nd line-Effective, 3rd line-somewhat effective, 4th line-Effective


2nd Period

-Started out pretty good. Came out hopping. But wouldn't you know it. Who takes a penalty? Moreau (surprise!), and Chicago scores (double surprise!). Tie game and the momentum has changed. I guess this nullifies the fluke goal he had in the 1st period. Now he's back to being just average. Hmmm. From this point on the Hawks had their way with the Oilers like they were in prison and the Oilers were newbies. At the (approx) 13:00 mark of the 2nd period, the PPV crew just so happened to show the shot clock. 27-9 in favor of the Hawks. Nice. Good thing for Roli. But 3 minutes later Chicago scores and makes it 2-1. So much for the 1-0 lead after the 1st.

1st line-Not Effective, 2nd line-Effective, 3rd line-Not Effective, 4th line-Effective


3rd Period

-Of course, Chicago comes out of the gate firing like a old guy from the old days. You know... the guys with guns. Chicago was owning this period as well. I really thought that this was going to be an Oiler period. I guess I was wrong. (what's new?) At about the 5:52 minute mark Visnovsky goes in to throw a hit to one of the Hawks but doesn't really get all of him. Boom! Shoulder pops out. Damn that's gotta hurt. I suppose he will be gone for a couple weeks. (unless he is like Mr. Gumby Stortini?) That sucks. The team really needs him. However the Hawks take a penalty and the Oilers go on the PP. MacT sends out Gagner / Horcoff / Hemsky / Souray / Grebeshkov. They look good, but do nothing. And wouldn't you know it... the Hawks score 2 minutes later after they kill off the penalty. Son of a gun. 3-1 Hawks. Chicago continues on dominating this game. The Oilers do get a chance at the end of the game with a PP. MacT even pulls Roli. But no deal today. Hemsky even gets a nice feed and goes in on a breakaway. But doesn't score. And that's the final buzzer. Thank god!

1st line-Not Effective, 2nd Line-Effective, 3rd line-Not Effective, 4th line-Effective



----------------------------


Tonight's Starting Lines


Nilsson Horcoff Hemsky (This line sucked tonight. They had zero chances and were out played all game. Hemsky was rocked a few times and made him puck shy. He wasn't the same all game. Maybe the concussion is back? But what's Horcoff's and Ricky Bobby's problem?)


Potulny Gagner Cole (I quite liked this line. Gagner seemed to fall down a lot in the 1st. I wonder if his ankle isn't quite as good as they say it is? Potulny is a great player. He compliments Cole and Gags quite nicely. I would expect these guys to do well on the next 3 game roadie.)


Moreau Cogliano Pouliot (Moreau was going good in the beginning and then petered off half ways through the game. Pouliot started sucking from when the anthems were played. Cogliano wasn't noticeable tonight. That's not really a good thing.)


Penner Brodziak Stortini (This line was quite good. Lots of energy (I know... Penner and energy sound weird together) Lots of Jam as MacT likes to say. They created good scoring chances and were providing all the big hits. Maybe this is the new 3rd line?)


-----------------------------


FINAL SCORE


Chicago Blackhawks - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 1


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BEERS


Dwayne Roloson

- If anyone on this team is deserving of a beer it's Roli. The man does what he can every single game. He is everything a team looks for in a goalie. (except his age) Roli made 41 saves tonight. In fact, have two beers Roli. One to drink and one for the bruises. Cheers!


Honorable Mentions

- Ryan Potulny (I liked the way he played tonight. Good all around guy. Smart decisions.), The 4th Line (A great line tonight. see above)


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JEERS


Marc Pouliot

- You only played 12:45 and you managed 3 giveaways. Nice. Pouliot was a big reason why the 3rd line sucked tonight. 0 shots and 0 hits. Not good stats for a checking line guy. I would have to think that Mr. Poo will be sitting out the next game. Silly rabbit... tricks are for kids. Booooooooooooooooooo!


Ales Hemsky

- Look, I understand that your linemates were very crappy this evening. But, after taking those couple hits you seemed to fold like an accordion. Or maybe more like a disappearing magician? Either way, if you want to be counted on to be the "guy" then these are those times when you need to shine. A time to step it up. And you didn't. Maybe if Big Mac was in the line up you may not have had such a rough night. But you were MIA. Until the last 30 seconds. Sorry, but I have no chioce. Booooooooooooooooooo!


The Entire Team

- Quit wasting my god dang hard earned money. Booooooooooooooooooooooo!


The Kevin "What?" Quinn / Rob "Plugs" Brown Broadcast team

- Nice work tonight ladies. Rob Brown was on top of his game tonight. "Kent Nilsson makes a nice pass here... I mean Robert." Wrong decade Plugs. or "he almost scores on the 7 hole" My Wife and I both said "what?" at the same time. I can tell you what hole I would shove a puck in for Mr. Brown though. Rob Brown is a moron, and he gets paid for this?


- Kevin Quinn is no different. He likes to change words. "Oh...it looks like he needs to get a new twig" A twig Kevin? or "he's off to the bench to get a new cue." Wrong sport. Oh these guys are quite a pair. Such a crappy pair of crap. The Oilers seriously couldn't find anyone better? So for the two morons that take a pay cheque to be unprepared for every PPV... Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


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Well that was another dollar wasted. And I'm sure I'll do it again. But until next time...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Beers and Jeers #20 (Jan 15/09 vs. Minnesota Wild)


That was one of the worst games that I have seen this year from the Oilers. On one side, Minny sucks to watch. Probably my least favorite team to watch. On the other side, the entire Oiler team looked scared and timid. Until the 3rd of course. But to little to late. Penalty after penalty can't really help the cause. Plus it makes it hard to make any type of a comeback. Then the bakery opens and turnovers are served to everyone wearing a Wild jersey. (not sure why the stats were not picked up) That was a pathetic game. Just pathetic.


There was two moments that really got me going. The two fights (Smid/Sheppard fight and Souray/Weller fight) I loved how Moreau tried to steal Souray's thunder by trying to get in the fight. Loser. Learn to be a Captain. If anyone should demand anything (firing/trade/demotion) ... it should be the removal of the 'C'. It's not on the right person.


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BEERS


I am giving a beer to both Smid and Souray for their respective fights. They were both entertaining and made me actually excited about something. Smid made his fight look good by throwing the bombs. Good to see him do something. Souray absolutely killed Weller. massive lefts to the skull. A real dandy of a fight. And people really want fighting removed from the NHL? If that fight didn't entertain you then maybe hockey isn't your sport. Cheers to the both of you!


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JEERS


The entire team sucked tonight. I am surprised that I am even writing anything. Horcoff sucked. Moreau sucked. Cole sucked. Penner sucked. Gagner sucked. Cogliano sucked. Roloson sucked. Gilbert sucked. MacT sucked. Everyone sucked. Even Reddox sucked. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


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I really hope that tomorrow's game is better. I'd imagine that Garon gets the start. But you never know... Could be Deslauriers.


With my wife and daughter going home to B.C. for a week, I suppose you will see a little more content on here to read. Maybe a new Mr. Belvedere? Maybe something new all together. Ohhhh.... exciting. Stay tuned.


Thanks to everyone for all the support.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The Blame Game.


Now, I am not a fan of the blame game. Yet people's opinions are being tossed around all willy nilly and things are seeming to be out of touch with the reality of what is actually going to happen. Who do I blame for the Oilers troubles? Not who you think. Read on.


Craig MacTavish

- I know that most people really believe that it is the coaches fault. Is it? Really? I don't think so. I quite like MacT as a coach. Sure his style is a little unorthodox but it works when the players buy into it. He definitely is more of a younger guy coach. His way of helping Gagner and Cogs seems to be on track and working. I am curious on how Steve MacIntyre is going to look when he comes back. He's been working hard at doing whatever the coaching staff has asked. In Bobby Nilsson's case, it's hard to coach someone that really has no effort or desire to get better. I don't think that MacT really has control over the older players (Moreau, Horcoff, Hemsky) If he did he would have put Hemsky on the left side and Cole on his right. But Hemmer says no and the answer is no. End of story. I really believe that it takes Mact a little to long to figure out the older players and how to use them (ie: Peca). Cole has been very manageable this year and I'm sure that is going to help him during the next few months as we move along towards the playoffs. I really think that Cole is going to be a huge impact player by the time we are heading into the playoffs. (we will be in the playoffs this year) So for more reasons than I want to or feel like writing, MacT will NOT be fired this year. If we tank and not make the playoffs then he will resign after the season is over. I repeat. He will NOT be fired this year. Besides... how many coaches are ready to jump a plane and move to Edmonton? Not too many I would think.

Ok. Let's just say for example... I am a crappy worker (player). I come to work and kinda sorta do a little sweeping. I then read the paper for a bit. Then I walk around pretending to be busy. Then I go to the bathroom for 20 minutes. Then oh! Lunch time. Cya in an hour. Then my Foreman (coach) pulls me into his office. He gives me the "we need to be more productive" speech. "Ok. Loud and clear", I say. Then this continues for a couple of days. I seem to get the speech every 2 days for a week. The store manager (GM) starts to see me wandering around. He starts wondering what I am up to. How am I making him any money. Now the company owner (Mr. $$$$) gets wind of this. He's pissed off. So tell me. Who should be fired?

The Store Manager (GM)? Perhaps. He did hire me for $20 an hour. But not likely.

How about the Foreman (coach). Should he be fired because I suck? Maybe. Although he did try and inspire me and really you can only help someone for so long before you come to a realization that the guy that was hired is a moron.

So who ends up being canned? Me (the player) I can blame management all I want. But I suck. So I deserve to be fired. Unfortunately that can't really happen in the NHL. Buy outs are costly. And it's hard to trade nothing for something.

So what am I getting at here? Blame the players for being crappy. It's not always the coach. I'm not saying that Mact hasn't screwed up. He has a few times. I'm just saying it not his fault. Just ask Tampa Bay. or the Islanders.



Kevin Lowe
- Despite the little story that you just read. In this case I do blame Kevin Lowe for 50% of the teams woes. He is the one responsible for bringing in talent and he's the one who makes the deals. In a hockey world this position is very important. A coach can only do so much with what he has. Sure the Oilers are stacked with talent. Small talent for the most part. But that is really a small reason. Well... half the reason.
When the leaders of the team are struggling then the rest of the team struggles too. This isn't new. It happens in all sports. I am the coach/captain of my slo-pitch team. When I am "on", the rest of my team feeds off it and we play well. If I'm not going good then I can hardly expect anyone else to be. Right? I live by the motto "Leadership is Action... Not Position". Ask Messier. No action. No position. Therefore your team will stink too. For this I put the other 50% blame to these three guys.


Horcoff/Moreau/Staios

- These three are supposed to be the leaders. The amount of "power" these three have in the locker room is enormous. These three have not been living up to their leadership position. The last couple of games, Chopper has been good. But before then.... c-r-a-p-p-y. And he's the Captain. Sure I am sure he is good at organizing player functions and all the other crap he does, but we need an on ice leader. Any "A" can do what he does. But the "C" needs to be a game changer. He needs to be able to throw a huge hit or score a goal when you need it. And Moreau hasn't done that for the team.

Staios has not been very good this year. It kinda sucks that his spot is pretty golden. He takes bad penalties at bad times. Almost borderline over aggressive. That is not what a leader is supposed to do. Not one that I would want to play with anyways. I believe that he needs to be moved.

Now Mr. Horcoff. Mr. Money Pants. I liked the 3rd line $2 million dollar Horcoff better. That guy played like he wanted to be 1st line guy. I just see no real effort from him this year. He was a good pk guy. Now he's an ok pk guy. On the PP he is a one trick pony. And other teams now know what he does. That is why last game he wasn't effective. I wonder why people that get big contracts always suck for the first couple of years? The last year is always their best year. So that means we have the next three to four years of the crappy Horcoff. Yay! I always said that he was a great 3rd line guy. He was a good 2nd line guy. But he is an average 1st line guy. We need a awesome guy to be 1st line guy and that isn't Horcoff. So now what? Not sure. A trade? A demotion? That falls into Kevin Lowe's department, the other 50 %.

I'm sure I may have made some people mad at me because of this. But so be it. It's my opinion. And my opinion only. This is not written without thought. It just has been driving me nuts that people want MacT fired. It comes down to the core players. The veterans. Then it falls on Lowe. (how much authority does Tambellini really have here?) Bottom line... I support MacT. There. I said it.

Monday, December 15, 2008

"What Would _______ Do?"




Well I was thinking about doing some Christmas shopping on Sunday and decided to head to the local Wally Mart. This is my daughter's 1st Xmas and I can't help but keep buying her stuff. She's so damn cute. So, I start walking in (with my list of course) and automatically head to the toy section. I used to love this section when I was a kid. Mom and dad would say "meet us at "whatever" time. I'd say "yeah" and I would be gone. I still feel like a weirdo standing there checking out the cabbage patch kids. I feel like I need to prove I have a kid in order to be in the girl section. People are rude for the most part. So I get a lot of stares and whispers.

I look at my list and the spin and dance Uniqua from the Backyardigans is #1. I can see it. There is only one left and I'm 50 feet away. The place is swarming with people. Damn. I need it.

Now I am not all that religious (unless the Oiler's is considered a religion) now a days but I couldn't help but think... People like to live thier lives with the whole "What Would Jesus Do?" So why not the Oiler's right?

"So" I thought. What Would Hemsky Do? Good plan. So I started out doing a fast jog, then I started really picking up speed. WATCH OUT! I jump to the left. Oh no! Spin-a-rama to the right. Almost there. One more juke to the left and back to the right and I'm there...

Right on. It worked. Just as I start to catch my breath, this dude in a suit starts to cut in front of me and starts grabbing for the toy. No way there tie wearing dude. Not today.

So? I quickly thought...

What Would MacTavish Do? I flashed a grin and without a blink I grabbed a hold of the dude's tie and ripped it right off. He stood there speechless as I grabbed the toy and walked quickly away. Take that Harvey the Hound #2

Yeah! (self high 5)

Well now I am starting to feel pretty good about myself. What's next on the list? Baby Einstein Kaleidoscope. Cool toy. Lights up and plays music. Easy to learn colors type of toy. Well... There was two left. Two. Now anyone knows that you never want the front toy because everyone and their dog has played with it already. So you want the one that is way in the back. Right? Well just as I start walking to get it and this lady and her 7 year old kid were heading that way.

Quick think man....

What Would Cole Do? I started running and just as the two of us were reaching "the toy", I pretend to slip on some water and I deliver the best Erik Cole open ice hit on her. BAM! She goes flying to the floor. Yes!!!! I got it. The back one. I help her off her kid and apologize for slipping and make some joke about how crappy the employees are here and I make off laughing under my breath. Sucker.

Now I have one more thing on the list and so far no luck. Oh wait. Is that the new IgglePiggle doll/figurine? It is. Hmmmm.... My girl is going to love that.
What Would Visnovsky Do? I know. He's good at getting in and getting out quick. So I kick it into high gear and do a run by. Successful! I have all three presents that I wanted to get for my princess. Living large and in charge.
So I go heading off to the check out till. Long lines of course. It's Christmas.

As I am waiting in line that jack ass Mr. No Tie guy from the Uniqua episode is giving me the eye. "Screw him", I say. I'm leaving. What could be the harm now right?
So What Would Souray Do? So I gave him that look. You know the look. The "I'm gonna rip some poop up on you" look. Yeah that's right. I'm bad ass. (I'm actually scared but you can't show him that) I finish paying and get my cash back and I start getting ready for the full on winter blast that I am sooooo lucky to receive at this time of year. And here is that hole of a butt, Mr. Suit with no tie guy again.
"Hey", he yells at me. "I needed that toy for my kid."
"So did I" I say back.
"Are you getting smart with me?" he growls.
"Yes I am", I reply.
He keeps getting closer to me. Sure enough he's parked beside me. What dumb luck huh? He looks really angry the closer he gets. Crap once again. What now?
Ahhhh... then it came to me. What Would MacIntyre Do?
What could I do? So I shirted him and started feeding him rights to the side of the noggin'. It shocked him a little. You could see it in his eyes. He starts to cover his head. So I did what Big Mac would do. I started feeding him in the ribs. (I learned from Big Mac that no matter what, you need to hit the opponent somewhere that's vulnerable or otherwise it's a waste of a punch) So I kept swinging until I was satisfied that he was going to be stunned. He fell to the ground and I found my opening to make a run for it. I snatched up all my gifts and jumped into my old crown victoria and sped off quickly.
Next stop... Tim Hortons.
Mmmmmm... Double Double.
Geez... what an afternoon. Next time I am going to send the wife. She's more like Chopper. She just goes in swinging her purse like she's big #18 and her life depends on it. Until next year...
Happy Holidays Everybody!!!

Smokin' Ray Burnt


***TRUE STORY: Based on true events that may or may not have happened in real life***

MacT just try these...


I just want to see a game with these forward combo's. I don't mention defence because I like the pairings.


Penner Horcoff Hemsky


Gagner Cogliano Cole


Nilsson Brodziak Moreau


Strudwick Pouliot Reddox/MacIntyre/Storts/Pisani


Just a thought.


Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Oiler's Jambalaya #1 (Random Thoughts)


Even though we won last night....


That was a stinker for sure. Where is the effort? Does the team know that they were on HNIC? You realise that the whole nation watches you right? And that's how you want to play with your Mom watching? I think that would be embarrassing. One shot after the 1st. Very impressive. Ending the game at 43-17. Yeah! Whooo Hoooo! I swear someone better give Roli huge high five. And maybe some kissing on the feet. Ok. I feel better. But you have to bet that MacT is going to skate you guys hard this week. To top it off, it sucks no Oilers till Thursday. Now what?


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When I first was learning how to play hockey we were taught to play the man and not the puck. Right? This is a fairly easy concept, and it works when executed. So why does the team always go for the puck instead of laying the guy out? Most likely a 50/50 chance of getting burnt. But if you hit the guy then no one is burning anyone right? Like I said Easy concept and it works. Try it sometime.


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Since when are we playing rugby? Or football for that matter. There is such a thing as a forward pass. What you say? Really? We can do that? Generally the good teams pass in the forward direction. I mean really. Why give the other team any help by passing back to your own zone? Move it forward and go and get it. Look... I panic too in hockey sometimes. I get that. But dump it forward and go get it. Don't freak out and pass back to your defence. Then they freak out and next thing you know the other team has possession. Get it? Got It? Good!


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When is Shawn Horcoff going to get some more moves? His only arsenal is by going to the right side waiting for the one timer. Good play... but it can't be the only gun in the pocket. You need more. In the last few games I have seen changes to Penner's game and Hemmer's game. They have adjusted to look like 1st line stars. Sorry Horcoff. You have not. In fact, I prefer the 2 Million Horcoff. At least he tried his butt off. I want a refund on this guy.


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The emergence of Hemsky has been very exciting to a fan like me who has been waiting to see the real Hemsky. I think ladies and gentlemen, he is finally here. He seems really confidant this year and I think he really is trying to be a leader on the ice. He always said it but never really maintained any consistency for a whole season. I say so far, so good.


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I personally can not wait for Big Mac to come back. I hear he is learning to fight better from Rocky Thompson. How scary is that going to be? A better skater, better shape and a better fighter. You better run...


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I truly feel bad for Erik Cole. I do. I think what we have here is another Mike Peca situation. I don't think that MacT really knows how to use him yet. Or maybe he isn't listening to Cole. Either way, I don't think that the fans should be getting impatient with him. It took 60 or so games for Peca to be used accordingly. I expect the same with Cole. Then the Oiler fans will see why we got him in the first place. Mike Peca felt like the fans hated him by the middle of the season and his mind was made up to leave. I don't want the same with Cole. If you can remember... Peca was one of the best players for us in the playoff's. When... Not if, we make the playoff's. Erik Cole is going to be one of our best players too. Us as fans need to be patient. This is going to be a special year. Mark my words.
Until next time.
Smokin' Ray Burnt

Monday, December 1, 2008

Knock, Knock. Who's there? Your Last Chance.






Yeah. A couple of lame jokes to start it off. Yay! But it's a tune that's all to true for Mr. Schremp. Is this really his last chance? Some say yes. Is this a "showcase" of sorts for the team of him? Maybe a package guy to go in a deal with one of the goalies? What if he just so happens to light it up in the next (1,2,3) game(s)? Where would he play if he stays with the Oilers? Who in the top 6 moves down? Lots of questions surrounding this call up. It's really not that simple as the cover of a hockey card suggests. The Mystery of Robbie Schremp.


Right from the get go I was a HUGE Rob Schremp fan. His skills are pretty good. His stick handling is ridiculous. His creativity is Gretzky like (but not really). The kid has all the tools to become a 1st line player in the NHL. Maybe a top notch 2nd line guy. PP specialist. You know... someone useful.
But something is wrong with the situation. A situation that stinks of weirdness. This is a guy that fans embraced because we lost our guy "that female dog Comrie" (we actually aquired Schremp in the Comrie trade) and we were looking to cling on to some hope. Someone young and fresh like Comrie was at first.
Enter Rob Schremp. He had controversy surrounding him from the beginning. His attitude was crummy we were told. Fair enough. Massive skills.... no size, no grit. Damn. Every year since we drafted him I was the 1st person to say "This is his year". "No Doubt about it". "Schremp for PM". But MacT would not have it. The year Schremp led all Oilers in points in the preseason. Mac T said no once again. It really was his size and his ability to be easily knocked off of the puck. Almost embarrassing for him. They told him his problems and he didn't really want to listen. Quite sad really. You would think that you would do whatever it takes to make it and stay in the NHL. Break your balls to get there. Need motivation? Gagner made it there in his 1st try. Year 4 Mr.Schremp and you have played 3 games. You could be a Senator or Thrasher before you know it.
But, hopefully this time around all that conditioning and training he has been doing is going to pay off. Hopefully this time his potential is realized and maybe sticks here with the big club. Hopefully this time the fans that want you to succeed will actually not look like idiots for sticking up for you all the time. I for one will be cheering for him next game. But I don't really understand why him? Why him right now? Why not Brule?
Last chance or Showcase? I guess we are going to find out.
SOMEONE GIVE US THE ANSWERS!!!!

Beers and Jeers #1 (Nov 30/08 vs. Dallas Stars)


Hello,

This is a segment that I like to call "Beers and Jeers". It's basically my 3 stars of the game we all just watched. (But not 3 stars) Due to problems with the puter last night I couldn't get this posted.


BEERS

Lubo Visnovsky
- This man came back from a crazy hard hit during the St Louis game to play in this game against the Stars. I thought he was gone for a week at least. I would still be there in the fetal position sucking my thumb. Good on him for playing today. Plus I heard from SN that he wanted to come back during the St. Louis game. Are you sure this guy isn't canadian? He went up in my books this weekend. Thank god he isn't another Pitkanen. And his actual game play today was great. Very fast and had his head up quite a bit. Wonder why? Anyways. Here is a beer for Lubo. Cheers.

Ales Hemsky
- I wish I had the talent that he has. He played another good game. I am finally relieved that he is starting to look like that point per game player that we drafted. He just looks comfortable out there. Beer Hemmer? Cheers

Sheldon Souray
- How is this guy not our current captain? He probably poops leadership in the morning while eating a big bowl of nasty flakes. He can't skate worth a crap but everything else he does turns to gold. He played a solid hard fought game tonight. Again. How about a case of beer for Shelly? Cheers great leader.

Kyle Brodziak
- Not much to say but nice goals. Lucky. But nice. Did you and MacT have this planned to make him look good? It worked.


JEERS

Shawn Horcoff
- Not much to jeer here other than he needs to go back to getting the puck out of your own end school. How many times in a row does he shoot it right at the guy coming down on him? I don't get it. Not just this game, but for at least 2 weeks. It drives me MAD. And my wife goes mad because she can't stand to hear me yell at the TV "Damn Horcoff!!!! Get IT OUT man..." A jeer for you Horc's. Boooooooo

Mac T
- Now I am the biggest MacT supporter there is. I like him. I think he's a good coach. The team plays well when they play by the system. But what the hell man? Where was Roli? I thought that if you won you kept playing? You made yourself look at little dumb yesterday. No wonder the goalies are confused. I would be to. But whatever? I'm not the coach. So here's your jeer. Boooooo.

The Whole team
- For the whole team that blew that game. Booooooooo


Smokin' Ray Burnt

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Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.