Showing posts with label Ladislav Smid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ladislav Smid. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Questions & more Questions in "Oilerland" pt 2 LADISLAV SMID

As mentioned in pt 1,  between the MSM of TV and Radio, along with all our Oiler bloggers on the Internet and fans on twitter and Facebook, the world of hockey has some real crazy talk happening out there. Sure some stuff sounds quite interesting and plausible but some stuff does not even make sense. Sometimes it is simple deduction in figuring out what is ludicrous or what has possibility.

When trying to wade through the mud of the dirty waters of rumours and speculation, all you have to do is consider the few facts in front of you.When a team is over the cap, very low % of a chance that a team in that standing will trade for a player who has a high salary. It is unlikely a team will trade for a player unless they believe they can help their organization especially at the cost it takes. All those small details need to be figured out.

The great insiders of the game don't just have a GUY, they have people who know or have heard that people are talking. They then do simple deduction of what are the different possibilities and demise from that conversation. After all that is done, they throw out that rumour possibility and then check out the reaction from the players, agents and the NHL clubs. Depending on what they hear, they either move forward or pull back off of the rumour. Very seldom, the great insiders know actual facts from directly within until it looks like it is almost all but over and the contract is all but signed.

Ladislav Smid;

Smid has been speculated to be traded several times since he arrived in the Chris Pronger trade to Anaheim. He was considered a 'gem' yet Smid has always been what he is today with the exception he is bigger, stronger, and more mature.Smid is what every team is looking for. The truth is, he fits perfect into that #4 slot on the second defence pairing for even the best of teams. Don't believe me, just ask some GM's, coaches, players and  play by play or colour broadcasters. 

Awhile back the team that sought him out the hardest that was confirmed was Nashville. What was the best being offered for him then? Johnathan Blum. What? Yes, and several Oilers fans wanted it to happen. At his cap, his term, his love for the city and being with a woman from Edmonton makes him a player that Edmonton would be crazy to trade. The only way he moves out of Edmonton is , if a solid player is coming back to put into a 1 or 2 spot in our roster,

Unfortunately for Smid, he has been put into a top defence pairing role and playing behind his minutes against the other teams best offensive players and sometimes people are judging his play on that. Smid, has been a warrior for us and removing him from this roster would be a big mistake IMO.

There have been lots of inquiries into Smid this past off season but it is appearing more and more like MacT likes what he sees or at least for now. Some believe MacT is not a big believer in Smid but I don't see it. I think he knows what he believes and Dallas Eakins will love this guy. My only hope is Dallas Eakins uses him properly in his role and does not continue to have him playing to far over his head. 

Likely his name will continue to be put out there, but unless your getting a Braydon Coburn or better, it is not worth the gamble to let such a good player go. Edmonton has developed and invested in Smid for years and when he is finally a strong commodity we sell him off? Not this time folks, Smid is mostly home grown, tried and tested in Oiler silks and will likely continue to be around for a few more years yet.

NEXT POST: 
Rev's Preliminary 2014 NHL Draft Prospects 
(a early look into the names of tomorrow)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Season Starts Tonight! But Not For The Oilers...

With the brand new NHL season getting started tonight, us Oiler fans will have to sit and wait till Sunday. Boooooo!

But until the game starts, we let our minds wander and we drive ourselves crazy with anticipation. What lines will Renney run? Who starts in net? Will Smid be back from his injury? Will the Oilers acquire another Defencemen?

Let's take a look.

-----------------------------------------
LINE COMBOS FROM OILERS.com

Hall-Nugent-Hopkins-Hemsky
Smyth-Belanger-Eberle
Paajarvi-Horcoff-Omark
Petrell-Lander-Jones

Peckham-Gilbert
Sutton-Petry
Barker-Potter

Dubnyk
Khabibulin

Not sure I agree with this at all. I'd rather have Belanger and Lander switched. I just don't see Belanger as a #2 guy and Lander could really use some quality line mates like Smyth and Eberle.

I'd probably switch Eberle and Hemsky too.  Can't resist a Smyth/Hemsky combo can you?

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

MY LINE COMBOS (Power Play)

Hall - RNH - Eberle
Gilbert - Petry

Smyth - Lander - Hemsky
Barker - Omark or Paajarvi

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

RUMORS AND STUFF

- There is talk going around that the Toronto Maple Leafs are interested in Sam Gagner.  Not sure how much truth there is on this, but Sportsnet analyst Doug McLean said today on the radio that he was asked about Gagner by some Leaf management the other day and he thought it was strange.  So there is legs to this story.  No word if the Oilers would actually deal Gagner for a defenceman.

- As of right now the Oilers have not claimed a defenceman off of waivers, so expect more rumors to be flowing more and more as the days go by.

- Ladislav Smid has not been put on injured reserve and that's a good sign. Same goes for Taylor Chorney.  With both of those two returning in the future, the Oilers won't have to make a deal for a defenceman, even though they should.

- Taylor Fedun, Ryan Whitney, Ben Eager and Sam Gagner are all on the injured reserve list.

- After a good preseason, there's no doubt that I'd roll with Devan Dubnyk for the first game.  He deserves a shot to run with this team. He looks ready.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Monday, February 8, 2010

B&J #115 Edmonton Oilers vs Phoenix Coyotes Game Recap (2/8/10)



Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? OK. It came down to the Oilers skating on the ice for Quinn to decide. Stortini sits out and Gagner has flown home to have his knee checked out. So means that Nilsson and Brule are back in the lineup after sitting for a few games. Staios and Smid are back in and Chorney and Plante have been sent back down to Springfield.

- If I'm not mistaken, the Oilers are going to announce that the Oilers new farm team will be in Oklahoma City next season. Thanks Springfield Falcons, it's been a slice.

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

Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (18-33-6) at Phoenix Coyotes (35-19-5)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Potulny-Nilsson
O'Sullivan-Pouliot-Brule
Moreau-Horcoff-Pisani
Jacques-Cogliano-Comrie

Grebeshkov-Gilbert
Smid-Visnovsky
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Pitton

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast You can also join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**


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

FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 1

Phoenix Coyotes - 6

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

GAME VIDEO REPLAY

*coming soon*

------------------
BAD TIMING PENALTY

None - It was a blowout. A bad penalty wasn't going to change anything.

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

BEERS

None - They were that bad.

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Gilbert Brule (I liked his hustle and drive tonight. He tried to prove Quinn wrong.), Dustin Penner (He was the only Oiler at +1. He also scored the only Oiler goal.), Ryan Potulny (He also played with some jam. He had 5 shots and was 58% on faceoffs.), Ladislav Smid (He played a pretty decent game. He had 2 shots and 2 blocked shots.), Robert Nilsson (He was not very flashy, but he had 6 shots on net. He also picked up the assist on the Penner goal.), Tom Gilbert (I have liked Gibby's game for a while now. He's been the most consistent Oiler on the back end lately.)

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

JEERS

Shawn Horcoff - Man was he terrible. Error after error. It was just embarrassing to watch these 3rd line guys. When you talk about an epic fail, talk Shawn Horcoff. Booooo!

Ethan Moreau - Tied with Staios for a team worst -4. ~Sweet!~ Boooooo!

Steve Staios - He was cause for a few of the Coyotes goals tonight. He was just plain bad. Not a great first game back. He was tied for a team worst with -4 and he had no hits and only one blocked shot. Boooooo!

Jeff Deslauriers - Wow did he suck. Soft goals looked even softer against him tonight. Games like these don't help the GAA. Jeff looked bad and probably would be the first to admit it. Good try, but Booooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Fernando Pisani (He was lumped on a bad line with two bad hockey players. It seems to be soaking into Pisani. He wasn't very good tonight either.), Jason Strudwick (While I don't put a lot of blame on him - he has very little skill - he was brutal tonight. He did drop the gloves though, but was beat),

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - Wow that was painful to watch. Even more than the other bad losses lately. The Twitterland was full of pissed off people. (check the TweetCast recap box above) It gets harder to be positive for these guys. It gets harder to believe that Pat Quinn is the right guy for this job. It gets harder to just simply turn on the TV. But I do it. I love this team - well, not the current one - and I'm here for everything, good or bad. I'm here for that blue and orange logo. I'm here for the oil drop. But most of all... I'm here for the hardcore and best hockey fans ever. The Edmonton Oiler fans kick ass and we deserve better. You deserve better. Patience I guess.

Paq Twinn - *coming soon*

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

POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS

**Check Back Later**

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

GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs. Anaheim Ducks

Wed 10/02/10
8:00 PM
TSN

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Thursday, January 21, 2010

B&J #108 Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks Game Recap (1/20/10)


Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? The revolving door continues. See the Starting lines for the players playing in this game. It's getting hard to keep track.

- WANTED: Oilers Jambalaya is looking for a couple of new writers to contribute here at OJ. Have you ever wanted to say your piece and didn't know how or where to start? Do you have a serious passion for the Edmonton Oilers? If so, then send me an email to smokinrayburnt@yahoo.com

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

CHL PROSPECTS GAME HIGHLIGHTS
(Call It A Glimpse Into The Future)


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

Pre-Game Records

Vancouver Canucks (28-12-2) at Edmonton Oilers (16-27-5)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner Gagner Cogliano
Nilsson Potulny O'Sullivan
Moreau Horcoff Pisani
Jacques Pouliot Stortini

Souray-Gilbert
Smid-Visnovsky
Grebeshkov-Strudwick

Dubnyk
Deslauriers

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast You can also join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**


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

FINAL SCORE

Vancouver Canucks - 3

Edmonton Oilers - 2

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

GAME VIDEO REPLAY

*coming soon*

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

BAD TIMING PENALTY

Andrew Cogliano - He goes for holding at 15:47 of the 3rd period and the Oilers then proceed to get scored on and the game is tied up.  Not a great play by an Oiler young guy. That's usually reserved for the vets on the team. What gives?

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

BEERS

Sam Gagner - Gagner was excellent tonight.  He was buzzing and generating good scoring chances.  He had 6 shots and a goal to go with those shots.  He was promoted to the 1st line for this game and really took the opportunity to shine.  He was terrible on faceoffs (22%) and that's about it.  I thought he was good enough for a frosty beer. Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - I liked Smid.  He was in your face and hard to deal with and the Oilers need a pest like him.  He may not have been flashy, but he did his job. He laid out 2 hits and also had a takeaway and a blocked shot.  This was a Budweiser game for Smid. Cheers!

Robert Nilsson - This guy has been freaking amazing since coming back from the concussion. Tonight he blocked 5 shots and was creating lots of chances with his speed and slick moves. He may have been moved down to the 2nd line, but he made that line look good as well.  With 18:00 minutes of great play, he deserves a cold one. Bud Light? Cheers!

Patrick O'Sullivan - He had some glorious chances and played his butt off.  It's been quite refreshing watching play the last few games.  Much like Nilsson, he's been great.  The highlight of his game tonight was his 6 shots.  Now if only he could score. Good game Patty. Have a Kokanee. Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Andrew Cogliano (He plays well with Gagner. Keep him there Quinn.), Marc Pouliot (In his second game played, he gets and assist and played good.), Shawn Horcoff (He had a great game at faceoffs. He was 62% and dominated.), Devan Dubnyk (He played well enough to win.  But the refs had a different plan.), Jason Strudwick (4 blocked shots and looked OK.)

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

JEERS

The Terrible Call in OT - I can't believe the way the referee's have been calling games lately.  Grebeshkov was penalized in overtime for a non-call.  It was a dive.  A DIVE!!! Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): The Entire Team (A loss is a loss and the ship sinks a little more.)

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - What a sad way to end a game.  Dubnyk played great, Gagner was flying and Nilsson was still good (go figure).  And... they lose.  Again. *sigh*  Well can it get worse? I guess we will find out.

Paq Twinn - Well that was an awesome game. For the first time in, well I can't remember, the Oilers didn't totally crap the bed. Cogs took a BTP that led to the tying goal and the refs blew the game in OT with a phantom call on Grebs. In the end I believe that we, the fans, got the best of both worlds, one hell of a game and the Oilers lost. Dive for Five baby. Game Grade B-

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

POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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

GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers
vs.
Dallas StarsFriday, 22/01/2010
7:00 PM

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

B&J #105 Edmonton Oilers vs Nashville Predators Game Recap (1/12/10)


Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? Brule is sick once again and that means JF Jacques is back in to the lineup.  Comrie, Khabibulin, Hemsky and Pouliot are still out and won't play tonight.

- After the wonderful mini camp, the Oilers should be a better team right? Right?

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

Pre-Game Records

Nashville Predators (27-16-3) vs Edmonton Oilers (16-23-5)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Edmonton Oilers

Penner-Horcoff-Nilsson
Jacques-Potulny-O'Sullivan
Stone-Gagner-Pisani
Moreau-Cogliano-Stortini

Souray-Gilbert
Smid-Visnovsky
Grebeshkov-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn featuring Smokin' Ray, during the LIVE *TweetCast* at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast You can also join along at our LIVE interactive *TweetCast* right here at Oilers Jambalaya during every Edmonton Oiler game.**



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

FINAL SCORE

Nashville Predators - 5

Edmonton Oilers - 3

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

GAME VIDEO REPLAY



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

GAME SUMMARY SHEETS

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

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

BAD TIMING PENALTY

Ethan Moreau - Of course it's the Captain. I mean really... who else right?  At 14:59 of the 3rd period, Moreau takes the Oilers only penalty of the game and does it in style with another hooking call. The Predators score on that PP and I'm sure somewhere, Moreau is blaming the PK unit for allowing that goal and crushing the teams momentum that it was building for a comeback.  Trade this guy ASAP.

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

GAME STAT SHEET

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

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

BEERS

Dustin Penner - He was a workhorse (22:55 of ice time) and played a heck of a game. His low point was his -2 rating.  However the -2 wasn't really pinned on him. He was playing with everyone and was trying to do everything.  He scored a goal and had 6 shots. All in all, he was trying his butt off and he was good.  Frosty Bud? Cheers!

Ryan Potulny - He had a goal and an assist and played a pretty good game.  Once again he surprises me.  He did the little things right and impressed me with his play.  It`s Miller Time for Potsy. Cheers!

Visnovsky/Smid - The bad news first: Visnovsky had 5 giveaways. Ouch!  The good news: This was a good tandem.  They were great and both ended up +1.  Visnovsky managed an assist on the last PP goal and even blocked a couple of shots.  Smid on the other hand played a smart game.  I liked these two tonight.  Cold beeeerrrr heeeeerrree. Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Devan Dubnyk (He came in in relief and played well. After a few more games, I bet he`s more comfortable out there.), Robert Nilsson (At times he was reckless, but for the most part he was good.), Sam Gagner (The little dude was buzzing out there.  He made some nice plays.) Patrick O`Sullivan (Hard to believe I cursed at him a lot a month ago.  He was pretty decent in this game.)

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

JEERS

Ethan Moreau - TRADE HIM NOW!!! He blew the teams momentum again this game.  He sucks and needs to go. Booooooo!!!

Souray/Gilbert - Wow! Souray was the worst tonight. He was standing there like a deer in headlights all night.  Gilbert sucked too, but not near as bad as Souray.  -4 for Souray and -3 for Gilbert.  Not a good night for these two. Booooooo!

Jeff Deslauriers - He was burned on some tough goals and some weak ones that should be stopped.  He even flubbed up a pass to Gilbert which resulted in a goal for Nashville.  Ugh! What a bad game for JDD. Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): None

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - That sucked bad.  My goat, Ethan Moreau, blew the momentum with a Bad Timing Penalty and that was the game. Sure the Oilers might not have made the comeback, but how are we going to find out?  As of right now, the Oilers only have one win in the last 13 games. Yay team!

Paq Twinn - I was stuck between wanting to laugh and cry for most of this game. It was amazing how little of an effect the two day mini-camp seemed to have had. Despite Quinn and companies best efforts, the Oilers looked pretty much exactly the same. The Oilers did out shoot the Preds but were unable to Pekka Rinne until 7:22 of the 3rd. However, after that goal the Oilers played much better. They started to skate just a little bit harder, and as a result, started to control the play more then they did in the first 47 mins. Had they started to play this way earlier, like say in the 1st or even the2nd, they might have won this game. Pens had a pretty good game and was double shifted most of the night. He scored a PP goal late in the 3rd. JFJ played well, Cogs continued to play with an edge, and Doobie played very well in relief of JDD. Game Grade: D+

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

POST GAME VIDEO REACTIONS



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

GAME STATS

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shot Report

- Roster Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Thursday, 14/01/2010
7:30 PM
TSN

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Reason's for Optimism / Reason's to Cheer




As our collective playoff hopes fade faster then a January sunset, I just wanted to remind people, that the Oilers do have most of the pieces in place for a solid team. Not all is doom and gloom. There's always a bright side to any situation and here's the Oilers silver lining.



The Forwards

The obvious guys are Hemsky, Penner, Horcoff. Yes, Horc makes too much money for his output, but the fact remains, he can be a big part of a winning team. With the emergence of Pens this year, we finally have a big power forward that we have been looking for since we traded Messier and no I don't think they are the same player, other then the power forward part. And then there's Hemsky, that's self explanatory, the guy has mad skills.

The kids that I like on this team are as follows; Gagner, Brule, Stone, Potulny and Stortini. These guys are keepers for sure. Even though they have had "off" games this year, none have been disappointing. In fact I, like most of you, was pleasantly surprised by the play of Stoney, Potsy and Bru, I just didn't see them playing this well for us. I'm not sure guys like Nilsson, Cogliano or J.F.Jacques will be around next season as they could be included in deals during the off season, although the Oilers do need JFJ's size and willingness to hit. And don't forget that guys like Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, who lit up the WJHC over the last couple weeks, are on their way next year too.



The Defence

Of our top six D-men I would only keep three. The guys I would keep to build around are; Visnovsky, Gilbert and Smid. Yes, I would trade Souray. I love the guy as much as anyone, but if this rebuild is going to be done properly, one of Souray or Visnovsky has to be moved. I choose Souray because he is older (by a month) and I think Lubo brings more to this team besides a booming slapshot, it's like choosing between Coffey and MacInnis in my books. Smid is turning into a great defender and Gilbert is still figuring this league out and not playing too badly doing so. Grebeshkov can bring a return in a trade and Staios or Strudwick have to go, as we only need one 7th D-man. With guys like Taylor Chorney, Theo Peckham, Alex Plante and Jeff Petry coming up, we need to make room on the back end.



The Goalies

I, like most in the hockey world, have no idea what is wrong with Khabibulin's back. What I do know is that Deslauriers has some very respectable numbers after 24 starts this season. His save % is basically on par with Khabbi's and his goals against average is better. JDD is getting some extremely valuable playing time with Khabbi out. I don't know enough about Dubnyk to make any assumptions on how he is doing. He has seen some action, but only after sitting on the bench for weeks on end.  So he has been rusty, so to speak, when he has gotten into a game. He does have a short memory though, as he was able to shake off some poor outings for the Oilers and Falcons during the last couple months. The Oilers have to keep JDD in my mind and try to trade or find some kind of loop hole in the CBA to lose Khabbi's salary from the cap hit, before deciding to trade DD.

Final Thoughts

So as you can see here, there are quite a few reasons to remain optimistic about this team. Sure rebuilds take some time, but the Oilers have many of the right pieces already in place. All they need is a season or two of premium draft picks and its off to the races in Oil Country. So as you sit and watch your Oilers lose more often then not for the rest of this season, cheer the little battles being won and the progression of the younger guys as they will carry the load in the next few years, along with *fingers crossed*, *knock on wood* Taylor Hall.

-Paq Twinn-

Monday, December 7, 2009

B&J #93 Edmonton Oilers Recap vs Florida Panthers (12/7/09)




Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? Same lines as last game.  Chorney and O'Marra have been sent back down to Springfield as they are not being used here with the Oilers.

- As I tweeted earlier, Springfield Falcon Kip Brennan is the AHL leader in penalty minutes.  After 27 games he has 137 pim.  I guess this is why the Oilers didn't re-claim Steve MacIntyre a few days ago.

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

Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (12-13-4) at Florida Panthers (11-13-5)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Nilsson-Stortini-Stone

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

------------------
**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at http://twitter.com/OilersJambalaya/edmontonoilerstweetcast**

1st PERIOD

- Getting set for #Oilers vs #Panthers Are you ready?
- Mean Gene, Kevin Quinn and Louie Debrusk are saying their "funny" puns. Let's hope the puck drops quickly. #canttakeit
- GAME ON!
- Man is the #Florida arena empty. But yeah... Let's keep hockey in places it shouldn't be. #stupiddecisions
- Good start to the game. #Oilers are looking good. Vokoun doesn't need stitches yet. #lamejoke
- Weiss rings one off the post. 12:30 left in the 1st period.
- Oilers are just looking for a spark. Who's it going to be?
- Brule nails Ballard. PP for the #Panthers. #wasvokounlaughing
- Oilers kill off the 1st penalty of the game. They looked lousy but killed it off.
- 8:30 left in the 1st period.
- Oilers will get a go at the PP. The shots are 9 for the Panthers and 4 for the Oilers before the PP starts.
- No dice for the #Oilers . They only had one shot on that PP.
- 5:00 minutes left and it's still a 0-0 Tie Game / Quinn is sure rolling out the #1 line often
- There is 4:20 left... umm...  I forgot what I was going to say. #hightimes
- One Minute Left iin the 1st Period #Oilers vs #Panthers / 0-0 Tie Game
- That's it for the 1st Period / The #Oilers better come out flying in the 2nd. This game is their's for the taking.

2nd PERIOD

- 2nd period is underway.
- Horc SCORES on a nice cross crease pass from Lubo. PP goal. 1-0 Oilers  / 16:25 2nd
- Moore scores for the cats, on a flukey bounce. 1-1 Tie Game / 13:51 2nd
- McCabe throws an elbow to Nilsson's head. He'll go off for 2. Oilers PP 12:39 2nd
- The cats kill it off
- Oilers outshooting Panthers 9-3 in the 2nd. 9:45 2nd
- JFJ with a big hit on Allen.
- Gags gets a phantom penalty on a innocent looking play. oh and the panthers had possesion. #whatsupwiththat
- Oilers PK. 5:18 2nd
- Pens and Patty-O get a great shorthanded chance.
- Smid gets called for holding. Oilers PK 2:41 2nd
- Oilers doing a good job on PK. #aggressivePK
- JDD with a big glove save as the penalty expires.
- Campbell tries to throw a big hit on Nilsson. Nilsson side steps and Campbell hits teamate Allen. Both cats are out for the count. #ouch
- Stretcher is coming out for Campbell. #hopehesOK
- Campbell limps off to dressing room. #toughkid
- After 2nd it's tied at 1 a piece.
- Better period for the Oil. Now lets finish this one.

3rd PERIOD

- 3rd period is underway. Shots are 25-16 for the cats.
- Patty-O shoots the puck over the glass. Oilers PK 19:33 3rd
- Moore scores his 2nd of the night on the PP. 2-1 Panthers
- Moore's 1st went off Gilbert, his 2nd went off Staios. #badluckforJDD
- OilersJambalaya says YEAH!!! Visnovsky scores! *breathes a sigh of relief* / 2-2 Tie Game
- Lubo SCORES! as he onetimed a shot past Vokoun, assist to Smid. 2-2 Tie Game 15:00 3rd
- OilersJambalaya says The Dreaded Visnovsmid™ Strikes Again...
- Halfway trough the 3rd and the game is gettin good. #backandforthaction
- Brule wants a piece of Ballard. #watchoutforstick Bru will go off for roughing. Oilers PK 8:27 3rd
- Oilers kill off Bru's penalty.
- 5 min remaing in 3rd. 2-2
- JDD gets lucky tring to play puck.
- 2 min warning
- OilersJambalaya says Why is Staios and Strudwick out there at this point of the game? #Quinnmustbedrinking
- Why are the Oilers so lazy in last few mins of periods. Haven't they learned YET?
- After 3 periods it's tied at 2. #Oilers @ #Panthers Overtime here we come.

OVERTIME

- Oilers are 3-4 when tied after 3, all going to the shootout.
- Is it just me or is Lub the Oilers best player period. #heseverywheretonight
- Oilers get 4 on 3 OT PP halfway through OT
- Horc, Pens, Gags and Souray are out on PP.
- dantencer says Overtime power play that yielded 0 shots on goal for the Oilers. Total blown opportunity.
- Oilers get a great chance with Pens driving the net and taking out Vokoun. Puck goes in but after the buzzer. Oilers going to shootout again

SHOOTOUT

- Cats shoot 1st. Rienprect goes in and shoots, misses the net
- Patty-O tries a deke, Vokoun poke checks him.
- Wiess goes in and JDD poke checks him.
- Nilsson goes in and shoots it off the post and in. 1-0 Oilers
- Olesz goes in dekes to the backhand scores. 1-1 each
- Horc goes in dekes and SCORES! Oilers win shootout 2-1.
- Oilers beat #Panthers 3-2 in the shootout.
- Lubo(1), Moore(2), and Horc(3) get the stars.
- Another solid road game for the Oil tonight. 3 wins in a row, on the road no less. Who saw this coming?
- JDD with 33 saves for the win. Both goals against were flukry redirections off his D
- Thanks for following this *Live* Tweetcast. Next up the #Oilers travel to Tampa to take on #Lightning on Wed. at 5:30. No TV
- dantencer says Oilers 2nd goal has been changed from Visnovsky to Penner. His 16th on the year.

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

GAME HIGHLIGHTS




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

FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Florida Panthers - 2  so

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

BAD TIMING PENALTY

None - This honor goes to Bryan McCabe.  What a bonehead taking a penalty in overtime.  He is kind of like our captain.  A BTP specialist.

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

GAME STATS

Edmonton Oilers Summary
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENARGE)



Florida Panthers Summary
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENARGE)



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

BEERS

Lubomir Visnovsky - He is crazy good this guy.  He picks up both assists on the Oilers only two goal in regulation time.  He can do anything.  He has clearly been our best player since day 1 of the season.  His great play just rubs off on Smid.  If there is anything to complain about, he needs to shoot more.  He has a great shot and it's evident as he is one of the best defencemen in the league in goals.  Super good game!  Feel like a tall glass of Heineken? Cheers!

Ladislav Smid - He just keeps rolling along.  He now has two points in two games.  The streak is alive!!!  He played really good again tonight.  He had an assist and 3 hits.  The guy just keeps on impressing me.  What's next?  Maybe he should get a shot at the shootout?  For another solid game, enjoy a Black Label. Mmmm... thick. Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - A winner of three games in a row.  Since his poop in the bed game, he's been on fire.  He's playing like he thinks he can.  He's damn good.  Do I sound surprised?  It's because I am.  He's exceeded everything that I have expected from him.  It just goes to show that he needs to play more than once every two weeks.  He needs games to stay sharp.  He made big saves and kept the Oilers in this game.  Great job Jeff.  Frosty Budweiser?  Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Shawn Horcoff (He scores his second shootout game winner in a row.  He played well tonight. He played like a leader.), Ethan Moreau (Played a pretty flawless game. 4 shots, 3 hits and 2 blocked shots.), Gilbert Brule (He played with passion tonight and had 4 good hits. He's bustin' his hump and deserves the shot on the 1st line.), Dustin Penner (The big guy had a pretty good game.  He screened well, and picked up a goal from a Visnovsky shot.  He continues to get points.),  Sheldon Souray (He was a mean beast tonight.  He had some great hits and played a pretty responsible game.  He needs to shoot more.), Robert Nilsson (He continues to impress me since his return.  He picked up an assist tonight.)

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

JEERS

Jason Strudwick & Steve Staios - This pairing sucks.  I can not wait until Grebeshkov comes back (he started skating with the team today).  Strudwick is a terrible player.  I know... I've said it before, but it's true.  He's terrible.  The only stat he had was 2 blocked shots.  *throws arms up in the air* And Staios... he's just starting to become Strudwick II.  How they were given that much ice time is beyond me.  Especially late in the 3rd and those two are out there.  Scary stuff.  Please Quinn... let these guys go. Boooooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): None

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

GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - You guys are supposed to suck.  It's hard to hate a guy who's good.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - Same with Bobby.  I need to boo people.  Your not helping the situation.

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - I though that it was a boring game to watch at times.  It's never fun to watch a game that's dry. There was times that had me on edge but they didn't last long.  I liked that the Oilers didn't make a whole lot of mistakes.  I really dislike the Staios/Strudwick pairing.  Grebs can't come back fast enough.  I liked that the 1st line actually put in a solid effort tonight and that they didn't just rely on everyone else to pick up the slack.  I also liked how JDD is still looking sharp.  Take you time Habbi, no need to rush back.  All in all I'm a happy guy now that the Oilers have 3 game winning streak on the go.  No more avoiding the fLame fans at work.  Good Job Boys!

Paq Twinn - Well if you said the Oilers would win 3 games on this road trip, I would have said you're CRAZY. *Wipes pie off of face* Guess I was wrong. Another good game tonight from the Oilers. Lubo was awesome tonight, and even my goat pick, Nilsson, looked good. I don't know what to think about this team, one day they suck real
ly bad and the next thing you know, they roll off 3 wins on the road with solid efforts. Will the real Oilers please stand up. I am still of the belief this team needs some personnel changes but I'll take the win, I guess. *waves bye bye to Taylor Hall*

This team still needs to learn how to play for 20 min periods, they're still giving fans and myself heart attacks in the finals seconds of periods. JDD played solid, made some big saves tonight. The goals that got by him were pure fluke, one off Gilbert's skate, the other off Staios' leg. Pretty much everyone did thier job tonight and the Oil need that to win on a consistant basis. Game Grade: B

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

POST GAME REACTIONS

**Check Back Later**

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

GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

- Shootout Details

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (13-13-4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (11-10-8)

Wed, Dec 9/09
5:30 pm MT
NOT ON TV / WEB CAST ONLY.  Watch it here at OilersJambalaya

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

**You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/URL or Anonymous**

Saturday, December 5, 2009

B&J #92 Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars Recap (12/05/09)




Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? No one. The lines stay the same as the last game.  Including Deslauriers starting in goal.

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

Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (11-13-4) at Dallas Stars (13-8-7)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Nilsson-Stortini-Stone


Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at www.Twitter.com/PaqTwinn **

1st PERIOD

- Welcome folks to the nooner game between the Oilers and the Stars / Jeff Deslauriers is going to get the start in net for the Oil.
- The Puck Has Been Dropped! GOILERS!!!
- Pretty even so far for both teams. 5:00 minutes have been played.
- Stars PP. Potulny goes for Hooking at 5:42
- No damage done by the Stars as they failed to score on the PP. Oilers should gain some momentum from the kill and get going. Good start.
- There is 12:16 left in the 1st and the shots are 2 for the Oilers and 4 for the Stars
- @Nick_OilersFan Your right. It's like we are watching a glorified practice. Oilers vs Stars 6:14 minutes left in the 1st. #pickupthepace
- Stars score. Benn taps in an easy rebound at 15:51. 1-0 Stars .
- The Stars take a penalty so it's a PP for the Oilers
- The pace has really picked up now. 2:00 minutes left in the 1st
- The Stars kill it off but score a few seconds later with 30 seconds left. #Oilers looked sloppy on the play. 2-0 Stars
- That's it for the 1st period. The Oilers need to get going and play better in their own end.
- ONronaldo Oilers would be such a better team if they could find a league that played 19 minute periods

2nd PERIOD

- Game On!!! Visnovsky scores for the #Oilers / 2-1 Stars / Visnovsky from Nilsson and Smid at 2:15 of the 2nd period
- Niskanen takes a Hgh Stick penalty at 4:51. PP for the #Oilers
- 11:39 left in the 2nd period and the Oilers are looking more fired up.
- Souray hammers Brendan Morrow. It was a good hard hit. / 2-1 Stars / Oiler shots 19 / Stars shots 22 / 9:40 left in the 2nd
- 5:44 left in the 2nd and it's still 2-1 Stars
- Stars are going to get a Power Play with 5:10 left in the 2nd. It's a Too Many Men call. Jacques to serve it.
- The Stars can't score and Gagner is back out on the ice. (he served it, not Jacques)
- Great chance by Penner
- Oilers played a better 2nd period. The score is 2-1 Stars.

3rd PERIOD

- It's GAME ON!!!
- Edmonton is going to get a PP chance here
- Oilers don't score but are playing well. Nilsson is like a born again Oiler.
- 11:30 left and the #Oilers are applying some good pressure.
- 8:00 minutes left and the #Oilers really need a goal here. Could this be time 4 a Strudwick goal? Or a Smid goal? Or maybe a Stortini goal?
- YEAH!!! Oilers score. Smid scores!!! 2-2 Tie Game
- I can't believe it. Smid is a stud. WOoooOooOoo!!!! GOILERS!
- RT SportsnetJim For Smid - it was only the 4th goal in his entire career.....right about now Pat Quinn will take it
- One minute left in the 3rd period 2-2 Tie Game
- Overtime it is. Great game so far and I'd expect the same in OT. Now who is the hero?
- Cogliano and Nilsson have looked good in this game. I'm sure they will see some ice in OT

OVERTIME

- Good action in the OT. Back and forth play with secent chances for both teams.
- One Minute Left in the Overtime period.
- Souray has been great today. He's been a great leader for the Oilers
- Overtime is over and it's off to the Shootout. / 2-2 Tie Game

SHOOTOUT

- Ok the #Stars are shooting 1st. Richards is stopped by Deslauriers.
- O'Sullivan is up for the #Oilers. He scores on Turco. NICE!!!
- James Neal is up for the #Stars. And he doesn't score.
- Sam Gagner is now up for the #Oilers. Does he have the moves??? No goal.
- The #Stars have Eriksson shooting now. He scores as JDD went for the poke check. 1 goal now for each team
- Bobby Nilsson is the #Oilers guy now. He is stopped by Turco.
- This is it. If Dallas scores it's over. Ribero can't score. Oilers still alive.
- Who's next for the Oilers? Dustin Penner. He can't score either. Another poke check given out.
- Brendan Morrow misses the net. This is a game in itself
- Horcoff can do it right? COME ON HORCS!!! He SCORES!
- OILERS WIN!!! OILERS WIN!!! That's two in a row. I think it's called a streak.
- WOOoooOOOooOOOoo!!!!
- 3 stars of the game: #1 Deslauriers #2 Turco #3 Smid
- Thanks for following along. Now it's time to party like it's a Saturday night. What?  It is? WOOOO!

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

GAME HIGHLIGHTS



The SHOOTOUT VIDEO




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

FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 3

Dallas Stars - 2  SO

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

BAD TIMING PENALTY

None -

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

OILERS GAME STATS




STARS GAME STATS




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

BEERS

Ladislav Smid - The guy played his best game as an Oiler.  Not only did he score and get an assist, he had 9 hits.  That's right. 9 hits.  Holy crap!  He was a machine out there.  He plays so well with Visnovsky and they seem to cover each others mistakes.  1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 21:51 of ice time, 2 shots, 9 hits and 2 blocked shots.  Now if that isn't a beer type of game then I have no idea what I'm talking about.  Solid game by Ladi.  Frosty beer time?  Cheers!

Robert Nilsson - I liked the way he played again.  He was doing a lot of things right.  Sure he made a few mistakes/dumb errors, but he played pretty good.  He picked up an assist on the Visnovsky goal and his line was very effective.  They out chanced the Stars and Bobby was a big part of it.  Miller time?  Cheers!

Jeff Deslauriers - Maybe the best Oiler of the night.  He made all the right saves at all the right times.  It's nice to see that he can be a good goalie and not just the bad one we seen a few games ago.  Let's see if the Oilers can ride his good play for another win. For playing good tonight, let's drink a nice frosty Kokanee.  Cheers!

Lubomir Visnovsky - The "other half" of the amazing 1st "D" pairing.  With all the trade talking lately (mostly just Oiler fans), this is one guy I would not let go.  He plays such a ballsy game and yet he can recover if he makes a mistake.  Tonight he was not only part of a great defence pairing, he was a standout.  His goal was sweet.  Watch the highlights above if you missed it.  For a great game... it's frosty beer time. Mmmmm. Cheers!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Souray/Gilbert (They were also a great duo.  Very solid.  Just not as good as the Vis/Smid guys.), Ryan Potulny (Had a great night on the faceoffs and was looking like a real NHL'er, even though he's not. Yet.), JF Jacques (Even though the stat sheet wasn't screaming his name, he made some timely hits.  Solid hits.), Shawn Horcoff (Scores the Shootout winner and plays ok.), Andrew Cogliano (He's really playing well lately.  Same goes for tonight.  He had himself a good game.), Ethan Moreau (The Captain had himself a decent game tonight.  It's amazing how good he can be when he doesn't try to hard.)

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

JEERS

Steve Staios/Jason Strudwick - What a bad pairing.  These guys are not a good match and should not be sent out together anymore.  They caused a few errors and were generally outplayed for the most part.  Maybe I'm biased, but these guys stink. Booooo!

HONORABLE MENTION(S): Gagner/Brule/Penner Line (They ended the night a -2 and even they looked somewhat good, they sucked if that's what you call a 1st line.), Patrick O'Sullivan (A game ago he was lucky and scored. Today, not so much.),

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

GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - He played good.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - He also played good.

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - Well watching the Oilers win two in a row is quite a nice change.  First Detroit and now Dallas.  Wow!  Is it Christmas already?  When the Oilers make it to a shootout I always get worried.  But the guys pulled out the win and let's hope that they ride the wave all the way to Monday when the face the Panthers.  I'm wondering if Stortini will fight MacIntyre on Monday?  But it was a great game tonight guys!!! GOILERS!

Paq Twinn - He missed the game due to his truck being towed while he was playing poker last night.  He had to go and reclaim it.  They even charged him two days of storage.  WTF is that all about?  The string of bad luck continues.  Is this the last of it???  Let's hope so.

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

POST GAME REACTIONS



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

GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

- Shootout Details
-------------------

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers (12-13-4) vs. Florida Panthers (11-13-5)

Monday, Dec 7/09
5:30 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Thursday, December 3, 2009

B&J #91 Edmonton Oilers Recap vs Detroit Red Wings (12/03/09)



Welcome to Oilers Jambalaya - An Edmonton Oilers Hockey Blog. Beers & Jeers is a dual collaboration between Smokin' Ray and Paq Twinn. We hope you enjoy our Edmonton Oilers full game recap.

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

- Who's Out? Who's in? And it changes again.  O'Marra and MacDonald (sent down) are out and Stone and Nilsson are in.  Horcoff is also going to play even though there was talk he may sit out.  Here is the injury report.

- This game is being shown on Edmonton's CityTV but broadcasted by Sportsnet.  What gives?  *shrugs shoulders*  It's way better than paying for it a'la PPV.

- I have been having problems with Twitter as of late.  I hope that the Twitter app starts to work soon.  We need those play by play Tweets for the recap. 

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

Pre-Game Records

Edmonton Oilers (10-13-4) at Detroit Red Wings (13-9-4)

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

TONIGHT'S STARTING LINES

Penner-Gagner-Brule
Jacques-Horcoff-O'Sullivan
Moreau-Potulny-Cogliano
Nilsson-Stortini-Stone

Smid-Visnovsky
Souray-Gilbert
Strudwick-Staios

Deslauriers
Dubnyk

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

**These are Re-Tweets of Paq Twinn's LIVE TweetCast© at www.Twitter.com/PaqTwinn **

1st PERIOD

coming soon

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

GAME HIGHLIGHTS



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

FINAL SCORE

Edmonton Oilers - 4

Detroit Red Wings - 1

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

BAD TIMING PENALTY

None -

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

GAME STAT LEADERS




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

BEERS

The Entire Team - Thanks for playing a full 60 minute game.  You see what happens when you try for a whole game?  You win.  Yay!  Not one player was awful tonight either.  That for one is a nice change.  I sure hope we see more of that.  So why don't we all have a Keg party? Cheers!

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

JEERS

None - I know... I'm shocked as well.

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

GOAT WATCH

(Smokin' Ray) Ethan Moreau - He was average and didn't screw up in the 3rd.  Not a bad game in his books.

(Paq Twinn) Robert Nilsson - He made a beauty of a deke for his first goal in a loooong time.

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

OUR GAME SUMMARIES

Smokin' Ray - I thought that the game was fun to watch, yet kind of dry in excitment.  There was no real emotion.  But who cares as long as the Oilers win.  And win they did.  Good job boys!!!  We need more of that around here so the fans have some kind of hope to hang on to.  GOILERS!

Paq Twinn - missed the game

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

POST GAME REACTIONS

**Check Back Later**

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

GAME STATS

- Game Summary

- Event Summary

- Scoring Chances (MC79)

- David Staples/Player Grades (Cult of Hockey)

- Full NHL Play By Play

- Oilers Time On The Ice

- Opponents Time On The Ice

- Faceoff Report

- Shots Report

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

NEXT GAME

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars

Sat, Dec 5/09
12:00 pm MT
Sportsnet West

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

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Edmonton Oilers Full Game Recap. Don't forget that you can agree or disagree with us on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for Smokin' Ray Burnt and Paq Twinn. We will see you all next game. GOILERS!

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

You can comment below without signing up! Pick Name/Url or Anonymous

Two Guys & Hockey Talk NHL News (CLICK PIC FOR LINK)

The Faithful Followers

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.