Oilers Jambalaya Podcast Episode 2

The latest Oilers Jambalaya Podcast is out! 

https://anchor.fm/oilersjambalaya/episodes/Oilers-Jambalaya-Episode-2-e1bhnhn

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/oilers-jambalaya/id1554711128?i=1000544599171

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7jjr4S7iw3lrJP26Xvn7nC?si=g6riKgeCSUOs5wL87XhPqQ

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80Yzg3OWEwMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Oilers Jambalaya Podcast

Subscribe anywhere you currently listen to your podcasts. 

Covering everything in the Edmonton Oilers hockey club. 

https://anchor.fm/oilersjambalaya

OilersJambalaya.com has joined Tout!

As always, we here at OilersJambalaya.com like to push the technological envelope. We were the first Oilogosphere blog to use Cover It Live as a LIVE TweetCast module and now we are breaking the barriers once again as we join Tout. 

Tout is very similar to Twitter and Instagram. You post updates much like them, except on Tout, it's a 15 second video. 

We plan on using Tout to get the "word" out quicker to our Oilers fans. Something big happens, we will use Tout and Twitter together to let you know what's going on. 

We've tried several different forms off social media, we hope you enjoy this one as much as we do. 

Join Tout and search for "OilersJambalaya". We want to hear from you. 

http://www.tout.com/u/oilersjambalaya 

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

Ch..ch.. changes at Oilers Jambalaya / New Look, New Attitude


As you can tell, I've done some revamping around the site.  Changed up some of the fonts and blog colors, as well as the layout too. We even added a translator button for people like Nail Yakupov to read the site in his native language. ;)

We want to make OilersJambalaya.com a more user friendly site and this is just the beginning.

We are in the process of adding a "Get to know the writers" page to help you understand us and where our opinions are coming from. We hope this helps you enjoy the blog further.

We are also revamping our current pages like the "Oilers On Twitter" page. It now has every Oiler player and prospect listed for easy finding on Twitter. Check it out.

Also getting a face lift is the "LIVE 24/7 TweetCast" page. You can follow everything you need to know about the Oilers right here on that page. No need to sign up for anything to see what all the fuss about Twitter is. Just click and see.

Also updated is the Edmonton Oilers Top 25 Prospects list. As the season rolls along, the list will change as the players develop.

We are always looking for some fresh talent that want to write here at OilersJambalaya.com. If your ever interested and you want to give writing a shot, let us know and we will give you a platform to let the world hear your thoughts.

Another new addition to the site for our readers is a hockey pool. Once the season starts we will be having our own OilersJambalaya.com hockey pool. We can all see how "smart" we really are. Prizes and fun for all. Should be a good time. Now let's hope the season starts soon so we can get this going.

Since 2008 this blog has evolved. Its 2012 and we are still changing the way you look at the Oilers. We thank you for following along in our adventure we call Oilers Jambalaya.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

We Want You! Oilers Jambalaya On A Mission

It's that time of year where we try and think of what we can do to OilersJambalaya.com for the upcoming season to make it a better site and to continue to be a voice for Oilers fans. We strive to be one of the best Oilers blogs out there, and we will continue to try and stay with the top guns of the Oilogosphere.

It's time for a new look and new ideas. This site has always been based on the fact it's for the readers and not for our own egos. We've always tried to accommodate everyone's wants and needs and this year isn't going to be any different.

Back again this year leading the charge is Brent Huska, better known as Smokin' Ray Burnt. He's providing a unique look on all things Oilers since the creation of OilersJambalaya.com in 2008. The blog creator has a few tricks up his sleeve once again this year. You'll have to come back to find out.

The ever popular prospect guru Evan Renaerts also known as Revinev will also be back providing us tons of news on Oilers prospects and the upcoming 2013 NHL Entry draft. Evan has become a staple at OilersJambalaya.com and we are proud to say he's ours.

We've found a new recruit for this season. Noah Fuchs (also known as NHL Rumors Guy) is fairly new to the blogging scene and with some hard work, he will emerge as a must read blogger. We look forward to seeing him grow as a writer.

Lastly, I'd like to introduce... You!

If your interested in having your voice heard on a blog like ours, send me shout out via email or twitter. We are always looking for writers that love the Oilers as much as we do to help contribute here. The only qualification you need is a passion for Oil Country and a serious drive to write. Too many times we've had people wanting to write, but after only a couple posts, they seem to give up. Not everyone is cut out to be a blogger. So if your really interested, let us know and we will sign you up and help guide you along. There has been a few good people get their start here like Eric Rodgers and Todd Cordell.

We are also looking for your opinion from the readers on what kind of content we should have here at OilersJambalaya.com. We want to suit our readers needs, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, let us know. We are always willing to try new things.

Back on November 29th, 2008 this blog started with a dream and a hope. Thanks to you the readers, this dream continues today...

GOILERS!!!

A Kids First Game / The Contest Winner

Last night on twitter I gave away two tickets to the Oilers vs Canucks game on October 25th. I did a random draw (pieces of paper in my lucky Oiler hat) and the winner turned out to be a 13 year old boy (I won't say his name cause he's a minor) from Edmonton who has never been to an Oilers game before.

He's pretty excited about the opportunity to be going to a real NHL game. He can't stop thanking me. Hell, I'm excited for him too. I bet he didn't sleep much last night after winning. Haha!

It got me thinking about my first game. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. Well, sort of.

My dad, my uncle Ted, my brother in law Randy and myself all piled into uncle Ted's car and drove to the PNE in Vancouver. I remember being excited the whole ride there. I couldn't believe it really was coming true. I remember seeing all these cool buildings and we even passed the amusement park. All I could think about was the game I was about to watch.

I finally get to see my hero's. Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, Fuhr (although I'm sure Moog started), Kurri, Semenko, the list goes on. It was going to be awesome!

And indeed it was. Uncle Ted had seats at the glass opposite of the players benches and he had seats on the 4th row dead center just to the left of the glass seats. I sat with my dad and we watched the first half the game in row 4 and the last the half (switching seats with uncle Ted and Randy) we sat there to end the game with my face plastered to the glass.

I was mesmerized the entire game. I didn't bitch or complain, I just sat there in awe surrounded by a sea Canuck fans (probably was the beginning of my hate for that club). This was my team. The Oilers are my team. There was no doubting it after that game.

I was a fan before this game, I was hardcore fan for life after it.

I don't recall the year this happened (I think 1986 but I'm not sure) and I don't remember who scored the goals. However, I do remember the Oilers won 7-5 and I'm sure I was one of the only happy people on the way out the doors.

So this brings me back to the winner of last nights contest.

I hope he goes to Rexall and has as good of time as I did, when I was a kid. It changed my life that day when I went for the first time, I hope this does something similar for him too.

Have fun young man, this is your first game.

GOILERS!!!

-WRITTEN BY BRENT HUSKA-

Oilers Jambalaya's Top 25 Prospects List

I was asked by Derek Zona from the Copper & Blue website to submit my top 25 Edmonton Oilers prospects, or in other words, the guys who have not yet made the team.  Here is the list and rankings that I came up with.  Agree? Dissagree?

Read the article by Derek HERE. Thanks for including my point of view Derek!

1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C
2. Jeff Petry, D
3. Linus Omark RW
4. Anton Lander, C
5. Oscar Klefbom, D
6. Teemu Hartikainen, LW
7. Martin Marincin, D
8. Curtis Hamilton, LW
9. David Musil, D
10. Tyler Bunz, G
11. Colten Teubert, D
12. Tyler Pitlick, C
13. Dillon Simpson, D
14. Ryan Martindale, C
15. Olivier Roy, G
16. Travis Ewanyk, C
17. Jeremie Blain, D
18. Chris Vande Velde, C
19. Alex Plante, D
20. Ryan O'Marra, C
21. Johan Motin, D
22. Samu Perhonen, G
23. Frans Tuohimaa, G
24. Tobias Rieder, RW
25. Cameron Abney, RW


-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Too Many Irons In The Fire

Well it's been a madhouse around here lately. We found a huge house for the same price that we were paying at the old place, so we moved. Life is better, yet very hectic right now.

The Young Stars tournament is approaching soon and I'm trying to get that all sorted out and ready to rock. We have TweetCasts planned and the LIVE video feeds of the games that will be on both, OilersJambalaya.com and OilFieldHockey.com. Should be exciting times so make sure you are here to see it all unfold.

We have Shawn as our eyes and ears there at the tournament. He will be at every game and he will be tweeting and posting pictures as it all happens. We thank Shawn up front for his help with this project.

I have also been working on some changes for OilersJambalaya.com. I can't really say what they are yet, but you should dig it. Trust me.

I have also been working on some changes for the NEW Flames Jambalaya. Dearen (pronounced Darren) has been killing it over there at FJ. He's a fantastic writer who's really coming into his own. We will have a few cross promotions with FJ once the season starts and the Oilers battle the Flames. Why not razz the Flames guy after a win right?

I have also been getting together a crew for over at NHL Jambalaya. We have a new guy starting soon and that site will once again be pushing NHL news and rumors. Stay tuned for that.

And... I did it again. Canucks Jambalaya. We will see where this takes us. HELP WANTED

If you know someone who may want to write about the NHL, Flames or Canucks, send them my way. We need more people.

If you haven't checked out the NEW Oil Terminal podcast that Eric and Scott have been doing, you should. They are doing a great job and over the next few weeks, they will have all the kinks worked out of it and it will be smooth sailing. Oh yeah, I am also working on some theme music for the podcast so stay tuned for that. It could be epic! Or not.

For those of you that come here to read our Beers & Jeers game recaps, we are going to once again change the format a little for this season. Less fluff and more meat. We will be asking the readers of OJ what they like and don't like in a recap and we want to make it better than ever. Stay tuned for that.

Well I am sure that I have missed a few of the things that I am currently working on, but it doesn't really matter. OILERS HOCKEY is about to start! WOOOOOOOOO!!!!

OilersJambalaya.com is going to raise the bar this year, we hope you enjoy it with us. Thanks for being a loyal reader here. We love you for it!

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Introducing "The Oil Terminal"

OilFieldHockey.com and OilersJambalaya.com are happy to bring our readers "The Oil Terminal". The Oil Terminal is our podcast of news and our opinions of what's going on in the Oilers Organization. You can find our latest podcast on "The Oil Terminal" tab at the top of Oilfieldhockey.com or by clicking here. Also you can either download the podcast(MP3 format) for offline listening to your device of choice, or you can listen to it right from the Podbean Player on the page. If you have a Comment or have a Question for The Oil Terminal Team, please email us at theoilterminal@oilfieldhockey.com. Or you can message us on Twitter, and be sure to follow us on twitter at @OilFieldHockey, @AHLBarons, and @OilersJambalaya. To stay up to date about we're talking about today, and the latest news from the Oilers, Barons, and the Stockton Thunder.

Edmonton Oilers Rookie Development Camp 3 on 3 Tournament LIVE *TweetCast*

Welcome to the final day of the Oilers Rookie Development Camp 3 on 3 Tournament. This Tweetcast is set up to get the reactions of a wide range of people.

It will pick up the following hashtags; #Oilers, #OilersCamp, #OilersJambalaya, #OilFieldHockey.

Include those hashtags in your tweets and it will be included in the Tweetcast.

The tournament will start at 9:00am.

GOILERS!!!

Oilers Rookie Development Camp Day 3 LIVE TweetCast

Welcome to the Oilers Rookie Development Camp Day 3 LIVE TweetCast. The action starts at 10:00am and runs till 12:00pm.

Thanks to @Steve_Schulte and @Gelsomino for the updates from the arena.

Oilers Jambalaya / Random Thoughts, Not The Website

This (Oilers Jambalaya - The Random Stuff) is a column that I started when this little blog started up. I only did it a few times (but I liked it) and it kind of faded away for some reason. But what the hell? It's back.

Mmmmmm.... Jambalaya

Oilers Rookie Development Camp is going on right now down at the Clareview Arena till Friday. It goes from 10:00am till 12:00pm. The place gets packed so if you are going, go early. For all the latest news and info regarding the camp, stay tuned to Oilers Jambalaya. Plus we will have a special fans report from guest writer Steve Schulte a little later in the day plus the LIVE tweets from http://twitter.com/_gelsomino.

Magnus Paajarvi Interview From Today

Khabibulin had his court case postponed today. It appears the courts were to busy to proceed with his trial or something like that. It has been rescheduled for 2 weeks from now. If convicted, he could spend up to 30 days in jail. With a delay and other court procedures, it's possible that Khabi might miss training camp if he does have to do the whole 30 days and this does drag out longer. I would expect him to try and plea bargain.

Taylor Hall's number. What is taking so long to decide? I really do think he really waiting for #44 to get traded. I mean, become available. I hope not, it's cursed. He did say a few days ago that he would think about possibly taking either 44 or 91. God I hope he takes 91 (my choice for him is #84. He could easily be the greatest #84 in the history of the NHL) instead of the 44. *fingers crossed*

That rumor that TSN's Ryan Rishaug started is quite the conversation piece today. He thinks that if the Kings land Ilya Kovalchuk (still possible), they might be willing to part with Ryan Smyth. Souray for Smyth is what he suggested. I'll be honest, I'd make that trade right now. I would even include Cogliano. I would love nothing more than to see Ryan come back and be the mentor for the kids and finally wear the captain's C. He deserved it years ago and I believe he has a lot left in that tank of his. BRING BACK SMYTH!

Wow! The Oilers seem hell bent to have some experienced guys down in Oklahoma City for next season. They have been spending money for OKC Barons like crazy and they have only picked up a few guys so far. Just paying Alex Giroux $500,000 and $225,00 for Brad Moran is whacked out. Three quarters of a million dollars for two guys. If only I could hang out with Katz for a day. He must have $10 dollar bills in the bathroom for toilet paper. Unbelievable amounts of wasted money! I hope for the OKC Barons fans sake, these veteran AHL players are worth the cash. Defenceman Jake Taylor was also signed recently for the Barons.

I'm starting to think that Bob Funk jr. and the Barons have no say in the "hockey operations" department. It appears like the Oilers are sorting out their own problems first without considering the fact that the Barons are new and the fans were hungry for anything related to the team. Yes I did say were. The excitement is over. I don't know what they have in store next, but you couldn't beat the hype that a couple of bloggers (OilFieldHockey/CopperandBlue/OilersJambalaya) created a while back. As of this moment they are looking to sell seasons tickets. They do pay for a sponsored link on google to be found.

So here are my questions to the OKC Barons. Why is it taking sooooooooo long to pick the name the mascot winner? (My suggestion was Edmond Von Derrick) Where is your GM? (He's important to build a team) Where is your Head Coach (Kelly Buchberger??) and his Assistants? Where is your pump-up on Twitter and other social media? Where is the fan involvement? How about another live chat?

I have asked the Stockton Thunder if there has been any progress on if they will resign with the Oilers, as their current agreement is expired. So far they tell me they are working on it and they would love to still be apart of the Oilers family. I really hope they continue being apart of the Oilers organization because here at Oilers Jambalaya, we are going to ramp up our coverage of the Stockton Thunder starting this season. So I will keep you posted if an agreement is reached. We hope so.

**Cool new changes at Oilers Jambalaya and over at OilFieldHockey.com are coming soon.

We can't wait for next year to start!

LET'S GO OILERS! LET'S GO BARONS! LET'S GO THUNDER!**

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Edmonton Oilers Gain Big, Bad & Ugly (Wasn't That A Party?)

THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS

Well this has been one heck of a two days event. The Edmonton Oilers were pretty active in the way they have changed the team. First they put Moreau, O'Sullivan and Nilsson on waivers for the purpose of a buyout. About time! Just as we are planning the see you later captainethanmoreau parade, the Columbus Blue Jackets claimed him off of waivers. That was the first WTF moment of what would become a common occurrence.

Here comes another WTF moment from Tamby as he pulls off a trade with the Coyotes. We get Jim Vandermeer in exchange for Patrick O'Sullivan and the Coyotes proceed to buyout Patty O'. The Oilers however decide to keep Vandermeer and he adds some balls and grit to the blue line. Vandy is a guy who will sacrifice his entire body to win a game. He's a warrior who comes ready to fight every night. Even though he will be in the bottom four, he's going to provide a lot of comfort for the kids. Good trade Tambellini!

So after all this happens it turns out that Bobby Nilsson doesn't have a dance partner. You know, he's the nerd in the corner with his hand in his pocket that nobody wants. The Oilers did proceed to buy him out and he's now a UFA. Now my personal feelings about this player is if I was Tamby, I would have put him and his $2.5 million dollar ass in Oklahoma City. If I'm Katz, I wouldn't care about the cash as much as Nilsson would put much needed fans into the Cox Convention Center. This is a brand new team and they need a player who can help fill the rink. Nilsson could have done that. Tamby said these next few days that he will be active in making the OKC Barons a competitive team. I'm starting to believe he can.

Tamby then out of the blue resigned newly acquired Colin Fraser to a 2 year deal for $825,000 a year. Good trade to get him a few days ago and a good signing today. I can't wait to get a good look at Fraser, he intrigues me.

So just as things are getting quiet, there is news about the Oilers all over Twitter. Minutes later, Kurtis Foster is the newest Oiler. He's big and plays a hard game. He also packs quite a mean shot. Very heavy and it always gets to the net. It looks like we have our new bomb from the point. See ya Souray!

Speaking of Souray, Tamby decided that since no team wanted him in a trade, Souray was placed on waivers today. Another WTF moment. Talk about a kick in the balls to big sexy. Haha! I guess we will see if any team actually claim him. If not, then who knows what will happen. All I know is that the Oilers WILL NOT BUYOUT SOURAY. Stay tuned for more developments.

It was clear that the Oilers were bulking up. All big draft picks and all big free agent signings. The smurf era is gone. At one point we were told the Oilers were going hard for the big bad John Scott. But they lost out on him and they even pushed hard for Derek Boogaard at one point. The Bogeyman priced himself out of the Oilers reach. So by this point I'm thinking, what about Steve MacIntyre? I loved him when he was here and I was sad when he was lost on waivers. A while later... WELCOME BACK BIG MAC! WTF? #33 is roaming Rexall once again.

I can honestly say, this is the best I have felt about the team in a long time. While this team isn't a good team yet, they sure did get better. Yay us!!!

OFF SEASON PLAYER TRACKER

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

DAN TENCER TIDBITS (Hall/Eberle/Paajarvi)

Dan Tencer announced that Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi will be at the development camp next week in Edmonton. (CLICK HERE FOR DEV ROSTER) He also said that Taylor Hall will wear #20 and he said it's just a number they gave him. So does this mean Hall won't be #4? Hmmm... come on KLowe. Let the kid wear it.

On a side note, if I'm Taylor Hall and I can't get #4, I would choose the #84. Cool number.

Tambellini took the time to talk to Tencer today and here is the link of the podcast CLICK HERE

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

NHL Free Agent Frenzy Day 2 LIVE TweetCast

Welcome to another fine LIVE TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya and OilFieldHockey.com. We thank you for stopping by.

Today is one of the 2nd best days in Hockey. This is the 2nd day of the NHL Free Agent Signing period. WOoOOOoOOO! Many of teams have won or lost at this time and almost always the players win big (big $$$ contracts).

Today we focus on the Edmonton Oilers. Not only is Steve Tambellini trying to unload guys like Sheldon Souray, he's also trying to acquire more depth for the Oilers. Bigger players seems to be the mandate this year and so far that's happened. What large players will the Oilers pick up today?

Our TweetCast box is going to pick up the tweets of a few people to keep track of the entire day.

Included today will be the "HOME TEAM" @OilersJambalaya, @OilFieldHockey, @AHLBarons, @MarshaBoyd, @PaqTwinn, @Nick_OilersFan

We will also see tweets from the "TRUSTED TEAM" @TSNBobMcKenzie, @DarrenDreger, @NHL_Oilers, @NHL, @DanTencer, @CapGeek, @Real_ESPNLeBrun, @TSNRyanRishaug, @RealKyper, @walsha, @kausatoday

And just for fun today we will have the "OILERS RUMOR TEAM" @InsideTheRink & @OilersReport,

Sit back and enjoy all the crazy action. The 2nd day of the free agent frenzy starts now!

2010 NHL Entry Draft LIVE *TweetCast*

Welcome to the LIVE *TweetCast* brought to you by Oilers Jambalaya and OilFieldHockey.com.

Kick back your feet and watch the tweets of OilFieldHockey, OilersJambalaya, AHLBarons, NHL, NHL_Oilers, DanTencer, Oilers_Travels, DarrenDreger, JasonGregor & OKCBaronsHockey.

This should be a good time so don't miss out. We will find out if it's Taylor or Tyler. Finally.

If you are on Twitter, give us a shout. If not, join and then you can give us a shout.

Thanks for joining us here today! HISTORY IN THE MAKING

NHL Entry Draft 1st Round LIVE *TweetCast* Right Here On June 25

On Friday June 25, 2010 come join the LIVE TweetCast of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft brought to you by Oilers Jambalaya and OilFieldHockey.com.

Catch all the action right here as we follow along the Edmonton Oilers and who they pick with their #1 overall selection.

Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin? We will find out on June 25th.

Make sure you come back and join the fun.

The Name Dropper / Everyone Knows One

Come on... everyone knows one. The name dropper is as common as a cold. I get a kick out of name droppers and you see/hear it all the time.

"My friends, friends neighbour is Joe Sakic's cousin."

Then it's, "I know Joe Sakic's cousin".

After awhile the person really starts to believe it. It's now, "I know Sakic. He's cool. We go way back."

I don't mind the people that actually know someone (for real). I know (knew) people, but I never bust it out like I need the attention (except for right now. lol).

Well I did once before when I lived  in Cranbrook, B.C. when I was 12 and it was a complete lie.

Every winter we played hockey at the fire hall -- the guys at the fire hall always made sure it was flooded for us kids. -- and there was this guy named Marvin who came there often. He was a little slow and was the local arena rink rat, so he was always around anywhere hockey was being played. Well this one day Marvin started kicking snow on the ice during a shinny game. We started yelling at him to bugger off and he starts piping off that you can't beat him up because his brother was Andre the Giant. So we laughed and I told him he better leave because my brother was Hulk Hogan and the last time I checked he could beat the crap out of Andre. A couple of the other kids vouched for me and Marvin went on his way all pissed off that Hogan was my brother. We laughed some more. I learned that day that name dropping could pay off. True or false. It works when you have a believer to believe.

As the years went on, I soon learned that everyone "knows" someone who is in the NHL. I say 80% are BS. So that leaves 20% that actually do know someone. Sure you might have stood behind him in the line at the movies or a famous NHL player came into the car dealership that you work at. But that doesn't mean you know him. Or for that fact, he doesn't know you.

My personal favorite is when someone busts out a name that no one knows, like a name like Jim Hiller and then they wait for a reaction but instead they get a who?

It always makes me laugh especially when the crickets come out.

Saying you know someone and actually knowing someone is totally different. Just because you met a guy in the autograph lineup doesn't mean that you know them. I talk to Georges Laraque quite often by email. A few years back someone posted it on the Oilers message board. I wrote it down before the mods could delete it. And you know what? He writes me back every time. Usually within an hour. Super classy guy. I wish he was still an Oiler (sort of). But does this mean that I know him? No. But he sent me a signed picture that says "All the best." I must know him right? Nope. This one of those example that make people believe that they actually know someone.

*true story

*When I was 13 (back in 1990) one of the local doctors opened up a hockey card shop across from the Kingsmen arena in Cranbrook. It was a cool little place. He had his two young sons work there during the summer when they came home from their respected hockey teams. The older boy was quiet and nice while the younger one was really quiet and didn't say much at all. I actually thought that he was a jerk until I realized he's just a shy guy.

I spent a lot of time in there looking at all the cards and reading the Beckett magazines and wishing I didn't poke holes in the Gretzky rookie card I had once had years before. The older boy would talk to me about hockey and he told me he played for the Kamloops Blazers. "Cool" I said. "So does my cousin Ryan".

One day after I had worn out my welcome (5 hours later) I had asked him if he had any hockey cards of his own yet. He said he did. So as he was giving it to me I asked him if he could please sign the card. He obliged but he felt weird about signing it for me. I'm sure he was a newbie at the whole autograph thing.

"I bet one day this will be worth something", I said to him. He laughed at me and said he hopes so too.

As the summer ended I wish him good luck and maybe we will see you again next summer. I knew that that summer I met and hung out with a pretty cool guy. I just really hoped that he could be a great player someday. He deserved it.

Well, that guy ended up winning everything that a hockey player could possibly win. Gold medals at the Junior tournament, gold medals at the Olympics, a couple of Stanley Cups, World Cup gold medals, even a Norris trophy. Figured it out yet?

That older kid was Scott Niedermayer and his little brother was Rob. And yes, I still have that card (see photo below). Maybe this is the 1st ever signed card or signature by Scott? I don't know for sure. When he goes to the Hall of Fame, I imagine that the value of this card goes up even more.

So I wouldn't say that I know Scott anymore, but I defiantly knew him then.

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

Over the years I have known a few NHL players: Scott and Rob Niedermayer (see story above), Steve Yzerman (my wife knows the family quite well and we met him a few times. He signed a card for us one time, but he made it out to my wife. I was stunned. She not really even a hockey fan.), Dallas Drake (I learned a lot about hockey from him and his family when I lived in Rossland in the 80's. My whole style and work ethic in hockey is because of that family. We played a lot of hockey at his rink in his yard.), Brad Lukowich (we played together in Bantams and Midgets in Cranbrook), Pat Price (my Dad's good friend and a car salesman), Shawn Horcoff (played against him for years in minor hockey and kicked his ass doing it when I lived in Rossland), Jim Hiller (dated his sister), Jon Klemm (friends through association), Jarome Iginla (Friends by association. Iggy wanted to fight me one night at the bar during his rookie season because he thought that I threw ice at him. It turns out his BFF Mike and I were friends from Cranbrook and that saved my ass from being beat. What an arrogant prick Iggy was back then.), Stephan Peat (One minute we are kids playing hockey, the next minute he's fighting Don Brashear in the NHL. Lucky bastard he was. Also, his mom was so cool. She would crank Metallica on our way to games.)

Do you have a name dropper story you want to share with us? Add it to the comments below.

-Written by Smokin' Ray from Oilers Jambalaya-

OKC Barons / The Possible Lines For 2010/11

With all the hype right now about the new Oklahoma City Barons, I figured I'd do up some possible lines for the upcoming season.

Be warned. These lines most likely won't happen whether it's because of contracts or a player decides to play back in Europe or something else that I can't predict. I just thought it would be fun to dream for a moment.

FORWARDS

Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson  Chris Minard           Jordan Eberle
Linus Omark                   Teemu Hartikainen        Toni Rajala
Liam Reddox                  Chris Vande Velde       Philippe Cornet
Viacheslav Trukhno           Ryan O'Marra          Matt Marquardt

Forward Spares: Geoff Paukovich, Milan Kytnar, Colin MacDonald

Smokin' Ray Says: I don't see Eberle or MPS being on this team. If anything, Eberle makes the Oilers and MPS plays one more year in the SEL as he still has no contract. I also noticed that the Oilers are weak in the Right Wing position even with the prospects. If I was the Oilers, I would be drafting RW players at this years draft as much as possible. I am also not 100% clear if Rajala can play in the AHL next season or not, but I do know he has to go back to Finland for some military obligations at some point in his life. I need to check into that further. If say if 4 or more players that I have listed don't play in OKC next season, then the Oilers/Barons need to find some guys to fills some shoes. As is, this is a good forward group. Lose those players I mentioned, and it doesn't look that good. But you never know, maybe the Oilers send down some guys like Robert Nilsson or JF Jacques and it helps the team out?

DEFENCE

Theo Peckham Taylor Chorney
Jeff Petry Johan Motin
Dean Arsene  Alex Plante

Defence Spares: Matt Nickerson, Jordan Bendfeld

Smokin' Ray Says: I like this defence group for the Barons. However, I don't think that Chorney will be here. I'm going to guess that the Oilers will keep him with the big club even though I don't think he's ready for the NHL. Peckham is also a strong possibility to be with the Oilers as well. But, add an experienced AHL defenceman and this group still looks good.

GOALIES

Jeff Deslauriers or Devan Dubnyk (I don't think either will be in OKC)
Bryan Pitton

Smokin' Ray Says: I really don't believe that JDD or Dubnyk clear waivers. Nor do I think that Tambellini will take that chance. So unless the Barons snag a better veteran goalie, they are stuck with Pitton. The goaltending needs some serious attention.

-Written by Smokin' Ray of Oilers Jambalaya-

Oilers Jambalaya Creates The Minor Leagues And Gains A Contributor

I'm going to kill two birds with one post.

First, I would like to introduce Eric Rodgers to the readers of Oilers Jambalaya. Eric is a guy who been hanging around lately at OJ (and a real nice guy), so I thought, what the hell, let's hear what he has to say.

So with the journalistic findings from OilFieldHockey.com and now the fans view of his new favorite team from Eric, Oilers Jambalaya has improved big time. Welcome Eric, we look forward to hearing from you about the new Oklahoma City Barons.

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So what's this minor league thing I'm talking about?

OK, it's maybe not quite the minor leagues, but a starting point for many people, myself included.

I personally started out at the Oilers.com message boards and that progressed into a everyday commenter at OilersNation.com. Once I did that for a while, I was inspired to start up Oilers Jambalaya.

So as I was talking with Eric over on the OJ site, he suggested I try something new.

"Great idea!", I proclaimed. And *poof*... *drum roll* An Oilers Jambalaya Readers Forum.

With the help of Eric, we will be commenting and monitoring the forum and if we find something that either blows us away, or makes us pee in our pants, we will post it directly on Oilers Jambalaya (with your permission of course).

I just thought that it would be a great way for OJ readers to get their feet wet in the blogging/writing business as that's how I started.

So, I now welcome you to a place where you can be you, the Oilers Jambalaya Readers Forum.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

Howdy, from OKC

Hey y'all! (Okay, enough with the slang) I just wanted to introduce myself real quick. I'm new to blogging, so I apologize in advance for being inexperienced.

First, thanks to Ray for giving me the opportunity to post my opinions here, I really appreciate it and look forward to helping out the site. Just a bit about myself, I was a Blazers fan for the last 5 years of their existence. I lived outside of OKC for all of it, so I went to games when I could and kept up online the rest of the time. I was disappointed when they folded, but with the rumors that the AHL was coming, it was only because I'd be without hockey for the year. Now that the Barons are here and opening night being October 9th, I'm very excited for the season. Having kept on eye on the Oilers struggles, and reading up on the prospects the organization has, I'm looking forward to the future of both franchises.

Leading up to the season I hope to give my take on the team and the prospects, and once the season gets started I hope to give a recap on most of the Barons games.

To keep up with me, you can follow my Twitter account, @AHLBarons. Any questions or comments, you can email me at erictheblue17@gmail.com

I'm looking forward to the season and riding the ride with y'all (last time). GO BARONS!

-Written by Eric Rodgers-