It's Getting Clearer / Rookies Go To Training Camp

Last night before the game Dan Tencer tweeted that all the kids at the Young Stars tournament are getting invited to the regular Edmonton Oilers training camp.

Wow! These kids must be peeing in their pants. To think that Tyler Pitlick will be skating circles and lines with Ales Hemsky. Or Hall honing his leadership skills by watching Horcoff work his ass off, on and off the ice. For some of these kids, this is it. This is their one chance at an NHL training camp. Some may never be here again. I'm willing to bet they all make the best of a great situation.

Steve Tambellini says that he wants to show the kids what it takes to be an NHL player and to create a good atmosphere for the team. He wants the Oilers to be class. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

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So, what's this getting clearer thing?

I can see now why he's (Tamby) shunned Sheldon Souray from training camp. Bringing these kids here to experience what it's like to be a real NHL'er, is, and should be, the focus of camp. This Souray mess shouldn't even cross these kids' minds and with Souray being sent home, the kids, and the Oilers, can focus on hockey. I believe that's best for the team.

Could have Tambellini handled this Souray situation better? You bet he could. He could have made it clear last month Souray wouldn't be attending camp. He could have made it clear, he wasn't wanted anymore by the Oilers. God knows he was asked 5000 times about Souray this summer by every Tom, Dick and Harry so it's not like he forgot. And we all know that that training camp question was also brought up countless times and he sluffed it off like the question never was asked. He knew the answer, he just never said it out loud.

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The word cancer has been used a lot in reference to Sheldon Souray. It's been used by TV, newsprint, bloggers, fans. Even Steve Tambellini said it.

But what does the term cancer mean in hockey? What are they saying without saying it?

I look at that and the first thing I think is, is he a shitty teammate? Is that what it means?

They call him and his situation toxic. What does that mean? Doesn't that also mean he's a shitty teammate? Or is it just because he's a constant complainer?

I know he's a good leader and I loved him for it. If he's in the right situation (another hockey cliche), he can be an asset to an NHL club.

Somewhere along the way he made a mistake.

The mistake started with this article with Spector. After that, the avalanche got bigger and bigger till it couldn't be stopped. He was shopped around more than a Vancouver hooker and nobody wanted to trade for him. He was placed on waivers and still, nobody wanted him. That was an eye opener for Souray and probably caused his change of heart for the Oilers and his willingness to come back, but it was too late. The damage was done.

I don't know. I would still have him on my team (until a trade is made) because without Souray, there is a hole in the 2nd defence pairing that none of the current Oilers can handle. Foster? Strudwick? Vandermeer? So until a trade is made, there is a hole in that spot.

I'd say it's clear now (is it?) that there is no turning back. It's clear the Oilers have moved on and I think we will all be better for it.

I want to focus on hockey. I want to focus on Oilers hockey, not more scandals and BS that has surrounded this great and storied franchise in the past. I want hockey. True Edmonton Oilers hockey. The way it was meant.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

September Wallpaper And Big Mac Banner by @SAVEMEX29

Click On Picture To Enlarge

Our twitter friend Savemex29 (Russ Jericho) has been getting into designing wallpapers and banners. He's been doing a great job and I have been using the September one for a few weeks (different version).

So he created and updated the September wallpaper (above) and I figured I'll post it on here for him and you too can use it on your PC.

If you ever have any suggestions, leave a comment and I'll pass it on. Or you can follow him directly on twitter.

Every so often, we will post a new wallpaper or banner or whatever he makes so the readers of OilersJambalaya.com can enjoy his creations. We hope you like them as much as I do.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-



Big Mac Banner
(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

 

Oilers Lose To Sharks / Young Stars Is Over

Well the Sharks did much like I figured they would. They physically beat down the Oilers and won the game. Now, sure, the Oilers did suck a little in the 1st and a lot in the 2nd, but you can't win games like that.

So I have to work early and I figured a recap isn't all that important. The Oilers should be posting a link tomorrow so we can watch it archived. I'll post it here when it's available.

If you want to read a recap, check out the Oilers website.

Or you can read the TweetCast here. Great tweets by some great people. 

Special thanks to Shawn ( @bulletacdotcom ) who has been tweeting his ass off for us for the past 3 games. He's done a great job and he can tweetcast for us anytime he wants.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-

The Big 3 Unite / Final Oilers Young Stars Game vs Sharks / LIVE TweetCast

Well this is it folks. The last Young Stars game for the Edmonton Oilers.

The Big 3 (Hall, Paajarvi & Eberle) will all play tonight -- they all sat out for yesterday's game -- and the three of them will also all play on the same line. Paajarvi is the Left Wing, Hall will play center and Eberle will be on the Right side. This should be interesting.

Like I said previously, this will be the biggest test for this Oilers rookie squad. The Sharks are bigger, but the Oilers have more skill. We will see who comes out on top. I'm excited!

DON'T FORGET: If you use Twitter, make sure to use the #YST or the #YoungStars hashtags. Your tweets will be included into the TweetCast.

GOILERS!

Things I Seen / Oilers vs Flames Young Stars Game / Oilers Win 5-3

The Big 3 did not play but yet, this game was intriguing to me. This was going to be a legitimate chance to watch the Oilers kids while not being distracted by watching Hall, Eberle or Paajarvi. This game was and did end up interesting.

EDMONTON OILERS - 5

CALGARY FLAMES - 3

TONIGHTS ROSTER

*The Players Numbers Are In Brackets*

James Livingston (69) - Chris Vande Velde (54) - Curtis Hamilton (52)

Kristians Pelss(63) - Tyler Pitlick (68) - Drew Czerwonka (71)

Phillipe Cornet (51) - Ryan Martindale (66) - Mike Thomas (59)

Teemu Hartikainen (56) - Chase Schaber (74) - Cameron Abney (53)

Brandon Davidson (60) - Martin Marincin (70)

Dominik Schlumpf (72) - Alex Plante (48)

Jordan Bendfeld (55) - Nolan Toigo (73)

Tyler Bunz (1)

MY PLAYER THOUGHTS

James Livingston took two penalties in the 1st period and they looked like marginal calls to me. He's a tough playing guy and he's fun to watch. I want to see more of this guy in the future. I think he may just become a pretty decent player down the road.

Tyler Bunz had a good 1st period with little action. The shots were 16-7 for the Oilers after one period. The Flames did manage to score twice on him in the beginning of the 2nd and snuck one by Bunz with mere seconds left in the period. But he played his BUNZ off in the 3rd and helped the Oilers hold off for the win. Great, almost Hasek like, game from Bunz. I really like this draft pick.

Chris Vande Velde was fantastic in the 2nd period. He scored a nice one but after that he just played a solid game. I expected more, but was satisfied by his play. He's going to be a good player for the Barons.

First fight was by Cameron Abney vs Breen. Great fight. Big bombs thrown. I like Abney. Still don't think I would have taken him with such a high draft pick, but he's a good addition to the Oilers system.

Second fight a few seconds later was with Bendfeld and he had a great fight with Grantham. More big bombs thrown. Bendfeld's a tough guy.

Brandon Davidson plays a very structured game. I quite liked him. He was a big surprise for me. I was hoping to find a guy that I would like that I wouldn't normally notice. Davidson's that guy. At one point in the 3rd, Davidson was nailed by Cameron and the kid never missed a beat. Love that!

Hartikainen had a good 1st period and a so-so 2nd period. By the 3rd he was not really noticeable at all. He was disappointing for me.

Chase Schaber -- the camp invite -- had a good game with limited minutes. He's not a bad player at all. Too bad the Oilers don't sign him for the OKC Barons.

Tyler Pitlick had another good game. This kid is someone who I want to see more of in a few years. I think he might mature into quite the player. I really like Pitlick.

Who is Nolan Toigo? Not to sure yet, but I like his style. He stuck out to me tonight. I want to see more.

-Written by Smokin' Ray-