"Split Decision"

What if the fate and the future of the Edmonton Oilers was in your hands? What if it was up to you, to decide the next decision as owner, President or General manager of the team? Would you use the wisdom of the scouts, coach's and manager's in making big decisions? Or would you give the fans a chance to voice their vote, give their opinion?  After all, we know the fans can't be wrong. Or can they?

Well, it was a interesting night on many accounts. Got a chance to take in the one game at 'Rexall Place'  tonight and came out happy to see hockey again. I will admit, after the first period, I was just glad to have hockey back, but was starting to get that feeling of 'here we go again'. Turned out, the Oilers got back into the game and started really making some things happen. All in all, it was a good night. Enjoyed the folks around us, talked lots with Oiler fans, filled them in, on  lesser known players and even got to cheer after seeing some goals scored.

I planned to listen to the radio broadcasts on the way home to get updated on anything from the Chicago game in Saskatoon and then catch the game replay from streaming video online. Upon getting home, I find out I can't see the replay of the video feed. Also found little information was given. In fact I had more information from twitter then I did anywhere else, including sports radio coverage. For me, the Oilers dropped the ball on this one. Felt more like this was about working on the team game for the players and less about the fans. I can get it, but one problem with that....'the fans pay the bills".

So with saying all that, I just want to let you know, I have very little information from what happened in Saskatoon except the limited highlights. The game itself here in Edmonton carried a lot of mistakes from both teams early on. Once the players started getting their legs going, the cob webs started to unsettle and it started looking like a NHL hockey game. We all know it's the first game of the year, players are trying to get their legs going and establish chemistry with line mates, not to mention just get their timing down. It was exciting to see the 'All Swedish Line' do well. Sure they took 4 penalty's but again it's pre-season, it's the time to get that all out of the system isn't it? Fedun played another great game until taken out by a boarding hit by Powe. Hordichuck laid a crushing check and had to face Kassian in a fight to the ice. He held his own even though he was definitely out sized in this one. What was his secret to staying in the fight and not getting his face messed up? Throw way more punches then you receive and don't stop til it's over. Seriously, he may have lost the fight, but besides his helmet sent flying by a big punch by Kassian, he was speed bagging (except rarely hitting much) Kassian.

Would have been exciting to see a overtime match the first game of the year with real competition but you can't have it all on the first night can you? In Saskatoon, the 'Nuge' along with Smyth and Eberle stole the show by the sounds of it. Except for Josh Green who would not be upstaged this night. He appeared to do well on the scoreboard despite his limited time on ice. Smyth looks to be a ageless wonder (let's hope that continues) Eberle looks to still have the 'Midas Touch' and RNH continues to show why he was selected #1 over all in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Coming back to my opening comments. What if, it was really up to us fans to decide who stays up and who does not? The reason I bring this up? Well, after reading blogs all summer, see all the comments by fans,  read the opinions by scouts and the so called experts, I really do believe that many of us believe we can make decisions for this team better then management. I am not saying this to get your hair up and to start a debate, but c'mon Oil fans. Actually, it's not only us Oiler fans, it's the MSM as well.

The problem that I am seeing is, the opinions are not balanced both ways. (ok, I know, that's my Opinion) Let me explain. If someone plays well in pre-season, people get all excited and start believing their the next ( fill in blank). Of course , some will say, wait and see. let's see if this player can carry this through to the regular season. OK, that's fair, let's do that. But what about the other way around? What if they struggle early on? Could that not be the actual player just shaking off the dust from a season off? Can't we give them till the regular season and see where they are at? I guess what I am saying is, how can we jump all over a player cause of one bad game, yet in the same breath , praise another player cause of a good game? Is it not a wait and see for them both? Now granted, based on practice, based on previous years and background, we may already (management I am meaning, not fans) know their potential ceiling or lack of. However if someone is not known to fare as well in their past history, yet has one good game, should that not be considered?

Past history tells us a lot about a player. If a player is known to show signs they are lacking in a area of their game and it shows in the pre-season game, chances are good, they have not improved enough to warrant a continued look. On the other hand, should a player show continued improvement and elite level skills throughout their career to date, a good showing in a pre-season game, could be a sign that player is showing exactly the player they were thought to be.

Confused yet? I think I am almost confusing myself. My main point as a fan is, 'why do we think we know more then the actual management, coaching and scouts?' I have no problem someone arguing a point that has some merit and thought process into it, but let's be realistic here. There are many factors to making a decision as to who will be in the Edmonton Oilers roster for the duration of the year.

The best example I can use is the 'Nuge'. Tonight at the hockey game I had a discussion with some folks about the possibility of RNH staying with the Oilers or being returned to Jr's. Either way, he WILL be a Oiler. If not this year, then next year for certain. It doesn't matter to me either way, however some are already sending him back to Jr. My only question at this point is why? If you told me, we will wait and see how he fares against tougher competition, I would be ok with that argument, but to say he has to go back, because he is too small? Really? Is that all you got? I have already covered some of the argument to that in a earlier blog called "Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ready for PRIMETIME?"

(check out what Oiler staff,players and coach's have said about RNH and his size)

How do you decide if someone is too small? Because their too Short? Too Slender? Too Lanky? They look like a teenager? 'Sorry kid, back to Jr's for you!' What if they are a better player then your other option's? You still send them down? I understand Entry level Contracts, One way contracts etc...What I don't understand, is why some so adamantly believe they know better then the professionals who make a living doing this. Give me good meaningful reasons why RNH or anyone else for that matter should be sent packing at the end of camp and I am all ears. Just use reason and logic, not senseless thought statements. The one statement given to me tonight on why RNH needs to go back to Jr's (you know who you are, Mr.Hemsky fan) was, "A friend of mine who works in the medical field says RNH is TINY, no way he can take a hit without being crushed. He has to go back and get bigger". Maybe he is right, maybe he needs to build up his core strength more. I don't know, all I can say is, til this point, he has looked pretty good. The 'Nuge' has shown nothing to the Oiler staff that he needs to go back to the Red Deer Rebels. Now that could change within a game or two, but right now, he continues to perform and perform well.  All hail "the NUGE"!

p.s. (I gave this wonderful Oiler fan our website address and told him to please comment in here if I am wrong and RNH does not remain with the Oilers for the season. My question is, 'will he comment in here if I am right?')

If the Oilers were in your hands, what would you do? What is your logic behind your decision? What about Hartikanen? How about Lander? Tough decisions that can affect the future of your club if not handled properly. For me, I will leave that up to the Oilers management and continue to sit on my soapbox, yelling and judging every decision the Edmonton Oilers make. In the meantime, and in between time, that's it, for another addition of 'hockey tonight'!

Edmonton Oilers 2011 Pre-Season

1 WIN 1 LOSS = 2 POINTS

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev

EdmontonOilers.com Is Now iPhone And iPad Friendly

I tried watching the Joey Moss cup the other day on my iPhone and it wouldn't play the video. I was pretty sad about this. Until today...

EdmontonOilers.com is now iPhone and iPad friendly. You can watch the videos and they now have an app for your phone or iPad. Simple to use and very user friendly. I can't thank the Oilers enough for doing what they had to do to make this happen. Our lives just got easier.

**THERE IS NOT AN APP IN THE APPLE APP STORE YET** Go to EdmontonOilers.com to get the mobile iPhone version.

All we need now is an Oklahoma City Barons app. FYI, there is a Stockton Thunder app for the iPhone.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Both Lines Combos For Tonight's Oilers Games

Edmonton Game vs Wild

Hall - Belanger –Jones
Paajarvi – Lander – Omark
Eager – Pitlick – Keller
Martindale – House – Cornet

Cam Barker – Tom Gilbert
Martin Marincin – Kiril Tulupov
David Musil – Taylor Fedun

Nikolai Khabibulin
Tyler Bunz


Saskatoon Game vs Chicago

Smyth-Nugent-Hopkins-Eberle
Tyrvainen-VandeVelde-Hartikainen
Petrell-Brule-Hordichuk
Green-O'Marra-Hamilton

Smid-Peckham
Chorney-Petry
Davidson-Potter

Dubnyk
Roy

"Let the Games begin"

Ladies and Gentleman, Boy's and Girls, get ready for

Oil Country to go Crazy mad hockey on you!

With the Joey Moss Cup now behind us for 2011, the season is about to start. The Oiler's first two pre-season games take place tuesday night September 20th/11 with split squad games. One at home and one game away. It's showtime! While the team's opening roster has not been fully decided yet, the action begins and this will be the first competition of the season for the Edmonton Oilers Veteran's and Rookies. This is where, the rubber meets the road. It's where boys become men, or they go home. There is nothing like the fresh smell of sweet Oiler hockey to get the juices flowing.


Got the chance to get out to the Joey Moss Cup and see some of the players for myself tonight. Was a enjoyable game to sit back and see some hockey once again. Hitting was limited, but it gave you a early indicator of where fitness wise, skill wise and game ready the team as a whole is right now. Some players will soon be sent back to jr hockey, some will maybe just be let go, others will be assigned to the Stockton Thunder and others to the OKC Barons. The remainder will get ready for the regular season. In the meantime some players are going to show the coach's and management exactly what they got. As much as the game was a early sign of some of the skill sets the players possess, it also is too early to read too much into what was seen. A game against another team is what the dr is ordering if your looking to really see where this team is compared to last year.


I am sure if your reading this post (many hours following the game Sunday afternoon) you have already saw highlights on the net, on tv or read the many articles that have already hit cyberspace. Interesting thing about watching player's and then giving your evaluation? You can sometimes hear two different opinion's yet they saw the same game. It's all perspective sometimes, other times it can be difficult to follow so many players at the same time, so you may have only caught a glance of the play that actually occurred. Some players I was unable to cover as I just couldn't possibly get enough notes down to cover everyone.

Some of my take home thoughts on what I saw today in the Joey Moss Cup

'blue/white scrimmage'

-  Linus Omark
needed some time to get his legs under him. Was not that noticeable until near the end of the first. Worked hard on the back check which was an important area he was needing to improve on in defensive zone coverage. On a couple occasions played some with Nugent-Hopkins in a give and go, but otherwise a quiet night. Renny sound pleased in his post game interview with Omark.


-  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
I would actually say that I felt Ryan Nugent-Hopkins looked to have the best game of the group if not for a 3rd period giveaway that almost resulted in a goal. Otherwise he looked good in the faceoff circle (I estimated he was 5 for 8 in the dot) as well did a superb job on the PK on a couple occasions. Late in the third with team white pressing RNH took on Hall one on one and held him at bay. If anything, he is looking good at his defensive zone coverage. This was an area he did well at already, but few have given him credit for. He made a few nice offensive plays, however he didn't seem to find much chemistry with the two swedes. He displayed his brilliance and skill at puck retrieval on the forecheck today which had some "ahhs" from the crowd. Definitely is good at slowing the play down. Interested to see how he does tuesday night when the speed picks up more, the checks start coming and he really starts competing for the centre spot.


-  Magnus Paajarvi
Played a great game and as usual, was reliable defensively and strong on the forecheck. Makes the game look quite smooth and seems to be ready to go for the year. Hopefully he carries right on from where he left off last year.


-  Tyler Pitlick
Great game as he continues to start really ramping up things. Has seem to really get his feet under him and played very well in the centre spot today. Looked to win more faceoffs then he lost and definitely will be trying to make it hard to play him.


-  Ryan Keller
showed some good foot speed early on. Can tell he has played the game awhile as he seems to find the holes needed to get into for scoring opportunities. Looks tough to play. Should be a excellent replacement in OKC this year. A player to get excited about if your a Barons fan.


-  Antti Tyrvainen
This guy doesn't seem to know the meaning of 'Quit'. Tough on the puck, skates hard, tries to find the open lanes but will battle hard in the corners. Was hilarious at the end of the game where O'Marra had an open net to shoot into, except Anttti furiously slapped his stick on the ice to give him the puck for the empty netter. Basically stole OMara's goal. I can see the two working as a fourth line in OKC this year.


-  Gilbert Brule
wow, is all I can say. How can Los Angeles actually say he was not fit to play and void that trade? If I was them, I would be kicking myself for turning away on that deal. I know, there are other reasons that probably came into play, but it was a mistake in my opinion. Brule was flying today. He was good on the forecheck, on the backcheck, shooting from all angles and digging hard in the corners. You can tell, he is not giving up his spot without a fight. From what I saw tonight? If Brule stays healthy, he will be playing opening night (I know, it's only a scrimmage game)


-  Lennert Petrell
Deceptive quickness out there on the ice. Was very noticeable early on in the game but looked to fatigue some as the game wore on. Not really agile on his edges, but definitely likes to get in on the forecheck. Not sure he will have much of a chance to play in Edmonton, but definitely will get some good opportunities to get noticed in OKC.


-  Cam Barker
From my eye, made one big give away in the offensive zone early but was probably one of the better defenders in the game though. Very smooth skater and excellent puck mover. Was able to get the puck up to the forwards with ease. This is his year to impress, so let's all cross our fingers he lives up to his draft and early career hype once again.


-  Taylor Chorney
Taylor looks to be still getting his skating legs under him. Made a few errors throughout the game and mostly in the defensive zone. Have a hard time seeing him supplant Petry in the opening night roster.


-  Kirill Tulupov
Really like his game. Works hard in the corners but today's scrimmage makes it hard to show his tight checking game. Nailed Eager in the corner with a good check at one point. Eager had a few words with him following, but with being on a PTO , I am sure he is more worried about impressing. Could be a player who pushes hard from OKC this year if he is able to get in and be signed to a contract.


 - Taylor Fedun
Along with Barker, Fedun really showed well. His poise with the puck and ability to think the game with maturity was a delight to see. I like his game. Looks to be a excellent prospect. Another great find for the Barons this year.


-  Alex Plante
Great big wingspan that covers alot of the ice. he did well positionally when I was following his play but his foot speed still does not seem up to what he is going to need to be at, to be successful in the NHL.

-  Olivier Roy
Played the second half of the game. Let in a top glove hand shot, but held strong the rest of the game. Very stable and confident in the crease as he was able to keep his focus and not get lost in all the excitement. This is an area, that Olivier has struggled so this was a good sign to see today. Pretty sure he will be playing with the Stockton Thunder this season but I think he very well may be ready for back up duty in the AHL. Many people are talking about him falling on the prospects list for goalies, but I wouldn't count him out. He has a lot of fight in him and looks to have matured quite a bit over this last year.

-  David LeNeveu
Had one questionable goal scored on him but played fairly good. Seems to be really good with his leg work, with kick saves and all. Looks to maybe be a goalie that can cough up a few too many rebounds possibly.

-  Taylor Hall
Had his legs on him today as he was flying. Could tell he was still trying to get his timing down on the plays. I'd be interested to hear what he has to say about being chased down on the PP late in the game by Nugent-Hopkins. Eventually he lost the puck to him but was a good battle. Hall is the type of player who builds momentum. The further along we go, the more people like what they see in Hall's game.

-  Anton Lander
Lander seemed a little lost out there with Hall and Eberle. It's not that he did anything terribly wrong, but was caught a few times out of position chasing the puck. I am sure it's a big adjustment coming to a new country and starting to settle in some and get used to new systems. Again , as I mentioned before, I know it's early, but I see Lander taking some time in OKC to hone his game some. He is a quick learner, so if that happens, I expect him to exceed expectations.

-  Jordan Eberle
What a player. Thinks the game real well. Was really snake bitten Sunday afternoon though. Had several chances that he couldn't quite bury. The hands will come, it's still real early. Still hoping to see Eberle play with RNH. I really think they would feed well off each other well.

-  Ryan Smyth
The guy doesn't seem to age. He plays the game the way he has been taught. He knows where to go, how long to stay, when to let off the forecheck, when to get on the forecheck. Tough in the corners and on the puck and can still get to the puck well. His speed doesn't look any worse for wear either.

-  Eric Belanger
Belanger looks like he likes it here. Reminds me lots of Jason Strudwick in his demeanor. Nice guy, and very confident with the puck. Set up the nice goal with Hartikanen. I like those two together, they would have some chemistry it looks like.

-  Teemu Hartikainen
Scored a sweet goal on a nice feed pass from Belanger. Teemu seems to have taken over where he finished off at the end of last year. He was quite noticeable out on the ice most his shifts and for good reasons. Hartikanen is going to really be pushing for a spot on the NHL club. Should he not be able to break the loaded forward line-up, the Barons will be more then happy, to get whatever time they can with him in OKC.

-  Ben Eager
man, this guy can skate. many times bigger guys don't look quick on the ice but still do well in getting from point A to point B, but Eager looks quick. Looks like a pretty big boy flying out there, and has some decent puck skills to boot. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table each night.

-  Chris VandeVelde
Chris had a lacklustre game to me. I like him a lot but he did himself no favours in securing a centre spot on the Oilers with this audition. Barely noticed, except when losing face-offs. Hopefully since he starts slow but comes on later, all guns will be firing as each practice and game continues.

-  Tanner House
Tanner played a decent game. Did not notice any mistakes in his game and seemed to execute the plays well. Is very confident with the puck and really likes to control the play. Scored a beauty goal with a nice top glove hand shot. I see Tanner doing quite well in OKC this year. The Barons are going to have some nice talent in their line up with skill like Tanner offers.

-  Ryan Martindale
Played his time on the wing Sunday afternoon. Great big body presence he brings. Here is hoping he doesn't go back to jr but right to OKC to get started on his pro development. At this stage , I see no need to send him back. he needs to development at a pro level with pro coach's.

-  Jeff Petry
I know many have called for Petry to be sent down to OKC instead of someone else because he has waiver eligibility. I can't see this happening. Petry has started strong and looks to only continue. I know it's the first scrimmage but he looks miles ahead of some others in his development at this point.

- Yann Danis
Let in a couple in a a half games work. Can tell he is a smart goaltender who has learnt to play a more simple game. Good positionally and had good lateral movement.


All in all, a good fun time was had at the Joey Moss Cup. Next up? First pre-season games Tuesday evening. With the good young talent we have been drafting, the veteran presence that is being brought in and the growing stable already in place, 2011/2012 is looking to be a year of forward progress. So if your ready...."Let the games begin!"

2011/2012 Season Preview

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev

TOUGH LOSS

What a tough loss! I have to say, going into this game, I was excited about the Oilers going undefeated in the tourney.  I know the rookies still finished the tourney 2-1, but did our only loss have to be to the rival south of us? You would have hoped, we would have seen some more offense in the game.  Let's face it, the Oilers loss this one early in the 1st period. Down 2 goals is never a easy task to come back from and last night was no exception.

Last night's game inspired an article from a Flames blogger that shows us how competitive this rivalry can be. Reading the blog you would think you are reading a book where no intelligent factual thought was given. But hey, it's a free world and anyone can say what they feel, be it factual or be it fantasy. Before you read the article, be warned! What you are about to read is "rated R" to Oiler fans.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/flames_fans_fantastic_oilers_fans_not_so_much/

I give full credit to the Calgary rookies in this game. They worked hard, displayed some good talent and deserved the win. But this article is what makes the "Battle of Alberta" what it truly is. In fact, this blogger did exactly what was needed ,to get the competitive juices going. It stirs you up, makes you defensive of your team (the Oilers) and makes you want to rip the other teams jersey's off. (no visuals please)  I say bring on the season. Time to start the ol'rivalry up once again! Anyone remember this game against the Flames?

Back to last nights, game. It was a frustrating one, but also was nice to see some fight still in the tank after the 1st period. The Oilers could have just continued playing the same into the 2nd period.  It looked like we saw some good effort and last minute fight to make a game of this. All in all, they gave a good push and didn't just write it in early.

There were notes of interest in this game. Interesting that once again, the Oilers did not play their top draft pick against the Flames in the tourney. Just as Hall sat out the game against Calgary last year, RNH was scratched against the Flames as well. I am sure there is no significance to it, but sure seems odd, doesn't it? Also it can be noted, Olivier Roy and Tyler Bunz saw no action against the Calgary Flame rookies either. In fact, the Oilers goaltender last night was an invite who was able to keep the Flame rookies at bay for the most part.

Not taking anything away from the goaltending last night, but had we saw Roy or Bunz in between the pipes, I think it would be safe to say the result could have been a win and a 3-0 record.


Thoughts on the Game
- Pitlick looked to step up his game. As mentioned by myself and other's, it looks like he is just needing to get some time under his feet in game action. Upon hearing the Tambo interview with Dan Tencer, it now looks to be confirmed that Tyler Pitlick WILL be playing in OKC with the Barons. That is great news for the Baron fans and great news for Tyler. Back around 2011 Development Camp time, Pitlick was interviewed by local media. In his interview he shared his desire to actually play in the AHL this coming season rather then going back to play in the WHL. I don't think we should read too much into this. I don't think it was meant as a cocky statement but rather a confident one. It also looks like, they want to give him a honest try at center position but like the versatility he has between center and wing.

-Lander was fairly quiet in this game with the exception of the goal he scored. Did you see the angle he shot that at? Incredible shot from a difficult angle while moving at that speed. Lander did struggle again in the FO% department again. I never recorded them tonight (Faceoffs) as watching by streaming video is much more difficult then TV. On the other hand, Lander looked to lack a little jump , which we saw from him only a couple nights previous. Maybe he was slightly tired or fatigued with all the travel and excitement coming to NA. I would think he will be more then ready for main training camp.

-Hamilton had a few shifts were he really showed why his game is on the rise. He carries the puck so smoothly for a big guy and reminds me somewhat of Paajarvi seeing him fly down the wing. His big body presence in OKC will be a treat for the Baron fans this year.

-Rieder has shown some good flashes in the tourney in speed and smarts. I like his game, but he does get knocked off the puck probably a little too easy at this point in his physical maturity.

-Tyrvainen has really impressed me. Upon listening to reports, it sounded like he was a rough and tough fighter and someone who had ok skating ability. Now, after seeing him myself, I am pleasantly surprised not only in his checking, but his ability to handle the puck. He never will be mistaken for Joe Sakic, but he has some good promise with the kind of energy, toughness and hockey smarts the Oilers need.

-Marincin with a nice shot brought the game close in the 3rd period. He was another player who is being evaluated in regards to where he will play this coming season. Listening to Tambo speak, it sounds like it will be a wait and see. It will depend a lot of how he fares with the bigger players in main training camp. I am pretty sure he will get a couple exhibition games to better evaluate his play, before deciding on where he gets sent. OKC Barons or the Prince George Cougars?


NOTES:
Appears that almost all of the rookies will be at Main Training Camp. Likely only a few left will be sent to respective teams or move on, as they were only camp invites.

Jason Gregor has reported that there will be no public access to Main Training Camp on Saturday, so looks like your only option for more hockey is to visit Rexall Place on Sunday Sept 18th/2011 for a 2pm Joey Moss Cup. Tickets are $10 in advance through Rexall Box office or can be bought online at www.edmontonoilers.com  Tickets are $12 at the door. All seating is general admission. That means first come, better seat!






For the latest news on the Oilers and  NHL draft eligible prospects for 2012 and 2013, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev