Canada's 2011 World Championship Roster

Here are the players that have committed to playing for Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship:

Forwards:

Cal Clutterbuck, Minnesota Wild; Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche; Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers; Evander Kane, Atlanta Thrashers; Andrew Ladd, Atlanta Thrashers; Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets; Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators; Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes; Chris Stewart, St. Louis Blues; John Tavares, N.Y. Islanders; Antoine Vermette, Columbus Blue Jackets; Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils.

Defencemen:

Brent Burns, Minnesota Wild; Marc Methot, Columbus Blue Jackets; Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs; Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues; Luke Schenn, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Goalies:

Devan Dubnyk, Edmonton Oilers; James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs.

GO CANADA GO!!!

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Jordan Eberle and Devan Dubnyk Join Team Canada at World Hockey Championships

Good news for a couple of the Edmonton Oilers today. Both Jordan Eberle and Devan Dubnyk have been selected to represent Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships.

It's good to know that there will some familiar Oilers players that we can root for. At least the season isn't completely shot. We still get to follow some guys. WooOOooOooooOOo!!!!

GOILERS!!!

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

My 2010/11 NHL Playoff Predictions For The 1st Round (plus Cup Winner)

Well here they are folks. My bold predictions for this years 1st round of the 2010/11 Stanley Cup playoffs. Lets see how I do this year.

WEST

Blackhawks will win in 7 games over the Canucks

Sharks will win in 6 games over the Kings

Detroit will win in 6 games over the Coyotes

Ducks will win in 6 games over the Predators

EAST

Capitals will win in 6 games over the Rangers

Penguins will win in 7 games over the Lightning

Bruins will win in 6 games over the Canadiens

Flyers will win in 6 games over the Sabres

The team that will win the Stanley Cup.... Washington Capitals

What are your picks?

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Oklahoma City Sports Media in a Nutshell

When the Barons clinched their playoff berth on Saturday against the Texas Stars, very little mention was given to the team. The KFOR newscast had extensive Thunder coverage, University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State sports coverage, high school sports coverage and at the very end of the newscast, a mention of the Barons clinching their berth. Even on the nights that the Tier-2 Arena Football team, the Bricktown Brawlers, plays, they'll show highlights of their games before the Barons. A concerned viewer expressed their thoughts through the KFOR website and received this response from their sports director, Bob Barry Jr.

From: "Barry JR, Bob"
To: [Name rescinded]
Subject: Barons Coverage

Didn't really understand your rant [name rescinded]...but it sounds like you want more coverage of the Barons when the playoffs begin. We'll try to provide that but while you suggest no one cares about the Thunder, OU or OSU[Viewer did not suggest "no one cares" -ER] - our expensive audience research shows hockey doesn't even register on the viewers list of what they want to see.

We have shown highlights of probably 60-70% of the Barons home games this year and we had previews of the Barons playoff trip to Hamilton today on our 5-6pm Sportscasts. We'll continue coverage for as long as they remain alive - but we'll also provide a heavy dose of Thunder, OU and OSU sports because - quite frankly - that's what the majority of the audience wants to see the most. And, as I said, it's not even close. ALL high school sports draw more interest than hockey among our viewers too. In fact, even though we carry several regular season NHL games on NBC, those ratings are among the lowest of ANY program the network carries in the OKC television market. Sad, but true.

bbj/

And it sucks to say that if you were to ask any of the other 3 major news stations in OKC, you'd probably get pretty close to the same answer. Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman has been the only person in the city to give the team any type of extensive media coverage, and it's been well appreciated among the fans here. I'm going to give the team as much coverage as I'm able to, because it deserves a lot more than they're getting right now, especially with the playoff run.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Edmonton Oilers Will Pick 1st Again

WoOoOoOooOO! The Edmonton Oilers will select 1st overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Exciting times for this team. Last year the Oilers took Taylor Hall with that elusive 1st overall pick. Who will they pick this year? Nugent-Hopkins? Larsson? Landeskog?

Either way, the Oilers are set for years to come. This really is it. The Future Begins... Now!

GOILERS!

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Oklahoma City Barons Possible Lines

As the first playoff game in Oklahoma City Barons history moves closer, one mystery still remains. How are the lines going to look for the team, now that they have their complete Clear Day roster? While the call ups were in Edmonton, many players stepped up and showed that they would be an integral part of the postseason line up. So here's my guess on the lines for Thursday night.

Line 1: Alexandre Giroux - Brad Moran - Colin McDonald

This line has been together since the 2nd weekend of the season, when the original line of Giroux-Moran-Omark didn't click. After a slump in the middle of the season, and being broken up when Giroux was called up to the Oilers, this line ended the season strong. Giroux ended the season as the Barons leading scorer(32G, 46A) and finishing as the league's 2nd leading scorer, Moran as the team's 2nd leading scorer(20G, 52A) and finishing tied for 5th in the league, and McDonald as the team's 3rd leading scorer(42G, 16A) winning the league's goal scoring title in the process. This line has worked all season, and there's no way they can break this one up now.

Line 2: Teemu Hartikainen - Chris VandeVelde - Linus Omark

As the call ups slowly started making their way to Edmonton, Hartikainen and VandeVelde did well to step up and fill in the void. Hartikainen has worked well with both VandeVelde and Omark seperately, but it would remain to be seen how Omark would work with VandeVelde as Omark had O'Marra as his center for the majority of his time in OKC. After a very successful rookie campaign, Hartikainen finished as the 4th highest scorer on the team(17G, 25A). Linus Omark only played 28 games with the Barons this season, but he still comes into the postseason as the team's 6th highest scorer(14G, 17A). VandeVelde only had 12G and 4A, but 5 of those goals came in the last 15 games of the season, and he is extremely successful on faceoffs, which is all the other two players would need.

Line 3: Mark Arcobello - Milan Kytnar - Ben Ondrus

Arcobello was called up to the team from Stockton as the injured list in Edmonton grew a lot and he made the most of his time with the Barons. In 26 games, he scored 11 goals, added 11 assists and finished at +7, tied for 2nd behind O'Marra. Arcobello performed well enough to earn himself an upgrade from his AHL deal to the Oilers signing him to a 2 way NHL deal. The Captain, Ondrus, has done well in adding a physical presence to his lines. Kytnar has been on a tear the last few games, with a 7 game point streak scoring 6 goals and adding 4 assists. Kytnar and Arcobello's scoring with Ondrus' physicality would be a solid third line.

Line 4: Andrew Lord/Greg Stewart - Ryan O'Marra - Zack Stortini

Lord and Stortini have been an extremely effective shutdown pair and add the strong men to the lineup. O'Marra's faceoff success would help that out even more. Stewart's the odd man out for me, as he hasn't really done much, but he's a strong body on the ice.

Photo © Candace Riley

D-Pair 1: Colten Teubert - Alex Plante

During the long road trip, Todd Nelson paired these two together and it's been a solid pairing. Plante beforehand looked like he was floundering around on the ice, not being able to do a lot. Since getting paired with Teubert, he looks like he gained some confidence and isn't afraid to hit people. Teubert's been a beast since getting traded to the Barons. His cannon of a shot has helped a lot on the PP and hits like a wall.

D-Pair 2: Jake Taylor - Richard Petiot

This pair has been together for most of the season, barring the time that Petiot was injured early on in the season. Petiot's checking is tremendous and both do well to break up the other team's play. Both guys lead the team in +/- with +14.

D-Pair 3: Bryan Helmer - Jeff Petry

Helmer's experience and Petry's scoring along with the experience he gained in Edmonton, this is going to be a tough pair.

Kevin Montgomery is the last one out, but should there be any type of injury, he's definitely a great defenseman to have waiting in the wings.

Goalies:

Jeff Deslauriers has stepped it up tremendously in the last couple weeks. After a tough weekend in Houston for their 3 game series, JDD has 3 shutouts in 4 games and only letting 2 goals in San Antonio past him. Hopefully it isn't a short peak, they're going to need all the goaltending they can get.

Martin Gerber has been injured for the last almost-month after suffering a neck injury in Grand Rapids. He returned last weekend in Houston, letting in 6 goals but it was with a roster full of players not getting regular starts. It still remains to be seen how well he does after coming back, but hopefully it'll be at the same level or above where he was at before the injury.

On the reserve list, the Barons also have Matt Marquardt, Jesse Gimblett, and Philippe Cornet, as well as Tanner House, Martin Marincin, Hunter Tremblay, and Brandon Davidson on Amateur Tryouts who would be eligible to play should there be any number of injuries. I wouldn't be surprised either if Bryan Pitton joins the team, just in case.

Game 1 is Thursday at 6:30 CDT. There hasn't been any indication of a free internet stream or anyone showing the game on television. AHL Live released their playoff packages. A single game is $9.99 and if you order the 1st and 2nd rounds together for a single team, it'll be $39.99(a potential $10 a game to a potential $3 a game).

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Stockton Thunder Silenced for the Season

The Stockton Thunder's playoff season came to an abrupt end tonight in Game 4 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Quarterfinals against the Utah Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were up 2-1 games leading up to today's game in a best of 5 series.

After the 2010 Kelly Cup run all the way up to the Western Conference Finals-the deepest the Thunder has been into the playoffs so far, most fans probably weren't expecting this game to be the last of the post-season.

Bryan Pitton, who had just flown in to town the day before after being sent down by the Oklahoma City Barons, was the starting goalie in net, but not for long. After giving up 3 goals in the first period, Coach Thomas replaced him with Tyson Sexsmith in the second period. It wouldn't make a difference.

The Thunder didn't look good on the ice. They couldn't settle the puck. They were either slow to make a play, or sporadic with their passing when they had any potential scoring chances around Utah's goalie J.P. Lamoureaux.

The hard-hitting, tough Thunder team that we were used to seeing didn't show up. And if the guys aren't hitting anyone, the games usually don't go very well.

What should have been a momentum-boosting moment for the Thunder turned into one of the low-lights of the night. Near the end of the 2nd period, the Thunder had a 5 on 3 power play advantage over the Grizzlies. Their night long troubles handling the puck led to Utah being able to clear their defensive zone even while short handed two players. The home crowd began to "boo" their home team.

Thunder captain Craig Valette stood on the ice for the second intermission interview with announcer "Jungle Jim" amidst a sea of booing. I don't remember the exact words that Valette said, but I got-and agreed-with the message. Which was basically, the booing isn't helping, what we need now is to stick together as a team. And in frustration he slammed his stick against the glass before heading to the locker room.

The crowd calmed down in the third period and most were trying to cheer the team back to life. But a Utah goal near the beginning of the period put the game even more out of reach. A Utah power play goal near the end of the period was just insult to injury. The Grizzlies shut out the Thunder 5-0 in the Kelly Cup quarterfinals.

As terrible an ending as this was, we should be proud of this year's Stockton Thunder. Several of our players got the opportunity to play in the American Hockey League. They were gracious to the fans. They helped others around the community, volunteered their time, and raised a lot of money and awareness for local charities.

Remember that awesome goalie fight between Tyson Sexsmith and Bakersfield Condors' Josh Tjordman? Sexsmith has won ECHL's "Goaltender of the Week" award twice this season, Bryan Pitton was awarded once.

Left-winger Bretton Cameron and defenseman Steve Vanoosten have each been honored this season as ECHL's "Player of the Week".

Garet Hunt has accumulated 248 penalty minutes over the 2010-11 regular season. He was also voted in the Stockton Thunder Fan Favorite awards as "Unsung Hero" and most popular player.

The other winners of the team awards: Fraser Clair as "Most Valuable Player", Jordan Fulton was "Rookie of the Year", Chris Lawrence with the most offense, and Ryan Constant was the best defensive player.

We've been blessed with having an awesome team to be proud of. Next season will be full of more surprises, game rushes and excitement. Let's keep the good memories of this season going while we await the new.

Oklahoma City Barons First Round Playoffs Set

The Oklahoma City Barons have clawed their way through a lot to get themselves into the Calder Cup Playoffs. Fighting through call-ups, other teams peaking, and their own scoring slumps, the Barons finish the 2010-11 regular season in 5th place of the Western Division. With the offset divisions, the AHL has it where the division with the 8 teams get an extra chance at a playoff spot. If the 5th place team in the bigger division finishes with more points than the 4th place team in the smaller division, they cross over and play within the smaller division. This was the case this year as the Barons finished with 91 points and the Abbotsford Heat(the Calgary Flames affiliate) finished in 4th place in the Northern Division with 86 points.

The final weekend was a big one for the Barons though. They started the weekend needing 2 out of 3 wins to virtually guarantee themselves a playoff berth. The game on Friday against San Antonio was the biggest to start. A win would put them in a great position to clinch on Saturday. The Barons came out hard and strong and got a tally on the board early with a goal from Ben Ondrus from a nice pass by rookie Tanner House. San Antonio would answer minutes later on a PP goal by Alex Picard. Colin McDonald would continue his hunt for the scoring title, scoring number 37 six minutes later and the teams headed to the locker room with the Barons leading 2-1. The 2nd period was all Colin McDonald as he would complete a natural hat trick, scoring at 2:45 and 18:34, his 38th and 39th goals. After 40 minutes the Barons lead by a score of 4-1. In the 3rd, Milan Kytnar would make it 5-1, picking up a Tanner House rebound. San Antonio would get one back as they break up a pass during a Barons PP and get a 2 on 0 rush, putting it past Jeff Deslauriers. The Barons would get it back 46 seconds later into the PP from Mark Arcobello, making it 6-2. Then just 2 minutes later, Colin McDonald would get his 4th of the night, number 40 on the season, and put the Barons up 7-2, which would be the final score. Brad Moran and Alexandre Giroux assisted on all 4 of McDonald's goals, JDD would make it 3 wins in a row.

Photo © Candace Riley

The next night, the Barons traveled to Cedar Park, Texas to take on the Texas Stars. After the win the night before, the Barons just needed a single point to clinch their playoff berth. The Barons wouldn't be content with just one point though, as Milan Kytnar and Colin McDonald would both score in the 2nd period and Jeff Deslauriers would pick up his 3rd shutout in 4 games as the Barons grabbed 2 points and a playoff berth. Colin McDonald's goal would be his 41st and the other player he was battling with, Nigel Dawes, would be held scoreless in his last season game, sending both players tied at 41 goals heading into Sunday.

The Barons headed to Houston to finish up the regular season. With the playoffs guaranteed, the team would sit 4 veterans, and allow the rookies a chance to play. Brad Moran, Bryan Helmer, and Alexandre Giroux would all sit in the press box for the game as Jake Taylor headed back to OKC to be with his wife as they celebrated the birth of their daughter. Martin Gerber would make his long awaited return, his first game after suffering a neck injury back in March against Grand Rapids. The Barons would start out well, taking a 1-0 lead into the 1st intermission with a goal by Mark Arcobello. The Aeros would storm back though, scoring 4 goals in the 2nd to the Barons 1 by Milan Kytnar. The 2nd period would end with the Aeros up 4-2. The Aeros would score twice more in the 3rd to make it 6-2 until the Barons' Colin McDonald would make it 6-3 with his 42nd goal of the season, clinching him the AHL Goal Scoring Title, the Willie Marshall award. 6-3 would be the final score though, to end the Barons regular season.

The Barons loss guaranteed them the 5th spot in the Western Division, crossing them over to the Northern Division. The Barons will take on the Northern Division champions, the Hamilton Bulldogs(Montreal Canadiens affiliate) in the 1st round. Credit to Patrick Williams of The Hockey News for this stat, this is the 4th time since 1987 that the AHL affiliates of the Canadiens and the Oilers will meet in the playoffs. They also shared an affiliation in the 2003 playoffs.

Photo © Candace Riley

The Barons season series was only 2 games, which the teams split. The Barons won the first meeting between the two, Oct 24th, which came at the end of rough 3 in 3 weekend, winning 3-2 in OT. The 2nd meeting came on Dec 17th, in which the Bulldogs handed the Barons their first shutout in franchise history, beating the Barons 3-0.

Here's the regular season stats for the teams.

The Barons and Bulldogs will open the series at Hamilton on Thursday at 6:30CDT/5:30MDT.

All Times Central
Game 1 - Thursday @Hamilton, 6:30
Game 2 - Saturday @Hamilton, 3:00
Game 3 - Tuesday, April 19 @OKC, 7:05
Game 4 - Wednesday, April 20 @OKC, 7:05
Game 5 - Friday, April 22 @OKC, 7:05*
Game 6 - Sunday, April 24 @Hamilton, 3:00*
Game 7 - Monday, April 25 @Hamilton, 6:30*
*-if necessary

----

Just some final thoughts, the Barons have peaked at the right time. They look like they're in playoff form.... Their defense in the crease and slot has gotten 10 times better from a few weeks ago, which has helped their cause tremendously.... The Oilers officially sent down Linus Omark, Ryan O'Marra, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry, and Chris VandeVelde today, further bolstering the Barons lineup.... Milan Kytnar ends the season with a 7 game point streak with 6 goals and 4 assists....

The Barons are going to be a very formidable team in the playoffs, and I'm looking very much forward to the next month and hopefully 2.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

The Future Begins.... Now

The last game for the Oilers has been played of this 2010/11 season. It's over. The pain can stop.

But this is it. Right now is the beginning of a new tomorrow. Everything changes starting right now. Never again will we be this terrible. Never again will be the bottom feeders of the NHL. Nothing but good karma moving forward and we have lots to look forward too.

The future begins... now. Bring it on.

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Paul Lorieau.. The Final Song, A Curtain Call / Video Replay

Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild Video Highlights Plus MacIntyre Fight

GAME RECAP

You could say that MacIntyre was a little mad about the hit on Paajarvi. I have never seen him so mad before. I have waited all season to see him do this to a pest. Too bad that wasn't Matt Cooke.

4 Games For Torres Hit On Eberle / Video and Discussion

Here's the hit, you decide. Was that worth a 4 game suspension?

2 games of the suspension are the last 2 regular season games and the other 2 are the first 2 games of the playoffs. This will leave the Canucks a man short for those games.

With this suspension the NHL looks serious about changing the amount of head shots. I think this suspension is an impressive start to a new policy.

What do you think? What are your thoughts? Discuss below.

Paul Lorieau, A Video Tribute

Friday night versus the Wild will be the very last game that Oilers anthem singer, Paul Lorieau, will ever sing. The Oilers made this terrific video tribute to him. I thought I would re post it here. I'm going to miss Paul. He been awesome!

REMEMBER THIS?

Oilers Lose To Flames 6-1 And Clinch 30th Overall / Video Highlights

The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-1 to the Calgary Flames.

Game recap is found here.

Oklahoma City Barons Playoffs in Sight

Last weekend, the Barons won when they needed to, and in great fashion. Jeff Deslauriers stepped his game up after getting pulled the previous weekend in favor of Brian Pitton, and turned in two straight shutout wins. The Barons 7-0 win against Rockford and their 2-0 win against Texas put the Barons in prime position entering the final week of the AHL season.

Two games with playoff implications happened during the week. Tuesday night, the Rockford IceHogs traveled to San Antonio to finish off their road games of the season. Rockford entered the contest last in the division and San Antonio entered clinging to playoff hopes. Trailing 2-1 entering the 3rd period, Rockford scored 2 straight and put away the empty netter to give them the 4-2 win.

Wednesday night, the Texas Stars were in Peoria to begin their 4 games in 5 night stretch to end their season. Entering the 3rd, the Stars led 2-1 but the Rivermen were able to tie it up midway through the period and score the game winner at 18:05.

As we enter the final weekend, here's how the standings look:

And the weekend's schedule for the teams in playoff contention:

If the Barons win on Friday, they'll have a chance to clinch a spot on Saturday, barring any freebie points being given out. The Barons have had their struggles against the Rampage. They lost the first 4 meetings between the two, but would then go on to win the next 4 meetings. Their last game, the Rampage won 4-3 in San Antonio on March 10th. Martin Gerber has definitely had the better success against the Rampage, going 3-4 with a 2.45 GAA and .922 Sv%.

Gerber is still a question mark for the rest of the season. He spent most of the last two home games with backup Brian Pitton outside the endboards. Still day to day with a sore neck at last check.

The big thing to look at, the Texas Stars have a horrible 3 in 3 this weekend. After playing in Peoria on Wednesday, the play in Milwaukee on Friday, at home on Saturday, and finish the season in an afternoon game in San Antonio. I won't say that I don't see them making it in, but it's still entirely possible for the Barons to stay out of the crossover spot.

Friday and Saturday are going to be huge for the entire division. Of the 4 open spots in the entire league, 3 of them lie within the division. Be sure to stay tuned to Oilers Jambalaya for final weekend coverage, and for live updates throughout the weekend and hopefully into the playoffs, be sure to follow me on Twitter. The future is bright Oilers fans.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Video Highlights Of Oilers Shutout Win Over Canucks

The Edmonton Oilers win 2-0 over the Vancouver Canucks

Game Recap From Cult of Hockey

- POSTED BY SMOKIN' RAY -

Lowetide Is In A Book Called Hockey Superstitions?

Allan Mitchell from the great Oilers blog Lowetide was mentioned in a book that I am reading right now.

The book is called Hockey Superstitions by Andrew Podnieks. Great little book if you want some light reading.

Lowetide's part in the book is called Stan The Man (page 30). Podnieks writes that whenever Lowetide would put Stan Weir's picture on his blog between 2006 and 2008, the Oilers had a remarkable 14-2 record in the 16 times he posted that picture during the playoffs.

Crazy stuff huh? I had no idea.

Cool to see Lowetide's name come up in the book. It really blew my mind that it was in there. See what happens when you read kids?

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

What's In A Number?

As I watch these last few games, I'm starting to notice that the little things are bugging me. Here's some examples of what I mean;

Why is Khabibulin starting again? Isn't MacIntyre supposed to kick the crap out of somebody? Why does Brule keep trying to comeback? Does Fraser ever improve as a player? Ever? Is Cogliano for real the best player out there? And for the love of god, why is Khabibulin starting again?!? (*Editors note: For the record, Dubnyk starts tomorrow. I'm just being sarcastic*)

But what is really bugging me lately is the stupid numbers the Oilers give these kids in training camp without considering who may or may not be called up during the season. Most stories you hear from players is that the team gave them their numbers when they joined the organization, so that's what they wear now. Makes you wonder, how did Giroux get #12 this year? Or Ondrus get #25? Or Moran as #20? Or even Petiot with #37? Was this the teams choice, or the players? Why are they special?

It's strange that they gave those four lower numbers even though they got passed up on for call ups all year long. While the rest of the "also good prospects" get odd ball numbers like #42 or #58 or #54 or #56.

Don't get me started on why in the hell Peckham is wearing #49. I can almost guarantee that's not his "number". Yet he still wears it? Come on Oilers!

I can see the prospects that have no chance getting to the show taking an odd ball number like say Brandon Davidson, but a kid like Jeff Petry shouldn't be playing 30+ games as an Oiler with #58 on his back. Give him a proper number (unless he actually likes #58) and make him part of the team officially. Nothing sticks out a rookie for the other team like a stupid number on his back.

I've noticed that there is no number yet for Colten Teubert on the Oilers site. Will he get to choose his own number or will he get an odd ball given to him for next year? I'm going to guess he gets a low number like #8.

I'm curious to know how giving out numbers really works for the Oilers. How does it get determined who gets what? Who picks the numbers?

- WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY -

OKC Barons (7) vs Icedogs (0) Video Highlights (April 1st)

The Official Box Score

OKC Barons Game Recap

The Tweetcast is Back! OKC v. Rockford

Barons Game Day Information Center

• Oilers sign Mark Acrobello to a 2 year Entry Level Deal.
• Jeff Deslauriers will get the start in tonight's game.
• No word on Martin Gerber's return to the Barons lineup.

Listen to the Live Broadcast here!


Barons Game Day Media Kit in pdf form
Barons Roster in pdf form

Show Support For The New Arena / Watch This

The vote for the new arena is happening on April 6th, 2011 and the Oilers are asking us for our support. Watch this video and visit http://revitalizedowntown.ca/ for more information on what you can do.

GOILERS!

Katz Angry / Tom Renney Fired After 4-2 Loss To Wild / Krueger Takes Over

"I've had enough!", Oilers owner Daryl Katz said early this morning to a couple of local scribes. "Tom Renney is no longer the coach of the Edmonton Oilers. We thank him for his time and for what he has done, but we need to move on. Enough is enough."

Surprisingly Katz made the claim himself. He's generally quiet and isn't one to speak out often, but for what ever reason he decided to speak for himself this morning. The scribes said he was visably upset that it's almost spring and no playoffs yet again for his beloved club.

He also mentioned that Ralph Krueger will take over the team until further notice.

The Oilers will make an official announcement later on this morning.

Stay tuned for more developments...

-WRITTEN BY YAD SLOOF LIRPA-

Devan Dubnyk April Wallpaper by @SAVEMEX29

CLICK TO ENLARGE

For 2011/12, Remove Jacques and Fraser, Insert VandeVelde and Hartikainen

Just watching VandeVelde and Hartikainen these last few games, they have been really making Fraser and Jacques look like stumps. Holy hell those two stink!

Fraser has been pitiful this season and he never really did improve at all. I waited for it, but it never happened. In 67 games played he only has 5 freaking points?!?

Jacques... well... he's just not very good. At all. And to think that Stortini was shafted by being placed on waivers for this slug. Good grief!

Enter VandeVelde and Hartikainen. Both guys have made strong cases for themselves to be here next season. They play with hustle, heart and grit. They back down for nothing. They are beyond hungry for an NHL job and they are proving themselves to us with each passing game.

VandeVelde has been playing tough and he's been great in the faceoff dot. The last 5 games he went, 52.9%, 68.2%, 85.7%, 44.4% and 50%. That's damn good compared to the other Oilers players who played most of the year. Sure O'Marra has some wicked games on the dot too, but VV has been pretty consistent so far. Either way, O'Marra or VV is a huge upgrade over a disappointing Colin Fraser. I'm OK with either.

Teemu Hartikainen had a little hype when he was called up and so far he's impressed. He uses his big frame to pound guys and he even scored a nice goal the other night. As each game is played he's far more comfortable with the puck. I hope he plays out the year with the Oilers. Sorry OKC. I want to see more of Hartikainen.

Maybe it's just me, but that's how I feel.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Viktor Fasth Future Oilers Goalie?

Bob Stauffer said today on Oilers Lunch that there is a good possibility that the Oilers send Nik Khabibulin down to the minors (OKC Barons) next season. Who will replace him with the big club? Viktor Fasth is the name he said.

Who in the hell is Viktor Fasth? No idea...



Apparently he won goalie of the year (Honken Trophy) in the Elitserien league this season. In the this years playoffs he has a 1.78 GAA and a .945 SVS. Not bad numbers at all. What did he do in the regular season? In 42 Games Played he's earned a 2.26 GAA and a .925 SVS. Again, really decent numbers.

He's 28 years old and was born in Kalix Sweden. He's listed as 6'0" and 198lbs.

Tambellini was there watching him not long ago and maybe Stauffer is right. Maybe this will happen? But you never know as Fasth is signed to play one more season with AIK. Read it here.

Stay tuned...

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

A Hair Love Affair / The Two Ryan's

If you follow Ryan Jones on twitter, it's no secret the guy loves his "flow". Since the first day of tweeting, he's been talking non stop about his and other peoples hair. Last night versus the LA Kings, he had a short conversation with former Oilers player Ryan Smyth during a faceoff.

This is what Jones said today on twitter, "Ryan Smyth told me I had to sick hair at a faceoff yesterday. I told him I was trying to copy him from the old days. He said "Its better!"".

Haha! How awesome! Two dudes lovin'the flow during a game.

While I think it's cool that Jones has that wicked long flocks hanging out of his lid, nothing compares to the rockin' mullet that Ryan Smyth used to sport with the Oil. The mullet is classic.

I miss the mullet.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Watch the Rod Phillips Retirement Ceremony at Oilers Jambalaya

Story Lines For Tonight / Oilers vs Kings

Los Angeles Kings (43-26-6) at Edmonton Oilers (23-41-11)

- As we all know, Dustin Penner is facing the Oilers tonight in what should be an emotional game for Penner. He went through a lot with the Oilers and while no doubt going to the Kings was refreshing for him, this game should bring back the memoriesm (good and bad) that he's had with this hockey club. It will be interesting to see him in a Kings jersey.

- Rod Phillips is calling it a career after tonight's game. This will be his last game ever for the Oilers. After 37 years he's finally walking off into the Arizona sunset. I'm going to miss Rod and the way he calls games. He truly is a classic element of the Edmonton Oilers organization. Good luck in the future Rod, Oil Country loves you!



- Nik Khabibulin will get the start in net tonight. Not sure why. Dubnyk needs the development time so why waste 60 minutes on a drunk bag of bones? Pfft! WE WANT DUBNYK!

- The same lines as last game are expected to be iced tonight.

- Watch for the Kings Jarret Stoll to score the game winning goal tonight. He's scored 2 out of 3 goals in this season series so far. Can he go 3 for 4?

GOILERS!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

If There Was A Bed To Poop In... The Oilers Found It

Despite destroying the Flames in the first 40 minutes, the Oilers laid an egg and lost in the the shootout. Here are the highlights of the game.

BEERS

Devan Dubnyk
Magnus Paajarvi
Linus Omark
Teemu Hartikainen
Ryan Jones
Ryan O'Marra
Ladislav Smid
Jeff Petry

JEERS

Steve MacIntyre (His dumb interference penalty got the Flames ball rolling and eventually was the root cause of the loss)

A Kids 1st NHL Game (Oilers vs Flames)

A friend from work asked me if it was possible to find 2 tickets for tonights game so he could take his 9 year old son to his 1st ever NHL game. I remember mine clearly (in Vancouver vs the classic Gretzky Oilers) so I thought what the hell. I can find him some. Sure enough, Marsha (Scarlett) Boyd gave some up so they could go. Such a nice thing she did. I'm sending her good karma for it. She deserves it.

I hope Joe and his son really take in everything that tonight has to offer. I told him to show up early so they could see the warm ups and grab some shirts and sub par food from Rexall. I told him to even grab one of those heroin beers.

So here's to hoping the Oilers at least put up a fight with the southern rivals. Make this game fun to watch for them. I'll let you know how they made out tomorrow. GOILERS!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

What The??? I'm Back!!! / A LIVE TweetCast / Oilers vs Blues

Welcome to the LIVE TweetCast of

the Edmonton Oilers vs the St. Louis Blues 

GOILERS!!!

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TV: Sportsnet West

RADIO: 630 CHED & Oilers Radio Network

PUCK DROP: 6:08 p.m. MDT

OILERS.com GAME PREVIEW

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Last 10: Edmonton 3-5-2 vs St. Louis 4-6-0

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Edmonton Oilers (23-40-10) at St. Louis Blues (32-32-9)

This LIVE TweetCast is brought to you

by the good people of 

OilersJambalaya.com.

The Force on Thunder's Side

Tonight the Stockton Thunder held their first "Star Wars Night". The 501st Legion, Central California Garrison greeted fans for photo opportunities with Chewbacca, Princess Leia and others in the King's Room at Stockton Arena before the game. Storm Troopers made special appearances around the arena throughout the night. Darth Vader even dropped the ceremonial puck.

The Force was definitely with the Thunder, who hosted the Idaho Steelheads in the second game of a three game weekend series. The Stockton Thunder defeated the Steelheads 5-1.

Some highlights:

• Stockton Thunder started out strong in minute 1 of the game, and played that way until the very last second. It was the best game they've played all season, a "complete" game
• 11 different Thunder players got on the score sheet
• Stockton's Jordan Foreman scored a short-handed goal, his 5th of the season, in second period
• Johan Motin, recently sent down to Stockton from the Oklahoma City Barons, scored his first Thunder point, the primary assist on Jim McKenzie's power play goal
• The Thunder got a standing ovation in the middle of the game, not after scoring a goal, but after managing to keep the puck and sustained pressure in their offensive zone for several minutes, frustrating Idaho's defense. The crowd appreciated the immense effort it took to force turnovers, keep the pucks inside the blue line, the shots on goal and going after rebounds
• Thunder's Ryan Constant and Steelheads' Kyle Reed had a scary collision in 2nd period, and Constant was assessed for a kneeing minor
• Fraser Clair was the only one on the Thunder to have a multi-point game-1 goal, 1 assist
• Thunder goalie Tyson Sexsmith made 23 saves. Not just 23 saves, 23 amazing saves. The Steelheads had 5 power plays and Sexsmith was very strong in net when needed the most
• Steelheads goalie Dusty Carlson made 28 saves out of 33 shots on goal in Idaho's loss
• Stockton scored on 1 of 3 power plays
• Steelheads Coach Hardy Sauter received a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct

Three stars of the game:

1. Jordan Foreman
2. Fraser Clair
3. Tyson Sexsmith

Gilbert Brule... Hard Luck Or injury Prone?

Wonder when Brule is going to make it through an entire season without getting injured? Good question. Is it his style of play that is the main cause to his injuries? I`d have to say that`s a factor for sure. He was a junior star who never lived up to the hype that followed him. He just couldn`t be the same player he was in the WHL (1st line guy) as he needs to be in the NHL. With the Oilers for example, he`s trying to fit the mold of a 3rd line player. He`s required to hit the opposition more than if he was on the 2nd or 1st line. He just can`t be the superstar puck handler like he was, he needs to be a grinder. A disturber. He`s also been used on the PK and sometimes blocking shots comes with that job. Injuries happen then too. So as another year passes by, you have to look and wonder, why is he here? Why do we need a player who`s injured this often? Why force him be something he`s not? Potential or not, he`s no good watching the games from the press box. - WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY -

An OKC Barons loss... An Oilers Gain

The Edmonton Oilers have recalled 3 players from the Oklahoma City Barons. Chris VandeVelde, Alex Giroux and Ryan O`Marra were chosen. While Giroux and O`Marra have been here before, this will be my first time seeing VandeVelde in action. As far as I know, all three are slated to play tonight. GOILERS!!! -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Teemu Hartikainen Getting Called Up?

One of my favorite websites www.copperandblue.com is reporting that Hartikainen will be called up before Thursday`s game versus the Coyotes. While this isn`t yet official, I trust C&B with thier info. This will happen and we will finally get to see Hartikainen in some NHL action. Just another piece of the puzzle for the future. Let`s see what he can do. GOILERS!!! -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Taylor Hall and Ryan Whitney On Twitter? You Betcha!

Joining Jim Vandermeer (@Jim_Vandermeer), Ryan Jones (@jonesry28), Linus Omark (@limpanomark), Jeff Petry (@petryj), are two new Oilers to join the twitter craze.

Welcome to Taylor Hall (@Hallsy04) and Ryan Whitney (@RyanWhitney6). If you haven`t joined twitter yet, well you should. This is a very cool way to interact with your favorite Oilers players.

While your at it, follow me too for all the Edmonton Oilers updates and news. @OilersJambalaya.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Jeff Petry Recalled, Alex Plante Sent Back

The Edmonton Oilers have recalled defenceman Jeff Petry and he will join the team ASAP. With the call up, that means that Alex Plante has been sent back down to the OKC Barons. No surprise there. Plante hasn`t been very good during his short stint with the Oilers. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

I Don`t Give A Damn! Former Players? Who Cares

Since the Dustin Penner trade happened fans have been asking me about the trade and what happened and how much I cared. Honestly... when a player leaves, they are dead to me. If your not with the Oilers then I don`t care. Take Ryan Smyth for example. I love him as a player. One of my fav Oilers of all time. But if you asked me how he`s doing this year, I don`t know. Or care. He`s with the Kings. I only focus on the Oil and the players that are here now. I`m an Oiler guy through and through. No waivering. So when I`m asked about Penner and how`s he doing... I answer "Who gives a damn, but I hear that Taylor Hall kid is going to be special." :) GOILERS!!! -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Oilers Sign D Taylor Fedun

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they signed 6'1", 210 lb. defenseman Taylor Fedun to a 2-year deal. Fedun was coming out of Princeton University as a senior and free agent. In four years on the team, he amassed 20 goals, 48 assists and 154 PIM. His last season he scored his highest college goal total, with 10 goals, 7 of those coming on the Power Play. Prior to entering college, he played a season with the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL, scoring 10 goals, 33 assists, and 103 PIM. The Oilers announced that he will report to the Oklahoma City Barons.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

The Next 4 Oilers Games

Oh how I wish I could watch these next 4 games. The Oilers take on 4 teams who I like to watch but never get to see very often. The Oil are in Philly tonight (game time is 5pm MT). I love the way the Flyers play and no doubt will be hitting the Oilers hard. Should be a good game. Tomorrow the Oilers face the mighty Capitals. Always love to watch Ovechkin play. Very exciting player. I see some of #8 in Taylor Hall. Friday the Oil head to Detroit to take on the Wings. Tough game as always for the young Oilers but perhaps they can pull off a win. Game time is 5:30pm MT. The last game I`d like to watch is on Sunday at 1pm MT. The Oilers play the Penguins in what should be a hard fought afternoon game. Can the Oilers shut down the offence and win? I think so. So if your around a tv for the next week, make sure to watch these games, we don`t get to see these guys often. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Teemu Hartikainen To Play With Edmonton Oilers?

Today local scribe Rob Tychkowski tweeted that the Edmonton Oilers want to call Hartikainen up to the show before the seasons end to get a glimpse of him in the NHL. Hartikainen has 62GP 16G 22A 38P & 27PM while playing with the Oklahoma City Barons this season. He`s been turning heads down there and I`d like to see him for a game or two too up here. He`s a left wing who`s 6`1" and weighs 215lbs. The native from Finland was selected by the Oilers 163rd overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

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Oklahoma City Barons: Happy Clear Day

March 7th was the set deadline by the AHL for each team to submit it's 22 man playoff roster. From the AHL:

"Only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the AHL regular season and in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension.

Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after Clear Day, but only once their respective junior or college seasons are complete."

Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman reported earlier today that Alexandre Giroux, Linus Omark, and Alex Plante would be included on the Clear Day roster, with Phillipe Cornet, Matt Marquardt, and Anthony Aiello being left off.

The Barons forwards are Giroux, Brad Moran, Colin McDonald, Omark, Ryan O'Marra, Teemu Hartikainen, Andrew Lord, Zack Stortini, Milan Kytnar, Greg Stewart, Ben Ondrus, Chris VandeVelde and Mark Arcobello.

The defensemen are Plante, Richard Petiot, Jake Taylor, Colten Teubert, Kevin Montgomery, Bryan Helmer, and Jeff Petry.

And the goalies are Martin Gerber and Jeff Deslauriers.

As the Junior seasons roll on and come to an end, I'm sure we'll be seeing some of those prospects as the playoffs come closer. The Barons currently sit in a tie for 6th with San Antonio, 1 point out of the 5th place crossover spot. The Barons and Rampage both have played 62 games, and have games in hand to all the teams in front of them. The Barons take on the Manitoba Moose on Tuesday night.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Sam Gagner... Can He Surpass 50 Points?

At this point in the season I always seem to track Gagner`s progress. He`s yet to play an entire 82 games and it`s either because he`s been benched at some point or he`s been injured. I always hope for a player to play all 82 games so it`s fair to judge him to the rest of the NHL. Sure you can figure out a players points per game average and do the math, but in some cases, would that said player really keep that pace? Probably not. But for the sake of Gagner, it`s the only way to judge him. His 1st season he played 79GP 13G 36A 49P -21 for an average of .620 PPG. His 2nd season he had 76GP 16G 25A 41P -15 for an average of .539 PPG. His 3rd season he was 68GP 15G 26A 41P -8 for .602 PPG. So far this year he has 66GP 15G 27A 42P -15 for an average of .636 PPG. This season Gagner is on pace to have his best season yet. If he continues this pace he could get 52 points beating his high of 49 points. The big question now.... can he do it? -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Colten Teubert Hero?

The OKC Barons had a game last night versus the Abbotsford Heat and the game wasn`t short of dramatics. The Barons were down by one goal late in the 3rd period and it was newcomer Colten Teubert who provided the dramatics. He scores the game tying goal with only 17.1 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime. Brad Moran eventually scored the winner to win the game for the Barons. Teubert just isn`t a big guy who can play. It turns out he can score sometimes too. WoOoOOoOo! Did the Oilers find a keeper? Check out www.okcbarons.com for more of the game highlights. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

Alex Giroux Has Been Recalled By Oilers

With the season ending injury to Taylor Hall, the Oilers have recalled Alex Giroux from the OKC Barons. Good for Giroux. He`s had a decent season in OKC and if fully deserving of the call. Can`t wait to see him in an Oilers jersey. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

The Future Of The Edmonton Oilers

I`m working today and I`m a little bored. I started thinking this morning about the Oilers and what lies ahead. The more I thought, the more I got fired up. Forget last year and even this year. The future is where it`s at. I know... that has been promised for the last 10 years. But the future is close. Last night watching the Taylor Hall revelation, I couldn`t help but think he`s finally arrived. It`s been a long time since I was sold on a young player so quickly. But how can you not embrace what he represents? The kid wants to be a winner and you know what? I believe him. Combine Hall with the other young players and you get a gnarly young core group to lead this team to Lord Stanley`s cup. Want to know the future? Here it is. Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Lander, Dubnyk, Peckham, Teubert, Petry, Vande Velde, Hartikainen, Omark (plus other players not named) and the two 1st round draft picks from 2011. Now if that doesn`t set this team up for years to come, then really.... nothing will.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

The Awesome Taylor Hall

If you watched the game last night then you seen Hall`s 1st ever Gordie Howe hat trick. It was a thing of beauty. Not so much the fight itself, but the fact that he dropped the gloves in the first place and took charge. Gotta love his gumption and his will to be the best. I can see why he was chosen 1st overall. Maybe it`s just me... but can`t you just see Taylor as the next Edmonton Oilers captain? There is a couple of good articles posted at OilersNation.com by Gregor and Lowetide that I agree with 100%. Go read them. -WRITTEN BY SMOKIN RAY-

New March Wallpaper by @SAVEMEX29 (Kurtis Foster)



CLICK TO ENLARGE



Richard Petiot Recalled

The Edmonton Oilers have recalled OKC Barons defenceman Richard Petiot. Theo Peckham must have sustained an injury last night during his fight with Nathan Horton and therefore Petiot was recalled today. Petiot finally gets his chance to show the Oiler fans what he can do and I hope he doesn`t dissapoint. I`m waiting for the fans to ask why Teubert wasn`t given a game or two to appease the fan base instead of Petiot after the big trade. Two words.. not ready.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-

What A Day That Was...

The NHL trade deadline came and went and the Oilers only did a couple of moves (for the small moves see the post below by Eric Rodgers). Penner for Teubert and the 2 picks was a great move by Steve Tambellini. He picked up a kid who`s not only friends with Eberle, but he`s young and fits into the future of this team. While I am sad Penner had to go, Teubert will be the real deal down the road. Tambellini is building a team that is not only young, but they will grow and develop together properly. Hmmmm.... where did we see this before? Oh right. The 80`s Oilers team. Not saying this team will match that, but I'm just saying. Have no fear fans, this team is moving forward the way it should be. I`m excited for the future. Are you?

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN` RAY-