Gagner Impressive In Opening Game of Super Series

Sam Gagner posted a goal and an assist in a 4-2 come from behind victory again team Russia. View the full article courtesy of Canadian Hockey here:

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/11728/la_id/1/ss_id/24821/game_id/1337.htm

Hockey Gods. Please Send Us a Goal Scorer

As I look at the rosters for the upcoming season I am nothing short of scared. The Oilers are very good on the defensive end, but yet again on offense, aren't gonna be able to produce. Now it may seem to a lot of you from reading this, that i'm bashing the Oilers. Well get one thing straightened out early on, I love the Edmonton Oilers, and will never take loyalties with another team. Now the reason I say this is our first line is not really a first line. Hemsky can dish the passes, but there isn't anyone to finish. What we need is a Heatley, or a Hossa or Briere to feed some passes to. They will put it in the net.

I hope that in either Cogliano or Schremp, we get a goal scorer. Schremp is known for his finishing abilties and hands around the net. This season is theirs to prove to Kevin Lowe and Craig Mactavish that they deserve to be out there.

Another option for the Oilers is to possibly make a trade for someone early in the season if things aren't going too well. I just don't think the Oilers will be able to compete this year if they don't get a legitimate scorer. "Hemsky to Penner", and "He shoots, he scores", don't really ring to me.

The pressure is on Sheldon Souray this year, as the Oil will look for him to put up points on the Oil blueline. If he steps out strong this year and has another spectacular season then maybe we can compete and fall into one of the last playoff position spots, if not I think were screwed.

So in saying that. Please, Please send us a goal scorer.

New Oilers Jersey Available For Pre-Purchase

The Edmonton Oilers are giving fans the chance to pre-purchase their new Jerseys for the 07/08 season. No details are given on how and when the jerseys will be presented. Pre-Purchasing can be done through the Edmonton Oilers website or through this link:

http://oilers.nhl.com/ext/pdf/preorder.pdf

Hockey Ranks 2nd Toughest Sport In The World

In a recent study by ESPN it was surveyed that hockey was the 2nd toughest sport, behind boxing of course. For complete article visit:

www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2007/08/24/4442665-sun.html

Who Will Lead Our Boys

You hear the names Lowe, Messier, and Gretzky and right away you know these players were the heart and soul of the Oilers, as well as great leaders.

With the season soon approaching and the loss of former Captain Jason Smith, the question still remains, who will be this years Captain?. In my opinion it will either be Steve Staios, Ethan Moreau, or maybe even Sheldon Souray. It's a tough decision between Staios and Moreau because both players lay it on the line each and every night, but I believe Staios is more deserving and better suited, as he has already been Captain of another team, the Atlanta Thrashers. Souray could get Captaincy out of the gate, but this won't likely happen. I see him wearing an "A" though, along with Moreau, and Stoll.

Who do you think will wear the "C"?

Is MacT The Right Man For The Job?

After seeing the much hated Calgary Flames hire Mike Keenan as head coach, I asked myself a couple of questions: Is Craig MacTavish the right guy to coach our team?, Did he take a puck to the head a few times too many?, and Can he take our team to the Stanley Cup finals without a star studded lineup?


Now heres the thing, I don't mean to bash MacT so much, hes probably a nice guy. I'm just not sure hes coach material. What I'm saying here is, we need someone more along the lines of a Mike Keenan to coach our guys. MacTavish is known for being personable, the only thing being, we don't need personable. We need a coach who when the Oilers make stupid passes in their defensive zone, and play hot potato with the puck, to scream, and yell at them with druel hanging out of their mouth. I don't know how many times I've watched a game thinking, why the hell are the Oilers playing dump and chase? Ales Hemsky was not designed to play dump and chase hockey. If it was a designed play for Smitty or something when he was here I would kind of understand.

Well the only thing to do I guess is wait and see. What do you think of MacTavish as our coach?

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Run: 05/06

With hardly anything to talk about with the Oilers today, I thought I would post a video of our exciting playoff run in 2005/2006. Even thought it's an old video, its still nice to see a whole bunch of video of the Oilers scoring some goals, Roloson making some huge saves, some huge hits, and our fans go wild. Enjoy!




Oh how awesome the playoffs will be once again. Does this bring back the memories?

Former Oiler Peca Signs With Blue Jackets

Michael Peca, who spent last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has agreed to a one year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After playing in only 35 games last season before suffering a season ending leg injury, Peca had four goals and eleven assists. Peca who excels as a defensive forward, will be looked upon to shadow other teams superstars. The two time frank J. Selke award winner will have to pass a physical first. Hope you're in shape Mike.

August Roster Additions

I have to say that in July I was pretty happy with the players we picked up. Sadly, it's hard enough to get players to stay in Edmonton so its damn good that Sheldon Sourray is originally from Elk Point Alberta and played most of his Junior Hockey Career in Alberta. We don't want any whiny babies anyways.
The month of August for us was not as busy as the previous month. Our Oilers only picked up two players, Dustin Penner, and Geoff Paukovich. In Dustin Penner we get a 6'4" 243 lb right winger. I know some were happy with this move, but in all honesty I am not. I do not think he fits into the Oiler's style of hockey. What we need is scoring, but what we picked up in Penner is some grinding ability. Let's hope he proves me wrong.
With the signing of Geoff Paukovich we get yet another checker to supposedly add some offensive touch to our lineup. The NHL is a little different than NCAA and if you cant put up good numbers there, how the hell are you gonna put them up in the bigs. I'm not too excited about seeing Paukovich in our lineup, but, if we can get him to stand in front of the net on our powerplay, it could do us some good.
I was a much happier person in July when hearing of Pitkanen and Souray, than I am about getting Dustin Penner. I just hope to God he does good. We NEED you to score, WE REALLY DO. And please don't complain about the weather, or the city. After all, you're here to play hockey.

July Roster Additions: What To Expect

With training camp approaching soon I thought I would shed some light on the new faces that will be in our lineup for the upcoming season. On July 1st we picked up Dick Tarnstrom, Joni Pitkanen, and Geoff Sanderson. I was so happy to hear about the signing of these players, especially Joni Pitkanen as he will help our powerplay immensely, which struggled so badly last year. Dick Tarnstrom is also a solid defensemen who will add some consistency to our blueline, as well as put up a few needed points, and last but not least, Geoff Sanderson to add some depth and experience to our lineup. On July 3rd we picked up Mathieu Garon. In Garon we pick up a solid backup goalie, and if Roloson starts to struggle he could fight for a starting position. On July 12th I know all of us were jumping up and down as we heard of the signing of Sheldon Souray, what a pick up that was. As a member of the Montreal Canadians last year Sheldon posted 64 points which put him in 3rd for defensmen in the league. No one knew how things were gonna be on our blueline after Jason Smith was traded to Philadelpia, but with these July additions of Pitkanen and Souray our defensive needs were satisfied.

And now for our future prospects. On July 17th the Oilers agreed to terms with right wing Colin McDonald on a two-year entry level contract and have also agreed to one-year terms with left wing Ryan Flinn, defenceman T.J. Kemp and defencemen T.J. Reynolds.
McDonald, who the Oilers drafted 51st overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, played four years with the NCAA’s Providence College Friars, leading the Friars with a career-high 13 goals last season. Flinn is entering his 7th professional season and should add some toughness to the lineup with his 6'5" 230 lb frame. Kemp, who played with the Manchester Monarchs posted career highs in assists with 33, points with 38, and penalty minutes 56 in 65 games.

Once an Oiler, Always an Oiler

If this doesn't give you goosebumps I am not sure what will.

ENJOY!

Hello Oilers Fans

Let me start this off by saying, I have been a die hard Oilers fan since the day I first put on skates.
Losing to Expansion teams, and players you've never heard of, getting their first goals against us was always frustrating and made you want to switch your favorite team, but beating Dallas in the first round of the Playoffs, the whole Dallas rivalry, and then going to the final game of the Stanley Cup finals to watch our fans cheer on our boys as no other fans would. THAT'S WHY I'M HAPPY TO BE AN OILERS FAN. Growing up in Northern Alberta it would have been truly wrong to cheer for any other team.

From our past greats such as Gretzky, Messier, and Coffey to our current young talent in Hemsky, Horcoff, Nilsson, Torres, and Stoll; Oilers hockey has always been the most exciting to watch in the National Hockey League.

This blog will cover everything from fresh news, player profiles, coaching, post game analysis, players in the system and pretty much everything to do Edmonton Oilers. I will keep posting on a consistent basis and hope you enjoy my blog and I encourage you to post your thoughts and comments. I'd love to hear them.