[Cult of Hockey]
To watch what Taylor Hall did yesterday afternoon at Rexall Place against the Atlanta Thrashers was truly witnessing something special. If you watched Hall take over the game in the 3rd period yesterday, you knew that you were watching a dominating performance and after he got his first two goals (cutting the deficit to 3-2, tying the game at 3-3 with the goal horn coming within mere minutes of each-other) you just knew he was going to find a way to get the hat trick.
The young man looked hungry with the puck. And guys like Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner just kept feeding the monster. Tom Renney should get credit, because he saw that Hall was in one of those rare zones and kept giving him ice time. It seemed like Hall was playing every other shift. It was truly fun hockey to watch. The Thrashers looked helpless on the power play defence and Hall scored all three goals on special teams to get a natural hat trick.
NBC's Matt Reitz:
There’s a certain quality that superstars have that most NHLers will never experience—some people call it the “it” factor. Hall controlled the game. It wasn’t the shots, it wasn’t the odd-man rushes, and it was just the way the game flowed. When he was out there, the Oilers were a dangerous team—when he wasn’t, they weren’t. He was the player you looked for during the entire game and when he jumped over the boards, you held your breath because you had no idea what he’d do next. It was that “edge-of-your-seat” factor that only a handful of guys are capable of producing—and he did it 19-years-old.
Isn’t this what we expect from a #1 overall pick?
The win was the Oilers third straight. It was the first natural hat-trick by a rookie in five years. I am so glad Hall is an Oiler. And I'm thrilled I was watching on this February Saturday afternoon. Gary Bettman was on hand to see the future of his league.
They're calling him "Cyclone". And this is only the beginning.
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