Saturday, November 28, 2015

Connor McDavid is progressing from injury more quickly than expected

Man, it's great to hear this. I will soon have a reason to follow hockey again closely.

Though no one would offer a firm date for McDavid’s return, at this rate the betting is that he could be back in the Edmonton Oilers lineup in mid-to-late January, rather than the early March return originally forecasted by the team.

“He’s ahead of schedule,” Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed from Detroit on Thursday. “He’s been in the pool, been lifting weights… There are no soft tissue injuries, which is important. When you get a break like that, oftentimes there is accompanying soft tissue injuries. That slows down the recovery.”

The Oilers are playing right now against the Pittsburgh Penguins and holding a surprising lead. I am in New Jeresy and ready to head back to Ohio and get back into the groove of following the Oilers each night.

Monday, November 23, 2015

I want this card


Connor McDavid Upper Deck Young Guns. It's the sports card of the year. Now, does anyone have $300 I can borrow?

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Magical Hockey Night



I finally saw the Columbus Blue Jackets get their first home win of the season, in mid November. Last night I went to R-Bar before the game, looks like an awesome hockey bar. Way too packed to look around, I am hoping to return when no one is in there. 


Loved the urinals at R-Bar, with the rivals of the Blue Jackets posted on them. 


I truly enjoyed the seats last night more than I have really at any of the games I've been at. I could really see the play develop up high. It was just a perfect view and a nice chilly night at the arena. I love that feeling when there's a nip in the air at the arena. You know you're at a hockey game. 


The awful tragedy in Paris the night before prompted for a moment of silence. I have to say, it was weird being at a major pro sporting event the day after. I am thankful to God that no incidents happened. 



The finest of DFS NHL lineups I'll ever post, a 72.7 on Fanduel. It wasn't in a tourney. Nathan Mackinnon went top shelf in Montreal twice in the same 18 seconds. 




I can always say I say Ryan Johansen score a goal. He played a good ballgame last night.



Also tallying goals were Anthony Duclair and Oliver Ekman-Larrson.

And of course, they blared this awesome somng on the loudspeakers.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Nooooooo! God No


As far as I'm concerned, hockey season may have ended tonight. This is absolutely fucking horrible. The Oilers are completely cursed.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Halloween Night Heartbreak in the Battle of Alberta (Flames win 5-4)


It was a weird night, featuring many weird goals. The Oilers once again got behind early because of the poor play of Goalie Cam Talbot; and overcame a 4-2 deficit behind the phenomenal play of Taylor Hall and Leon Draisatl to tie the game 4-4.

The game ended in complete heartbreak when Michael Frolik scored this strange goal from basically behind the net to complete his hat-trick. That happened with nine seconds remaining in the game.

It's a shame, because it wasted an effort from Taylor Hall who scored a goal and had two assists. Connor McDavid's point streak ends at seven games after a goal that he had an assist on was waived off.

It could have been a memorable, special hockey night in Edmonton. Instead, just a frustrating heartbreak that had me turning off the game.

Leon Draisatl had two assists and a goal. He's done some serious damage in two games.

Puck Daddy Talks about NHL Figures from Imports Dragon

I already have my Connor McDavid on preorder.

Puck Daddy has a good feature on these NHL figurines.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

TSN: McDavid better than we thought?

Travis Yost of TSN writes a really nice article about Connor McDavid's humble beginnings:

Everyone knew Connor McDavid would be good. Great, even. But perhaps we need to calibrate even our short-term expectations for him in Edmonton. If McDavid’s this comfortable after just 10 games at the NHL-level, where is he going to be by year two? Scary thought, that.

And the first two comments on the article are kind of cool:

Oilers beat Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in an incredible comeback from 3-0, Leon Draisatl debut

Draisatl was the first star with two goals in his NHL debut.

Connor McDavid was once again the top story when you look at five things Sportsnet focused on from a busy night in the NHL. Even with Leon Draisatl making his NHL debut and scoring two goals, including the game winner. 

Here's McDavid's assist to Pouliot, which tied the game:



McDavid now has points in the last seven games. He has five goals and seven assists. Here was the other assist that he and Darnell Nurse were involved in.

And of course, the Draisatl game-winner:



It was like Rocky cutting down the Russian in Rocky IV. The Oilers have hung a second loss on the Canadiens in what was a tremendous hockey game. Carey Price is apparently now human. Connor McDavid, is not. The Oilers are now 4-7-0 and perhaps they will now reach a turning point in their young season.

On Saturday night, another Battle of Alberta in Edmonton.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Some NHL DFS Success


Had this bad boy entered in a tournament just before action got started.... and wouldn't you know the tournament was filled. Really sucks, and DFS in general really sucks.

Darnell Nurse's Debut Spoiled by two late goals


Everyone was highly anticipating the debut of Darnell Nurse, and he did not disappoint. In fact, Nurse and Connor McDavid were probably the biggest highlights on the night for the Oilers.

What I'll remember from this game, is Nurse's unbelievable slapshot to give the Oilers the lead on his first career goal; and Connor McDavid's sick stick moves that almost juked Devan Dubnyk out of his skates. Nurse also showed exceptional fire and speed.



McDavid logged his 5th assist of the season on a Taylor Hall goal, Hall's fourth of the season. It seems like McDavid is just scoring every game. This has gone on well over a week now. Hall also added his fourth assist.

There is some talk - and lack of evidence - that this incarnation of the Oilers in 2015-2016 is no better than past iterations. Edmonton is 3-7-0 and has Montreal coming to town off a loss tomorrow night. This is enormous trouble, and the Oilers will need a strong homestand to turn the season around; or it could be another lost year in this final season at Rexall.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

No Goal, Eh?


A day later, but it doesn't make things any easier. 

With Justin Schultz and Griffin Reinhart shelved with injuries, Darnell Nurse has been called up to make his debut with the Edmonton Oilers

Last night wasn't without it's usual fireworks - Connor McDavid logged yet another point. He just keeps scoring, as noted around the blogosphere

It was due to McDavid's explosive speed:

In nine games, he has five goals and four assists. Absolutely incredible start to his career. And of course later in the game he was robbed of a dramatic goal; what could have been my most dramatic moment as an Oilers fan.

The Oilers head to Minnesota tomorrow night to take on the Wild.

Man, the Oilers got FUCKED tonight in Edmonton

Well, this is horrible. Went from what could have been my greatest Oilers memory ever (McDavid tying the game with a goal with 3.6 seconds to go), to this:




The NHL has a "Situation Room" blog:



I am disgusted right now. Could the NHL use some logic here? The puck was in the glove. The glove was in the net. Are you kidding me?

Oilers fall to 3-6. Brutal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are off the Schneid



Two Boone Jenner goals to get them off and running and 31 Seregei Bobrovsky saves, and the Blue Jackets are finally in the win column after a Saturday night 4-3 win in Colorado.

"We're not going to do it overnight," Dubinsky said. "We played some good hockey tonight. We took some penalties and put ourselves in a little bit of trouble, but we didn't quit. It's an effort we were accustomed to before this year started and it was nice to get back to that.

"You celebrate it. It's been a while since we've had this type of feeling in the dressing room, so we'll celebrate it."
Jarome Iginla scored and had a real nice game, also adding an assist and ending up +1 to be the third star of the game. Ryan Murray added a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets.  

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Picked up NHL '16 for Playstation 4


There's Connor McDavid scoring his first goal of his career for me. Right now he has four goals and I believe four assists. I played two games tonight and lose to the Wild in overtime and got beat by the monstrous Canadiens after getting up 2-0. I'm 4-6-1 thus far. 

I'll continue to update things as my season goes along with the PS4 Oilers. 

UPDATE: on Sunday morning the Oilers lost in Edmonton on PS4 5-4 in OT to the Flyers after tying it up with like :20 seconds to go. They're 5-6-2 on the year in my franchise. Connor McDavid scored goal number seven.

Friday, October 23, 2015

McDavid scores his fifth goal on a Friday Night Hockey Night


Connor McDavid logged his fifth goal of the season, and also tallied his third assist. The points are starting to pile up now. It wasn't his prettiest goal; but it counted on the power play.


Mcdavid also logged an assist on this pretty play.

The Oilers lost 7-4. Evgeny Kuznetsov logged a hat trick. Taylor Hall had an assist, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal. Rough night for Anders Nielsen. Here are the player grades from the Cult of Hockey blog.

Other hockey things from the day:

  1. I picked up EA Sports NHL 16. I am 2-3 with the Oilers so far. McDavid has no goals so far. It's pretty fun. I've played a lot of installments of this game through the years. 
  2. Holy shit Canadiens, now 8-0 and absolutely bludgeoned to death the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 7-2
  3. Jimmy Roberts passed away
  4. Hockey Day in Canada is Saturday February 6th. The Oilers play at Montreal at 2:00 that day. 
  5. Also noticed the Oilers play on New Years eve at Rexall, and on January 2nd at 4:00 ET. 
  6. They play on Thanksgiving Eve and Black Friday. 
  7. Huge hockey night again tomorrow night; the Blue Jackets are in action with an 0-8-0 record at Coloardo. 
  8. I found this DFS Hockey site today. 
  9. Spent some time reading about Howard Morenz the other day on a cool site about Hockey Legends. 

That's really all I got for tonight.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Columbus Blue Jackets fire Todd Richards, John Tortorella named Head Coach


Todd Richards is out, John Tortorella is in. Tonight is Torts' debut and it will take place up in Minnesota.

Here is a look at Tortorella's (his name is a pain in the ass to write) career record from coaching stints in New York, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver.

I've now heard Torts say a couple times that he doesn't know who the Blue Jackets are or what his players' names are.

Last night's goal by Connor McDavid - his first at Rexall wearing the most beautiful sweaters in the NHL - was without a doubt my favorite of his career so far. He pretzel'd Peter Mrazek so badly, it had me giggling out loud. 


It was his fourth goal of the season, and he now has six points on the season. He has recorded a point in three straight, and four games out of five.

McDavid had another really good game last night. From the Edmonton Journal player grades:

#97 Connor McDavid, 7. Came to life in a brilliant second period where he showed his stick skills and elusiveness, both on one play on the game winner which he buried with a superlative deke after first gaining separation from the defender with a sophisticated roll. That was the third breathtaking goal McDavid has been involved in over the past 3 games, and is already beginning to become something of a habit with the wunderkind. Made a superb move and pass to Letestu for a chance that really should have been buried. Got to another puck in the offensive zone where he leaped to avoid the defender while simultaneously taking the most efficient line to the puck. Also drew the (rather lame) penalty that led to the first Oilers goal. Played just 15:36, including a little bit of time on the PK where he acquitted himself well. I’m tempted to give him an 8 but will soon run out of room once he hits his true level. He’s got many games in his future that will be greater than this one.
Like they said he was on the PK towards the end of the game, which I thought was kind of amazing.

Cam Talbot was awesome; it wasn't all about McDavid on this night. Talbot stopped 28 of 29 shots at Rexall last night. The lone score by the Red Wings was a Tomas Tatar marker with 6:49 to go in the game.

The Oilers have won now three games in a row. That hasn't happened many times since I've been running this blog.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Oilers beat Vancouver in Overtime, at Vancouver


Connor McDavid set up Nail Yakupov early to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead, it was McDavid's second assist of his career, and he now has five points in four games. 

Anders Nielssen played really well in his second game of the season, and the Oilers sent this game to overtime.

In overtime, the Oilers took the game for their second road win over a division rival in a row on back to back nights, to improve to 2-4 on the season, heading home for a long homestand. 

There would be no need for a shootout.




The game winner goes to Lauri Korpikoski. The assist from Andrej Sekera.



Sunday, October 18, 2015

Columbus Blue Jackets tickets will be easy to come by this winter


Man, the Blue Jackets are bad.

They're now the only 0-6 team in hockey, the worst record by a longshot. Last night's loss in Chicago by a 4-1 final was just a total defeat. If you want to read about it, head here.

I'm interested in the Blue Jackets because their state of the art arena is right up the road from my home and they're my most local connection the NHL. All of my colleagues and friends who have interest in the sport are interested in the Jackets. And that interest right now is completely dead.

Usually right now the Jackets need a quick start to steal and thunder or air time in the market from the Ohio State Buckeyes football program. And they haven't done that. They're losing in embarrassing fashion night over night. Seregi Bobrovsky is a shell of his former self, giving up around five goals per game.

There are rumors that Todd Richards is on the hot seat already. This just doesn't bode well for a team that needed to turn things around.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Connor McDavid Dominates first Hockey Night in Canada; Oilers win hist first Battle of Alberta 5-2



Just as some are talking about blowing up the Edmonton Oilers. Maybe the pressure is finally off now. 

Connor McDavid was named the first star on enemy ice in his first Battle of Alberta; how very special. He scored two goals and recorded an assist. He was a really good save away from what would have been his second goal of the night and a hat trick on the night. He has four points now in five games. His first goal was absolutely beautiful. He finished. 





His second goal of the night put it away:



That came after he fed Nail Yakupov for the first assist of his career, a linemate whom we think that he'll turn into a star.

Taylor Hall was the second star, and he played all night like a man possessed. He recorded what went down as the game-winning goal for his 2nd tally of the season. He also recorded two assists, drawing multiple penalties, and skated all over the ice with command, leadership and power.

Scoring was kicked off by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the first period. All four first overall picks scored tonight. The OILERS are on Sportscenter right now as I type this. That's the first time in years.

This might go down as McDavid's finest game all season long. It was my first great Connor McDavid memory.

5-14-16-1

On a night like tonight, you can't watch this enough times:



Lots of conspiracy theories out there about where McJesus landed.

McDavid's First Hockey Night is a memorable one


Friday, October 16, 2015

Two best DFS Fanduel Lineups from last night

My season high was 53, almost approached that last evening. Decent effort but was not a profitable night due to too many tournament entries not cashing and missing double ups by 2 points.

Connor McDavid's Rexall Place Edmonton Debut Takes Place; Oilers to 0-4-0


The orange jerseys were on. The barn was dark. It was a late start from Edmonton. Everything could have been perefect. But the Oilers were flat, and they lost the game 4-2. Once again, Vladimir Tarsenko probably had the goal of the game. 



Taylor Hall played his ass off, like a man possessed. He scored all by himself coming out of a faceoff to cut the lead to 3-2.



Hall took six shots and was +1 on the night, but the Oilers are just playing a flat game right now of mostly dumping the puck down the ice and then skating in circles. Todd Mclellan has not shaped these guys yet.

In five minutes of power play time, Connor Mcdavid failed to record a shot. I was underwhelmed by his game.

Once again, the next game is the big one. Saturday night in Calgary is the Battle of Alberta. It's time to get it going.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Connor McDavid's First Career NHL Goal comes in Dallas



Jason Spezza's hat trick for the Dallas Stars couldn't spoil what was an absolutely special moment in hockey history, especially for Edmonton Oilers fans.

Connor McDavid recorded the first goal of his career, a deflection that you would see from a ten year veteran that tied the game at 2-2. The Oilers would surrender two goals late including an empty netter to fall to 0-3 on the season, failing to get at least a point before returning home to the Rexall Place barn on Thursday evening for their home opener against the St. Louis Blues.

Anders Nilsson was the other story, stopping 48 shots and peppered all night long in a back-up role. Tyler Seguin logged ten shots by himself.

Taylor Hall was listed as questionable to play with an illness but gutted it out as a non-factor. He had two shots on the night.

The story of the game from an Edmonton standpoint was the play of the Connor McDavid, Nail Yakupov, and Benoit Pouliot line. I think having McDavid on that line will increase the effectiveness of Yakupov. He had a breakaway opportunity in the third period and looked involved all night long; Kari Lehtonen made the save on Yakupov's attempt and things swung quickly in favor of Dallas not long after that.

Yakupov had three shots and an assist on the night, while Pouliot added the same. Each player had two penalty minutes.

Sure, it was another loss. But it was a special moment to be watching when McDavid netted that first one.








Monday, October 12, 2015

Jack Eichel has two goals now

Things have gotten off to a better start for Buffalo Sabres superstar rookie Jack Eichel than for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. That shouldn't be a surprise. This afternoon up in Buffalo, Eichel netted his second goal of the season in a 4-2 Sabres win over the Blue Jackets.



And on another point, the Blue Jackets are totally overrated and the same moribund, Cleveland Browns-like franchise they have always been! They're 0-3 at the bottom of the standings as per usual. Sergei Bobrovsky is terrible. He's given up goals in excess now three straight games. Hard to decide if him or Jonathan Quick have been the most disappointing, supposed to be good goaltender yet.

Todd Richards and the Blue Jackets are in for a long year, you heard it here first. This is going to be a year similar to 2011-2012.

A Great Listen about building a winning DFS lineup



Really good listen from @fuzzychris91.

*Check Vegas lines
*Build around elite goaltender first
*Start with forwards next
*Look for a center and a winger that play on the powerplay together - this doesn't always happen.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

NHL Sunday is Quiet...



The NFL and MLB were on center stage today, so it's to be expected that there would be a short slate in NHL. We still have the goal to make some type of contribution here at the blog every day of the NHL season.

There was just one game, and it was the opener at the Canadien Tire Centre in Ottawa. The Canadiens took down the Senators 3-1. Tomas Plekanic was the first star with that big horse P.K. Subban being named the third star of the game with an assist and a +1. The Habs once again have the look of an awesome team this season.

Some linkage from around the NHL:


  • It's going to take some time for Connor McDavid to adjust to the NHL game. [Sportsnet CA]
  • They're breaking down Sidney Crosby's slow start already. [NBC Sports]
  • In case you missed it, ESPN experts picks for the 2015 season. [ESPN]
  • And NHL.com's expert picks. [NHL.com]
  • Sports Illustrated's crystal ball for 2015-2016. [Sports Illustrated]
  • More predictions from The Hockey News. [The Hockey News]
  • People are liking the new 3 on 3 format in overtime. [Deadspin]
  • Sabres goalie Robin Lehner is out 6-10 weeks. [Puck Daddy]
  • Really good HNIC upcoming this Saturday night, here's the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast schedule for 2015-2016. [Sportsnet]
That's all for today. While you start your work week, there are three afternoon contests and just a short two game slate at night. We'll be back tomorrow to recap whatever happens around the NHL. 

This Alex Ovechkin goal from Saturday night may have been the best of the young season so far



Now this, is what you call a dangle.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Connor McDavid's first Hockey Night is a rough one


Well, that sucked balls. 

It was said that Connor McDavid's first game on Thursday night was about more than points, and that's good because two games in there still haven't been any. Tonight there weren't any from any Oilers.

The Predators got goals from Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. The Oilers took 31 shots and were shut out by Pekka Rinne. It was all too predictable.



It's Hockey Night


This is Alexander Mogilny. I got to thinking about him because of this thread on HF Boards about why he is not in the Hall of Fame. Also, he was a fucking legend on the old NHL games I played on Sega as a kid. Clint Malarchuk went into great detail about what a primadonna Mogilny was to play with; flying in luxury jets, and generally just not being a team-oriented guy. 

Tonight marks the first official "Hockey Night" of the season. There are 13 games on the slate. It always makes it tough to follow hockey like I want to this time of year with NCAA football being on and the baseball playoffs. 

The Oilers are in Nashville to do battle with Pekka Rinne and the Predators. It's game number two for Connor McDavid.


Here's a shot of my best DFS NHL lineup from last night. It still ceased to be a profitable night, ending up a couple dollars in the red. Maybe tonight will be better. 


Thursday, October 8, 2015

Game 1, 2015-2016: The Connor McDavid Debut Night is Spoiled



The good news is the Connor McDavid era is officially underway. The bad news is it ended with a loss, a -1 in the +/- column, only two shots, and being stonewalled on a great scoring opportunity by Blues goaltender Brian Elliot.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was credited with the opening goal of the night to put the Oilers up 1-0. It was really a fluke goal that was tipped in by a St. Louis Blues player. From there, it was all downhill. 

Vladimir Tarasenko tied the game at 1-1 with this:


I thought Cam Talbot played alright - he stopped 28 of 31 shots and played in a lot of traffic. Taylor Hall had a quiet night, logging just three shots and I can't remember any of them as significant chances.

Rookie Robby Fabbri who was noted as being close friends of McDavid scored the first goal of his career in his first NHL game.

Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada says "it's crazy to think the Oilers are a playoff team". For right now, I must beg to differ. They seemed to me like the same old Oilers without any backbone. I think McDavid's scoreless streak could go on a little while as well. He just seemed to be out-muscled out there. 

Connor McDavid's Debut (and Opening NHL Night)



It's the big night of NHL hockey with many teams opening up action. I'm home from surgery, in a shitload of pain, and have on NHL Network getting ready for all the action in a few hours.

Tonight marks the beginning of Connor McDavid's hockey career. I've had this game circled and ready to go since they were granted the golden ticket in the NHL lottery. It begins tonight in St. Louis.

I've read the NHL Grind Down on Rotogrinders. I have no fewer than about ten lineups locked and loaded for Fanduel.

I can't work tomorrow, so just a big night of watching hockey.

I'll be back to recap what I can tonight.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Sportsnet: 5 Must Watch Oilers Games for 2015-2016

Sportsnet has a nice little article if you don't have time to pick through the Oilers schedule and decide for yourself which games you must see as an Oilers fan. A few of them were ones that I had already decided I had to see.

Edmonton Oilers vs. St. Louis Blues, Thursday, Oct. 8 (National – Sportsnet 360)

McDavid's debut will likely be the most anticipated game of the NHL's opening week. Head coach Todd McLellan will also make his debut behind the Oilers' bench as the club travels to St. Louis to kick off the season.

The Blues' $7.5 million man, Vladimir Tarasenko, is certainly worth the price of admission, too.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames, Saturday, Oct. 17 (National – Hockey Night in Canada)

The Battle of Alberta has life again.

The Flames were one of the league's most surprising teams last season. They added defenceman Dougie Hamilton via trade in the off-season and signed analytics darling Michael Frolik to a five-year, $21.5-million contract.

The Oilers hope to mimic the Flames' ascension up the standings following a decent off-season of their own. One of the game's greatest rivalries may involve meaningful hockey for the first time in a while.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Edmonton Oilers, Friday, Nov. 6 (National – Sportsnet)

It was just over a decade ago when the Pittsburgh Penguins emerged from a run of losing seasons and financial uncertainty to become a perennial contender behind young superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Crosby will meet McDavid on NHL ice for the first time in November when the Penguins arrive in Edmonton for the first of two meetings in 2015-16.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Monday, Nov. 30 (National – Sportsnet)

Despite the Oilers and Maple Leafs playing for little more than the title of "who loses harder?" over the past few seasons, their fanbases' distaste for each other is certainly palpable.

Now, there's a new catalyst for the hatred.

Connor McDavid grew up a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs narrowly missed out on landing the first overall pick at the draft lottery in April.

McDavid will play before an Air Canada Centre crowd in the clubs' first meeting in November.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, Dec. 6 (National – Sportsnet)

McDavid versus Eichel is the NHL's next great manufactured rivalry. McDavid will face off against Jack Eichel, the No. 2 overall pick, for the first time when the Buffalo Sabres head to Edmonton in December.

Eichel is confident that he can be every bit the player McDavid will be. Even better. Get your popcorn ready.

Definitely pencil me in for the opener (McDavid's debut in St. Louis) and the Hockey Night in Canada telecast nine days later against the Flames.

As a whole I plan on picking up the NHL Centre Ice package so I can see as much of this season as possible.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Connor McDavid signs his Oilers Contract



Everything is all roses on these days for an organization.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

McDavid's First Rexall Skate

Today was Connor McDavid's first skate on his home ice. I found one quote in a quick glance at the article that I really liked:

"Today was a lot of fun," McDavid said. "The fitness test wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it was cool to throw on the Oilers gear, the gear that I want to play the rest of my life in. It was very special put it on and to step onto Rexall with all that history. It was a lot of fun."

Obviously, when you're 18 it's hard to speculate on where you want to play or be for the rest of your life. But it's nice to hear that the kid wants to be an Oiler for life and it is one sport where that kind of stuff really seems to happen. Teams seem to keep their own.

The Oilers signed a blue liner today named Andrej Sekera to a long contract. I don't know much about his playing style, but the numbers indicate the guy can play.

The Oilers have some serious talent. This is going to be the most exciting and high-upside team the Oilers have had since I've been following them (2010 was when I started). Talbot and Sekera if healthy should make them more competitive.

They also signed center Mark Letestu.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

VIDEO: Full Connor McDavid Pick

I felt this deserved to be forever in the archives:

Friday, June 26, 2015

Connor McDavid Selected #1 by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft


Connor McDavid was selected #1 overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft tonight. I have the draft coverage from NBC Sports on my television and I'm trying to take in as much of this draft as I can. 


It was a transformative moment for the franchise, easily the single-most important move the team has made in more than a decade. It trumps the acquisition of Chris Pronger, a move which brought the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. Likely it even trumps the flurry of exits by Pronger and others immediately following that playoff run, the associated moves which launched the current epoch of darkness in Edmonton.
Ah. I cannot wait to watch this kid start to pile up the stats.

Taylor Hall with the Funny

Connor McJesus Day


It's a little much, but it's funny.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Book Review: A Matter of Inches (by Clint Malarchuk)


A lot of people know Clint Malarchuk for one reason and one reason only (if you're my age anyways and haven't watched the game dating back to the 80's):



My buddy at work Darryl played hockey in the minors for a long time. He always used to call me Clint Malarchuk.

When I was looking for a book to read this summer, I wanted a baseball book. Instead, I picked up Malarchuk's book and found a story more about life than hockey; with some great hockey tales mixed in.

I have a lot in common with Malarchuk unfortunately. The man struggles with OCD, and I think I do as well. I'm more convinced with reading this book that I have a form of it.

The book made me miss hockey season, and had me feeling excited for the start of next season as the 2014-2015 season ends. I crushed this book in about a week.

I found it to be a great story of perseverance, toughness, struggle, and real-life. Malarchuk is a good honest man that trouble found, and he is like me; he seems to fail time and again but he simply will not quit. He fights sobriety and illness with the same tenacity he used to carve out a great hockey career.

This is a powerful story of bravery with some nice hockey tales mixed in. All-in-all, one of my favorite hockey reads ever (probably top five all-time). I have such respect for Mr. Malarchuk as a person.

Friday, June 5, 2015

BRASS BONANZA!

I finally figured out what the song was that I loved in NHL '94. It's a tune that I just took to as a kid, and it turns out it has some history and tradition to it besides just being a catchy tune. I decided today was going to be the day that I went searching for it on the interwebs.

The song or tune is called 'Brass Bonanza' and apparently what I was hearing those 20+ years ago in my friends basement next door was occurring when the now defunct Hartford Whalers were in play.

I had no idea that back in those days, EA Sports actually hired professional organist Dieter Ruehle to do unique organ songs for each arena. For that era; in a video game, well that's back when EA Sports really did put it in the game if it was in the game. Those days are now sadly gone. Here's a really cool blog post with an interview with Ruehle that helped me track this down on YouTube.

Here's an NHL.com article about The legacy of Brass Bonanza, where it's called the most famous song in the sport.

And finally, here it is. Starting at 1:26 in the below video. As it was said in one of the descriptions I saw on YouTube: 'The Classics never die'.

Connor McDavid energizes HNTB

 


Connor McDavid is going to be a generational talent in hockey's heartland up in Edmonton. He's going to save the franchise we love up in Canada, and therefore we're going to start writing about hockey again.

The kid from Richmond Hill, Ontario is going to be fun to watch. With it, we'll pick up his Imports Dragon NHL Figure, NHL 16 for Playstation 4, and probably NHL Gamecenter next season. We will also do some nightly NHL on Fanduel. McDavid is "going to spark a lot of interest in the collectability of hockey cards" according to one hobby shop owner.

It's going to be a fun run, none of which would have been possible if McDavid had not ended up in Edmonton.



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