What's the Use in Even Caring Anymore?

I've been an official Oilers fan ever since 1983. That's quite a lot longer than most of the current fans, some of whom were not even alive back then.

But, why even bother? The team as constituted as of Sept 30, 2009, is absolutely pathetic.

It might as well be 2000, for all of the hope they offer the fans.

Personally i don't give a monkey's about Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau, Shawn Horcoff, or honestly any of those millionaire prats.

I was a huge Rob Schremp supporter, that is, until yesterday when, after spending a few days off the computer screen I returned only to see he's been waved/is an Islander.

Right now I'd love to be an Isles fan. Top drafted player in Tavares, Schremp, and the future to look forward to.

What exactly do the Oilers have to look forward to? Fighting for 8th? Seeing if any of their mediocre crop of young players will develop enough to be able to hold the team to ransom in 2-3 years? Or wondering what will happen when old man Quinn drops dead behind the bench?

Sorry, but until Katz ices a team that's either favoured to win the cup or in the finals, I might as well be distancing myself from this abortion of a hockey franchise.

Fan Sentimentality in Professional Sports 2009

I can understand the angst of the Hawks fans, when the odd guy out in this quartet was going through the incredibly sad and rapid decline of his physical abilities to play the game of hockey.

What I don't understand, is why Oilers fans, pussy whipped for the past 18+ seasons, cling to the hope that any of the others represent anything but the continuing mediocrity of the franchise.

Now, when I was seeking these pics, Pisani almost broke my heart, and mine is as black as they get. A truly nice human being, he is. Staios seems like a decent dude too, and I would want Moreau sitting at my table in the Kingsway bar when things get rowdy. But on my hockey team? Thanks guys, but no thanks.

Why? because, for various reasons all four of the pictured players were/are fairly USELESS to the reality of their respective hockey clubs.

Unlike many Oilers bloggers, I don't substitute hockey for religion. For me, it's a diversion from my stressful existence, a way to pass time when I've got nothing else to do but chase my girlfriend, drink and/or generally be a wastrel. In short, it helps keep me out of trouble.

Get it? it's something I do, for MY reasons.

These players make a lot more money than I do. In a society based upon greed, they're all coming out way ahead of me right now. So please, don't think for a SECOND I sit up night worrying about any of them. Any more than I worry about the status of women in Afghanistan.

Nice team Lowe!

Oilers roared off to a giddy 3-0 start, now are returning back to where they should be as the sink back to 3-2 and tonight the vaunted Flames will be fired up to drop Quinn another notch down the expectation scale.

I wonder what Quinn's thinking, now that he's actually working with these stiffs.

Veterans who have little to no veteran savvy, youngsters who have little talent, sluggers who can't fight.

Let's make a list of hackers and non hackers!

The good: Souray, Visnovsky, Khabibulin, Hemsky, THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

The mediocre: Grebeshkov, Gilbert, Smid, Horcoff, Penner, DesLauriers, Cogliano, Comrie, O'Sullivan, Stortini, Gagner, MacIntyre

The bad: Staios, Moreau, Pisani, Strudwick, Pouliot, Jacques, Nilsson

Still in camp, barely: Dubnyk, Peckham(IR), Chorney, Brule, Schremp, Reddox, Brennan, Eberle, Stone

I realise there are serious faults in my list. Some of the above players might shock and move up the list, but right now, it's only September, and the team already looks set to flounder.

So, let's make up a hunter1909 players who I want to get rid of list from the above: Comrie, Staios, Moreau, Pisani, Strudwick, Pouliot, Nilsson, Chorney, Reddox, Eberle(back to juniors for fuck sake do this kid a favour!).

Comrie is playing okay, that's just a sentimental decision, lol.

Oilers under Quinn make 6th in the West, easy

Normally I hate to make predictions, but the Oilers in their first 3 pre season games look like a bona fide playoff team to me.

I'd be tempted to say higher than 6th, but I'm not that big a fool.

: p

This is what I'm talking about

Here's the dark and yes, satanic side to the Oilers. Pat Laforge, who's been squawking to the press recently about how the FILTHY RICH DRUG DEALER OWNER doesn't want to keep pouring money down the black hole that's the Edmonton Oilers.

Anyway, this is exactly what Pocklington started all those years ago, then dutifully carried on(I mean whining to the press, with the veiled threat of taking the Oilers out of Edmonton), and even tacitly kept going by the good old EIG.

Here's what hunter1909 would do if he was the say, mayor of Edmonton: I'd simply tell the Oilers: "Okay. Get the fuck out, as soon as the Northlands lease runs out. because, we're going to be trying to get one of the southern NHL teams up here, once they've realised that they're all losing money faster than a crack house on Baffin island".

Then what will Laforge, Lowe, and Katz do? Where exactly are they planning to move the Oilers to, anyway? Las Vegas? With the worst fucking economy in America, I rather doubt it. Portland? Um, has anyone who reads this blog actually ever been to Portland should be able to see that it's a single economy city(lumber), with fuck all hockey tradition(like Seattle), etc.

I'd love to see the Oilers move. I'd far prefer to have the Predators, Panthers, Hurricanes, Coyotes here, than these second rate gangsters.

reasons to be cheerful about the Oilers on Septamber 15, 2009

Okay why is Pat Quinn a great coach for these Oilers?

1- He's not the gay shopteacher. This translates to: he's not playing favourites, no one goes into a psychic doghouse from hell, he has a fucking clue what he wants and most of the players are prepared to skate through brick walls for him.

2 - He knows when to delegate, and when to open his big fat irish gob. I'm irish, and, believe it or not, I work in an upper management position. Sometimes. When I'm in the chair, I usually try to do as little as possible. Why? it's not my job to do anything, it's my job to make sure everyone else is doing their job properly. If and only if there is a problem, normally will I so much as speak. In short, Pat's as lazy as I am. And lazy people so long as they have talent get along well in this life.

note; The jury's still out as to whether or not I've got talent for my profession, but wtf, I'm still doing it so maybe one day everyone will either agree that I'm talented, or alse I'll be out of work long enough to fiugure it out that I'm really a putz.

3 - He's too old to give a fuck about the future, therefore he's immune to the pathetic politicking coming from upstairs. Pat will soon be dead. He's not a young man, lol. So, he's basically going to do things his way, and fuck anyone who disagrees. It might either get him fired or else he's going to die behind the bench(I figure that's a cool way to die myself), but either way, he's not going to be like tambellini, a man who increasingly looks like a puppet for the dark forces running the Oilers.

4 - Mike Comrie has to go. Too small, too slow, too everything that's bad for the team. On the other hand, should Schremp make the team, I might even return to following them.

5 - It's been raining cat's and dogs most of today. Everyone looks crazy, after a month of beautiful weather. No one will remember the good weather in say, three to four more days if this keeps up(and golly it probably will keep up).

Just as I decide I hate the Oilers, I get tossed a lifeline

Pat Quinn is a great coach right now. He's taken over a team that have had their collective asses raped over the past several years by that gay shopteacher MacTavish, and look to be totally responsive to Quinn's wit and Irish wisdom.

Being Irish myself(a dissolute great grandfather, then teetotal grandmother...you know the drill lol), lets me appreciate the effect of the gruff and charming coach, unlike non micks.

Looks like(September 15 today) that Schremp and Nillsson and Penner are all going to break out of their collective shells, under a real coach.

MacTavish was a fool. I think he's the fool Quinn was referrring to when he stated that only stupid people repeat the same mistakes. MacT wanted everything his own way, just like that gay shopteacher who lords it over the 20 odd junior high school boys, for one morning a week.

Quinn on the other hand brings a breath of fresh air to what can only be described as a moribund franchise.

Comrie I'm extremely glad to hear, sucks at camp so far. Maybe he gets cut, lol. I sure the fuck hope so. Talk about a fitting exit to that little creeps career. Then he can go work for his dad, flogging dodgy sticks of furniture or whatever.

I do like hearing about his girlfriend Hilary Duff handing out food to bums, sounds like a decent little chick.

I'm through with the Oilers - finally

What are my reasons? How about since the Mark Messier trade?

I was brought up to assume my team could skate, score, and control it's destiny. Then, piece by piece, my childish ideas were replaced, well before they should have been, with the cynicism of professional incompetance in sports.

For years I was fed the bullshit that the Oilers were hopefully about to turn the corner.

It's all bullshit.

The Calgary Flames have a pretty good hockey team, to go with their up and coming city. Edmonton hasn't.

Oh well. Now I will be able to concentrate on other things, like whatever I should have been doing instead of wasting my time fretting over a rotten to the core...ROTTEN TO THE CORE hockey club.

Oh yeah. The pic. Stalingrad kids, taken in the 1950's after they found a few things lying around to play with. LOL.

Which proves you're actually better off living in a society where you're left to your own devices, rather than the soft little wusses addicted to RockBand.