Katz Speaks!

Katz talked to the press yesterday, and not surprisingly, made a whole lot of sense.

He accepts that Oilers are rebuilding, is committed to getting them back on top, and like me is a fan a lot longer than he's owned the team.

I doubt it Tambellini gets canned this year. I also doubt even more that Lowe gets the chop. Like it or not, we're stuck with both of them.

I don't know obviously whether this is a good thing or not. Maybe Kevin Lowe isn't a moron, despite his actions to the contrary(handing out star contracts to clearly second rate players for a start). Maybe Tambellini isn't a total fool, despite the fact the team is in 30th, after the now almost obligatory announcement pre season that yes, Oilers were going to the playoffs.

Besides, with everyone whining about the exact same shite I've been yelling about for the past 20 years, it's all starting to get boring.

Everything Going To Plan

When Oilers had 5 games coming up before the Olympic break, I decided to make a projection for Wins/Losses/OT losses that ended up having them lose the next three games, followed by a win then OT loss(in no particular order).

So far everything's working out.

Then I check the standings. The Leafs aren't winning like I want them to, as a result threaten first place were Oilers to start winning any of their games. It's hard to be a last place team when you win.

Oilers 42 points.
Leafs 49 points.

So, Oilers take 3 out of their next 4 points and suddenly the Leafs are right back into the 30th place derby.

Oh yeah - Messier with the cup to my mind is the last time Oilers had a good team.

Who's Running This Team Anyway?

Last year Pat Quinn and Tom Renney were introduced as some kind of coaching dream team.

Now we're all living in a nightmare, some even worse than me, who do we blame?

I don't honestly know. The team is too fucking small, is full of AHL players, the AHL team itself is halfway across the continent(see Leafs and Nucks for how to position an AHL team), the entire culture of the organisation reeks of failure.

Gee, I wonder why no one wants to come here to play, unless offered ridiculous contracts?

Awwww what a cute baby

Oilers have 5 games left between the time these fingers type this dirge into the world wide web, and the Olympics.

My fearless predictions:

@ Avs = L
@Yotes = L
@Ducks = L
@ Kings = OTL
Ducks = W

If they can manage that record, I'll be pretty happy.

I'm fucking terrified of Gagner these days. He's getting too good as he always does this time of the season. Also the team is starting to play way too loosely, for my liking. Squeeze those sticks harder!

Flames = bad Oilers

Darryl Sutter's gone absolutely barking mad.

He's gone and traded one of the most exciting young players in the game for Toronto's second and third rate trash.

Something now tells me that the Flames and Oilers are run in the same manner - the "vets" call the shots with a sense of entitlement, while the young whippersnappers are expected to stfu.

Then on the coaching side, the players are expected to fit the coaches model, regardless of well, whatever. This would hark back to the MacT era, of course, since Quinn doesn't give a fuck about anything.

Clearly Dion Phaneuf wasn't interested in toeing that particular line of letting the "vets" run the team, and so ends up booted off to the Leafs, where he will probably blossom into a superstar player.

All of which for this Oilers and new Phaneuf fan(well he is a local boy), is absolutely wonderful.