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THE NUGE
It’s so important to remember that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is just getting started. He is a very young man still growing into his role as an NHL player, not yet mature. Nuge doesn’t look like Taylor Hall,...
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TRUE VALUE
If the Oilers are serious about trading guys like Hemsky at the deadline for immediate help, can we expect more Matt Hendricks? Or is there a useful young player—perhaps struggling a little this...
View ArticleMAN UP!
Since the day Chris Pronger left town, the Edmonton Oilers have been without a certain type of leadership. Or so it appears. During Pronger’s time in Edmonton, fans like me (what’s the opposite of...
View ArticleRE 13-14 RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS: CARAVAN
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got a late start to the 2013-14 season, but joined the party early enough to suffer through the long year with the rest of them. Hindsight being 20/20, it might have been an idea to...
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SWEET AND DANDY
The 2011 Entry Draft had to be a home run draft. The club had Taylor Hall and some hopefuls from the 2010 edition, but if the Boys on the Bus 2.0 looked to have any long term success, a cluster needed...
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FINDING ANOTHER GEAR!
The best news for Oiler fans this week, despite today’s presser, was the hiring of Craig Ramsay as associate coach. In the first hours of discussion when the news broke, a lot of what we talked about...
View ArticleTHAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
In one of his three NHL seasons, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been a power-play witch (credit Tyler Dellow for the phrase). In the other two, he’s been pretty damn good. Nuge’s 5×5/60 falls short of what we...
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RE 14-15 RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS: CLOUDS
The Edmonton Oilers chose Ryan Nugent-Hopkins No. 1 overall in the summer of 2011. In the three seasons we’ve seen “The Nuge” it’s very obvious he’s a special player. His range of skills is terrific,...
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PENTICTON 2014!!!
When I was a kid, we’d drive from Haney (we lived in Maple Ridge, up in Whonnock) to Penticton for summer holidays. It’s a long drive—5 hours—but we’d arrive late morning/early afternoon because my Dad...
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THE AUTUMN LEAVES (DRIFT BY MY WINDOW)
My brother and I would get up early in the morning—long before light—and turn on the big outside light. This was 17 miles from Maidstone, and in fall and winter the quiet and the chill would combine to...
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LET THIS BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
The Edmonton Oilers in their defensive zone remain a tire fire’s tire fire. This isn’t something we can debate, this is a statement of fact. Craig MacTavish hired a bunch of new men this summer and now...
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THIS IS US! (YAKIMOV RECALLED)
Word this afternoon that a few Oiler forwards are ‘banged up’ after the Vancouver game, and RNH is among them. Dallas Eakins: “He took a big hit there right before the fight and took a few whacks as...
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GOOD VIBRATIONS
Taylor Hall was flying last night, and Dallas Eakins went power v. power at home and had success. The Nuge, Hall and Ebs delivered and Edmonton won their first game of the season. Hall is now inside...
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MAYBE I’M AMAZED
Do you remember in the preseason when MacT talked about Hall being an impact player? And the Oilers needed to find out if Nuge and Eberle could play at a higher level? Do you remember that? MacT: ”...
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MUSIC!
The Edmonton Oilers are 6-8-1 after 15 games, a nice step up from 3-10-2 one year ago. This is a team finding out some things about itself: They can tighten up like Archie Bell (for extended periods)...
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PUSH THE RIVER
Early in the week, rumor had it we might see Taylor Hall on Sunday against Arizona. With the OT loss last night, and the club’s record now 6-9-2 after 17 games, there has to be a certain urgency in the...
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BLOOD ON THE TRACKS
The news hit just before air and I barely had time to post the item (below) you’ve been commenting on today. Although it certainly didn’t come as a major surprise, the timing was curious—there’s a game...
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SING ME BACK HOME
The Edmonton Oilers aren’t a very good hockey team and they’re doing things that hold them back and could be fixed today. Things like Luke Gazdic in the lineup over someone more able to read the...
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OILERS AT SHARKS, G33 2014-15
Why can’t the Oilers score goals? A few reasons: The power play is daft, the top line isn’t together and injuries have impacted most of the top end of the roster. The loss of Benoit Pouliot robbed the...
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HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER
The greatest trick goaltending ever pulled was convincing the Oilers it didn’t exist. The Edmonton NHL team doesn’t have a great defense and they are absolutely shy at center but the only way they can...
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