Let me first say before I begin this that I have been an Oiler fan for as long as I can remember and barring them trading for Sean Avery I will undoubtedly remain one.  However despite being in another country, in a place where it doesn’t even seem like hockey should be possible I still have the privilege (or displeasure) of watching game nights and I have to admit that the more I watch the less I’m becoming a fan.

I’ve watched a lot of Oiler hockey since I’ve moved to Edmonton, hell the hockey team for the most part drives the city, people there eat, sleep, and breath Oiler hockey.  I’d say I’ve probably been to about 95% of all home games in the previous 6 years with obviously the highlight being 2006 coming one game short of winning the sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history. Sadly though no matter how great that cup run was our hockey team was still on the fortunate side of sneaking into the playoffs (in 8th as usual) thanks to a dismal collapse by the Vancouver Canucks.

Yet every glaring problem this team has had seems to have been washed away by the success of 2006.  Before the CBA was in place we all preached that we couldn’t compete without a salary cap.  Low and behold the lockout arrives and we lose hockey for a season before returning with a vengeance acquiring such stars as Chris Pronger and Michael Peca.  Finally we can compete.

Wrong.

There is one reoccurring theme with this team.  No matter what personnel we have on the ice it’s always the same result.  2006 playoffs aside (largely because I think players run more on adrenaline) we as fans continue to sit back through the same mediocre piss poor performances through the first four months of the regular season before realizing its going to take one miraculous streak to even attempt the final playoff spot.

Sadly unless by miracle something happens to the Edmonton drinking water this doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon which has me as a fan seriously doubting my Oiler faith.  Two years we’ve missed the playoffs, once by going on some odd 21 games before winning in regulation.  You’d think in professional sports where a coach and GM get paid big money to produce wins there may be some job security issues with a finish like that but those rules don’t seem to apply in Edmonton as the owners appear to be dwelling on the past believing that the legends both Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish helped build will somehow translate to on ice success in the new day and age of hockey.

I’ve sat on the fence for the last couple years biting my lip trying to give both the benefit of the doubt.  I’ll admit that both have had there moments.  Kevin Lowe got us Chris Pronger for practically nothing but then followed that up with giving him away for next to nothing.  Craig MacTavish got us to the Stanley Cup final but that was largely in part from Chris Pronger and Dwayne Roloson not the tactics he implemented.

But let’s face it this whole situation is a mess.  Feel free to chime in but I know I’m not alone when I say the Oilers really have no systems. What are systems you ask?  Watch a Detroit game.  Even former Oiler defensemen Cory Cross who ended up having a stint with the Wings a few years back was quick to praise how nice it was to play in an organized system.

Then of course we have the dreaded playing favorites.  I’m all for it if your name is Vinny Lecaviler or Sidney Crosby but when you’re a third and fourth line player at best on any other team you shouldn’t be seeing powerplay time.  Guess what though, if you play for the Oilers they’ll reward you with powerplay, penalty kill, and the majority of even strength shifts with a lengthy high priced contract to boot!

The Shawn Horcoff signing is an absolute albatross and it’s already starting to make me cringe watching him night in and night out.  I’ll be generous enough to give him to the all star break to turn it around since he’s coming off major shoulder surgery but can someone out there please explain to me how or why Kevin Lowe thinks he is worth 6.5 million a year when his highest point total is 73? Jesus, the guy is going to be making Iginla money and the two as players arent even remotely comparable.  Throw in the Dustin Penner signing, who lost us a slew of draft picks and truthfully to me isn’t that good of a hockey player to begin with.  Both he and Horcoff are the beneficiaries of playing with great linemates, Hemsky, Smyth, Getzlaf, and Perry to refresh your memory.

I’m truly nervous for the future of the Oilers, here we have a group of overpriced grinders who are making superstar money while the one actual superstar we have on the team in Hemsky makes just over 4 million a year. We lose him at any point in the season we are headed down a dark path as it painfully obvious Gagner, Cogliano, and Nilsson aren’t what we all expected.

But hey why make changes when you’re consistently bad and fine with it.  Horcoff was recently quoted as saying something along the lines of “If you told me 20 games into the season we were .500 I’d take it”.  Are you kidding me???  Does anyone think Detroit would be satisfied with nonsense like that?  Just tonight against the Kings Cogliano thought the team got off to a good start…what game were you watching?  This all stems from head coach Craig MacTavish who in his post game press conference tried to tell us that the effort was there…no Craig it wasn’t and it hasn’t been there all season.  The only real gutsy effort I’ve seen from this team this season is the back to back Battle of Alberta games earlier in the season.  The Oilers dont skate, cant pass, and certainly dont hit anyone.

I cant recall anytime in my life where I remember actually turning off the Oilers to watch another team.  Sadly since I’ve been in Phoenix thats precisley what I’ve been doing in favor of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Sure a lot of that was largely in part of Matt finally getting some ice time but truthfully even if he wasn’t playing the more I watch their games the easier it is to get excited to watch a televised hockey game, even my old man has been saying they remind him of the 80′s Oilers with there skill and speed up front and on the backend.   I can say with a straight face that if any of you are getting sick of the constant piss poor hockey games the Oilers play flip the channel to Chicago (or ask me where to watch them for free online) and what you’ll see is what the Oilers should be.  Fast, young and talented, hard hitting, and a never say die attitude.  This isn’t an exaggeration when I say that some of the best games I’ve watched in recent memory have been the last 4 or 5 Blackhawk games.

And yet sadly I still hold out hope for the Oilers but am truly getting frustrated with the lack of discipline the organization upholds.  Here we have MacT who calls out his players in the media with tongue lashings and high profile healthy scratches yet does he ever have to worry about any scrutiny himself from upper management?  Nope. Who are we kidding though, even if MacT or Lowe get canned they’ll just be replaced with Huddy, Buchburger, or some other old Oiler plug who cant coach.  I’ve heard it from Flames fans calling this organization a circus and I’m quickly beginning to believe it.  Did all these guys make pacts that once they finished there careers each one would help each other out by giving them a job?

I’ll tell you on thing. If Mactavish finishes his contract or gets fired and replaced with a former Oiler I’ll be turning into Randy Quaid from Major League 2.

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