GDB 40: Groundhog Day at RX1
Jason Gregor
January 09 2009 12:56PM
Let me apologize for the lameness of this post. Like Jason Arnott, “I just wasn’t into it tonight.” That is how I am today. I rarely complain about the weather, but I’m sure sick of this -57 crap every morning, and going to the Oiler locker room feels like Groundhog Day.
Same story over and over, except Phil Connors was able to save the kid from falling from the tree, stopped a guy from choking, learned to play the piano and ended up with sexy Rita.
Today I got none of it. I won’t be helping Dustin Penner learn to show up even 60 per cent of the time, Ales Hemsky is still hurt, the music will still be sub par at the game tonight and I’ll be sitting by Rishaug not some hottie in the pressbox.
There was one difference today. It was an optional practice, on a game day no less, and Robert Nilsson showed up with all of his teammates except Shawn Horcoff. Horcoff will dress, and while MacTavish didn’t want to reveal who will be his right winger, I discovered it will be Liam Reddox. MacTavish likes to play Horcoff against the other team’s top line, so Reddox gets the call. YIPPIE.
MacTavish did admit that this team is still in a state of flux when it comes to their system.
“There is a bit of transitional period where you go from a team two years ago that was going to be physically reliable and had a certain amount of power to our game and we could rely on that. Now we are transitioning more to offensive puck moving team, and it has been a slower transition than what we would have anticipated based on what we saw last year. I still feel we are making good progress in that regard, and I look forward to a healthy team to see what we have.”
FYI Craig, you will be at the halfway point of the season on Sunday. Outside of Hemsky, and Horcoff’s wonky back your team has been healthy. Of course, Hemsky makes a world of difference. This team isn’t good enough to absorb his absence, and because no one else can score changing up the lines makes little sense.
But I’m kind of torn with his statement. I can go ballistic and say, “What you talking about Craig,” or I could applaud the coach for being patient with young guys and sticking to their strengths. Because it is clear the Oilers don’t have the horses to play anything resembling a power game. Well, the former is where I stand.
I said at the start of the year, 40 games is where I would evaluate this team, and here we are hours away from game 40 and this team is still as inconsistent as ever. Jekyll and Hyde have nothing on the Oilers. They didn’t take advantage of an extended stay at home and now they are in chase mode again. Win five or lose five in a row, at least do something unexpected. How about a line brawl? Or score eight goals. Do something, anything that would be outside of the same old same old routine of the past three seasons.
But just like the Groundhog Day, a win or a loss tonight won’t change a thing. The coach isn’t going anywhere, the players have yet to learn to be consistent, the music will still be sucky tonight, and I will spend a Friday night at the rink with Rishaug. How depressing. (Let’s hope the camera guy at least puts a few of Edmonton’s finest on the big screen tonight).
And yes, Dwayne Roloson will start tonight.
Roli=Salo...oops!
Holy funk that was ugly. Good Lord and Brownlee that was disgusting.
How did no one key in on the always dangerous Brad Staubitz???????????????
ANOTHER FIRST NHL GOAL
I'm going to ambush the first person who walks by Nation HQ
nooo
Semenov and Grier. Still in the NHL.
Someone quick! What year is this?
WAIT JUST ONE SECOND. Cole playing on the first line? Doth mine eyes deceive me??
Need your first goal since peewee? Havent won on the road since the '94 lockout? Come to Edm, we shall solve that problem for you.
Wanye Gretz wrote:
I got my picture taken with Mike Grier at carnival of champions in about 1995.
I also have one with the Polish Prince. Ya dig?
DrPow wrote:
Truer words have never been spoken!
R-DAWG wrote:
DrPow wrote:
SNAP Dr Pow you always have the prescription to cure what ails me
OK. Roli got his patented sloppy goal-of-the-night out of the way early. Still a chance.
loads shotgun
Boooooooooooooooooooo!
"Alright. Only two more periods to go until we get to go home." -Everyone on the Oilers bench.
Anyone else hear Gregor and Brownlee interviewing Claude Lemieux yesterday? I really wanted one of them to ask, "so Claude you were terrible slow back in the 90's, what the hell are you thinking?"
BOO Oilers... yay beer.
*sigh*
Hmmm...Garon may start the second
MORE SUNDIN COVERAGE!
Finally somebody decides to step up and do a story on Sundin. I've been in the dark about this whole thing. Thanks for doing us all a favour sportsnet!
baggedmilk wrote:
If Penner can do it so can I!!!
way to mail it in with the best team in the league boys ....
@ Claude Lemieux:
Hey Claude, will we be seeing some of your vintage dives, circa 95, if you make it back into the show?
Roli's off. Guess it had to happen eventually. Too bad because it looks like we're tryin' tonight. Still boys against men though.
It would have been nice to consider this a throwaway game instead of a must win - like pretty much every game from now on.
Okay everybody; I caught that last goal but haven't seen much else.
Do the Oilers deserve to be down 3-1, or did Dwayne Roloson forget that he's supposed to be good against San Jose?
(I'm betting on the former, but I'd like to know)
Claude Lemieux wrote:
Claude has more heart than these sausages - what day is payday asked an oiler - Claude is not playing for a paycheque - he wants to cheat father time - runor has it he got a hold of the protein shakes that Chelios drinks
Hey I'm just coming back so Sportsnet will have something else to talk about other than Sundin. I'm tired of that bald bastard getting all the limelight!
@ Jonathan Willis:
JW, Roli let in an absolutely terrible goal. A change up from the blue line.
Deep Oil wrote:
"Protein Shakes"...riiiight
@ Deep Oil:
Well with any luck Kris Draper will have a chance to even the all-time face-into-the-board record between the two of them up before Lemieux retires for good.
When does MacIntyre beat the hell out of Gene? Why can't that happen?
"He signed Todd Marchant to be his first line centre... he single-handedly turned an incredible hockey market into a bad hockey market... he turned a goal-per-game junior scorer into a 4th line checker... he never made the playoffs in eight seasons as a GM... he's Doug MacLean!"
Im late on this but our pp is what 29th in the league and no one can remember pisani is out?
@ sean:
You mean the PK, right?
Maybe Cole could be sent down to the Oil Kings for conditioning...I know, break a rule or something. I just thought it would be fun to be able to call him "Oil King Cole" Guess I'm still in the spirit of Santa's Bday.
Man, this game blows already...even changed my regular drinking mug to the one my buddy stole from The Black Dog when I moved out to the lower mainland. It worked in game 7 a few years back :(
@ sean:
I remember Pisani. I'm fronting the movement to get Gatorade to release the Pisani formula. It takes like meatballs and Alfredo sauce.
Deep Oil wrote:
Stop being funny damn it
OMG Gene really? This is the story you are telling us? Rock paper scissors?
baggedmilk wrote:
Gene is soprano all the way - mess with Gene and you will have Tony and Franko putting a dead horse in your bed.... but really Gene - your steak dinner bit was so lame
suntory hanzo wrote:
Ah the black dog. A personal favorite
suntory hanzo wrote:
I only saw this part at first and I was hoping you were talking about the movie with Patrick Swayze.
Much to my chagrin.
"Does anyone know what time does the shooter special end at Diesel?" - Andrew Cogliano right now
If the Oil don't score, I'm gonna fly out to RX1 and kick those Nerdy Oilfan Gingers behind Nabokov. I don't care if I'm a month late
@ Wanye Gretz:
I'm sorry, I'm a Barry T's man myself.
The Black Dog was my original Xbox live name...then people kept asking about that lame movie.
baggedmilk wrote:
I once saw Marty McSoreley there in the early 2000s right before it closed. I told him he was great in Con Air and he gave me a look that made my pants soil themselves.
TRUE STORY
suntory hanzo wrote:
Hahah that is absolutely classic.
@ baggedmilk: I figured you for a Pinkys man myself
@ DrPow:
Nah, I'm not satisfied with their glory hole.
Is Pinky's still there? Friends took me there when I was about to turn 18...first time I had a Molson Dry. Now I prefer to drink Samuel L Jackson's.