C13-II SEARCHING FOR CAPTAIN POWER
Wanye
July 19 2010 12:27PM
We need good ice hockey here in the OilersNation. We have been kicked around, beaten down, walked out on, refused to be signed with and forced to watch injured players to beat the band.
It’s time for a change of pace and a return to respectability. The path to anywhere but here will be navigated in large part by the next Captain of the Edmonton Oilers.
As the long rainy Alberta summer marches on, we have been proposing and debating the different candidates for The Job. Last time out we took a look at Ales Hemsky and Mike Comrie and today we will spend some time taking a look at one of the more controversial candidates: BC Native Shawn Horcoff.
SHAWN HORCOFF
The fact that Shawn Horcoff is considered by many to be an overpaid multimillionaire, rich even by NHL standards is a particularly delicious piece of irony.
Once considered a long shot to play a regular shift at all, Horcoff willed himself to become a valuable 2-way player, clawing his way from NHL longshot to 4th line player to a point per game man with the ability to deliver valueable defensive hockey at the same time.
Many Horcoff haters forget the instrumental role he played in the SCF run of 2006. He was almost a point a game player during both the regular season and the playoffs that year and was widely considered to be one of the Oilers best players.
He followed up the Cup run with a disappointing season, but bounced back big time in 2007, returning to nearly a point-per-game status and an invitation to the 2008 All Star Game in Atlanta.
Ordinarily a fluffy game of shinny that has a better chance of boring someone to death than injuring anyone playing in the game – for Horcoff it is basically when everything fell to hell. Rumours that Horcoff had injured himself during the All Star Game began to fly in the days following the game as his play declined and he was forced to remove himself from the line up.
Whether he had aggrevated an existing injury or was actually impossibly hurt during the game, his 07-08 campaign came to a close shortly thereafter as he was forced to undergo season ending shoulder surgery in February 2008.
Then on July 16, 2008 everything changed.
This was the day when the money train pulled up to the Horcoff Mansion and didn't stop unloading bags of cash until he had inked a 6 year contract worth 33 million dollars. At the time, it was considered a coup for the Oilers, who were able to stop the long time migration of premiere NHL players to richer waters.
An Oiler his entire career, Horcoff was under lock and key until the 2014-15 Season.
''Shawn has proven himself as one of the premier players in the National Hockey League and has been and will continue to be an integral part of our organization moving forward,'' said Kevin Lowe at the announcement of the contract.
''By being proactive with this deal, we avoid being in a situation where Shawn could become an unrestricted free agent after next season and the unknown free agency can bring to the organization. Having him under contract long-term is something that has been on our radar for a long time and we are extremely pleased to finalize this deal.''
Perhaps it was being placed in the rarified air of the NHL elite or perhaps it was the damage done to his surgically repaired shoulder from lifting his now considerable wallet. For whatever reason, Horcoff has been unable to meet the massive expectations of his long term deal, attracting the rage of many of the OilersNation in the process.
Scorecoff, became Whiffcoff, Crapcoff, What-a-rip-coff and the poster boy for the Oilers woes in the seasons following the Cup run. The fact he can be brought up as a potential candidate for the next Captain of the Oilers is a testament to his value even under the burden of a massive contract.
One of the fittest players in the NHL, Horcoff can be accused of being many things – but his work ethic and dedication to the game cannot be among them. He hasn't complained once publicly during the past 4 seasons unlike many of his veteran brothers and has remained popular in the dressing room - reportedly shying away from the Souray-Moreau faction, instead focusing on his own game and returning to form.
This could be exactly what the 2010-11 Oilers need in a Captain.
THE PITCH
We would argue that Shawn Horcoff isn't nearly as bad as his haters would have you believe. Would he be re-signed to the same deal if Lowe could go back in time? Obviously not. Is he as bad as his 36 point campaign in 2009-10 would lead you to believe? No.
Is he going anywhere with a cap hit of $5.5 milion until the end of the 2014-15 season? Get real.
If Horcoff is going to be here anyway – and best believe he will – making the mature veteran into the C13 might be an excellent way to derive further value from him for the next 5 years.
Maturity, dedication and the ability to function with a crippling case of heterochromia. Fitness, determination and the bank to lend any young Oilers money to tide them over until the next payday.
This is what Horcoff can bring to the table as the next Captain of the Oilers.
Way too many arguments for Horcoff that are not a factor. Horcoff isn't the Horcoff of 2006, nor will the Oilers be making a cup run anytime soon. That argument is moot. The excuse that Horcoff battled through injury last year - where are the sources for this claim? Why would the Oilers play an injured Horcoff in a terrible year, a player who wasn't in need, and at the same time many other injured players were kept off the ice. Why wouldn't Horcoff be treated the same? Likely because he wasn't injured.
Thankfully Tom Renney has already stated he will likely go without a captain in the start and let someone grow into the role and snag the honour. Renney also has gone through a year with only Alternates once before. It's a possibility.
Yes, he is overpaid. And no, he isn't a first line centre. However, he's an Oilers to stay -- the Oil aren't in contention, thus his cap hit really isn't hurting anything at the moment. A good responsible centre that can probably lead the team for now. Just hopefully when the time comes for Horcoff, and another player emerges as captain material I would hope the Oilers aren't going to be scared to strip the C. Hence, Ethan Moreau.
@rubbertrout
Smith was in the top 3 for defensemen when he was here. He was a difference maker on the ice and he exuded leadership. Horc didnt lead the kids anywhere or make a positive impact at all last year on the ice.
I think it's pretty reasonable to expect that the Captain should be able to make a positive impact on the ice. If he isnt in the top 6 for the forwards or the top 4 for defensemen then he's already starting on the wrong foot.
Go with no Captain until either Horc or one of the younger guys proves he can do it all. Being good in one area of Captainship (as outlined by Ender) isnt enough.
BTW, I hope Oilersnation doesn't mind - we have a new Oilers site up and running. Please check it out. http://www.Etownhockey.com/.
Blogs have been posted regularly and it's the newest place for Oiler fans to come on in and banter away.
Thanks.
Horcoff article = Horcoff debate
Horcoff article = video game debate
besides NHL 2000 for ps1
Ender, that was beautiful! Wayne, I think you found a new writer. SCF 06, refuse to discuss.
@Etownhockey
Hmmm...the model looks vaguely familiar. Where else have I seen an Oilers blog site built as a revenue generating platform. Where else indeed????
*racks brain*
Dammit! It's going to drive me crazy until I figure this out...
Hey! Honda Indy Edmonton and One dollar tee-times!!! Sah-weet!
I think everyone is forgetting the best NHL was clearly the original one. Seriously, some players could slap the puck at like 900mph and any even remotely big hit was a fight. You could get so many people in the penalty box that it would just start making up random numbers for new players that took the ice. Everyone just remembers 94 cause it was the first one with both NHL and NHLPA licenses.
Best game ever. Still whip that out sometimes with friends so we can see how high we can get the penalty minute count to go
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHL_Hockey
Oilers just sent this out...
@David S
I'd show you other pics of the model and refresh your memory. But with a sarcastic and cynical comment in which you just left, to hell with ya.
Horcoffs got my vote for C13, despite the lack of points the last 2 years hes out there game in game out givin it his all, and a pretty good role model for the likes of Hall, Eberle, and MPS. At least Horcoff can show the new kids what not to do when it comes time to pay a cab driver lol. Im actually hopin he takes 1 of them and puts them up in his house ala mario lemieux. SH is the best option IMO and he'll break out of this god awful slup of his and hit 70pts this yr
sidenote* anybody remeber BLADES OF STEEL when the oilers wore the green and gold jerseys for the game best retro hockey game EVER!!!!!
Agree 100%.. Just because Horcoff may be the best choice on the oilers right now. he dose not have all the qualities that make a good captain unless proven otherwise. Lets give it until December or so than make a choice, or even longer who knows.
@Jason Gregor
Strange announcement - Basically it says we don't know who we are going to hire, but the one guy we have eliminated is Bob Stauffer, thus leaving only 6.4 billion other people on earth for us to consider.
Man, it sucks to be Bob Stauffer today!
My vote for best game of all time is Ice Hockey where you were able to select from a variety of small-, mid-sized, and obese players. Right around the '88 Olympics. G'Times.
Horcoff for C13?
Pass.
Via Bryn Griffiths...
Let's have some fun... Dennis Beyak or Randy Hahn. Both have applied I'm told. Let the rampant speculation begin!
Bryn's just tossing out two of I'm sure many applicants. So...?
Khabby C-13 Horcoff - A Strudwick - A
or
Hemmer C-13 Sourray - A Penner - A
IIRC, prior to joining the Oilers broadcast, I'm pretty sure Bob once broadcast a San Jose Sharks game in place of (the injured?) Randy Hahn. Hahn's a pretty decent TV PxP guy.
Elliotte Freidman has tweeted some different details on the Kovalchuk signing. According to Mr. Ness...
Kovalchuk deal is: $6 million apiece for next two seasons, $11.5 million per year from 2012-13 to 2016-17; one season at $10.5 million; $8.5 million for 2018-19; 6.5 million for 2019-20 $3.5 for 2020-21; then it goes down to $750,000 for 2021-22 and $550,000 for last five years of contract.
EDIT: And I see capgeek has now updated... http://www.capgeek.com/players/display.php?id=339
Khabby C-13.....
Does the C stands for canadians and 13 for the number he drinks before driving..........
Does this mean we don't have Bob anymore ? I liked him. Not the best announcer but not the worst. I'm now waiting on Brownlee's article about how it was such a bad decision.
How did you come to that conclusion?
I had that posted at 3pm today.
Not a bad contract, it's going to hurt in his aging years for sure. But a nice cap hit for his prime years. It's a gamble, there is no proof that Kovalchuck is a player who can excel in the playoffs. He only got 5 games to show this year, and didn't do piss all - to be blunt.
@RossCreekNation
I read it as Bob as been extended for only half the season ? If thats not true then good Bob has a great eye for the game and has great energy. I'm not talking down Bob at all. Maybe I'm miss reading it. Let me know. Are they trying to get another announcer ?
This just re-affirms why the Nation is the best site on the Net for Oiler talk. I will never click on another link from someone trying to flog their own site. And trying to copy Gregor's Ice women of the week on Thursdays is incredibly lame. Sorry Etown guy, but I recommend no one waste their time and hit your link.
I'm eagerly awaiting the first 50 year contract to be announced with the first 10 years at 80 million and the remaining 40 years at 20 million for a cap hit of 2 million per year.
I heard talk at one time of the NHL instituting a policy where a player retires before the end of one of these front loaded contracts that they would apply the yearly average salary paid up to the point of retirement to the remaining years of the contract to try and eliminate these obvious breaches of the spirit of a salary cap.
@Oil_Loc8or
1/2 of the broadcast team. As in, he'll be the color guy & they'll announce the PxP, or the other half, at a later date. Bob's will continue on as always, I assume.
@Oil_Loc8or
I am going to politely put-forth that your misappropriation of the news about Bob Stauffer is improperly proportional to your pre-post proof-reading skills. Now repeat that 5 times fast! :)
'Reading things twice isn't cheating'
Trust me Bob will be fine. He will still be doing colour and hosting a show, which is what he loves to do. I got a sense from him a few weeks ago he'd be happy in the same role.
@Ross Creek.
They've had loadsapplications and many Play-by-play guys currently in non hockey-mad markets have put in their name. Dennis Beyak is a solid PBP guy, but I wouldn't hire him at this point. You want someone that can grow your brand for many years. I'd go with a guy closer to 40 who could technically be the guy for the next 25 years.
@RossCreekNation
Ok, cool Thanks Ross. I'm glad I was a little worried I like him. No one will beat Rod so I guess I can't jundge him at that pedestal yet.
Why not penner for captain
@Jason Gregor
You heard any other names out there. Like I said, Bryn just so happened to drop two of many names. I think it'd be neat to hear a few more.
Also, any news as to when Corey Graham, ERRRRR the new guy for the Oil Kings will be announced?
yes it was my bad I didn't read it correctly. Proof reading lol my iphone sucks for correcting spelling and editing my comments.
Thanks for noticing
you can really tell NOBODY wants souray philly got matt walker and a 4th for Gangne LOL wonder if Steve-o has been powdering his a$$ cheeks for #44s lips
@Mike
For an amateur blogging site, its actually pretty good. Of course oilersnation has the media resources and radio hosts. But reading rehashed material gets old.
I don't think etownhockey is copying ice girls... Didn't even know there were ice girls here every thursday? Its real local models who send in their pics each week. More like the sunshine girls if you were wanting to compare.
I'm tired of oilersnation and all the ads they stuff down our throats.
Hypocrit much? You obviously clicked on it, just so you can slander the site. I will make my own decisions, thanks.
Anyways, this Horcoff crap needs to end. How many articles need to be written about Horcoff. Nothing but an invite for fans to bitch and moan. Maybe if the guy had some fan support, we could see Horcoff make a come back.
Just to show some love to Oil fans, as a Flames fan, I post this earlier tweet from FlamesNation's Kent Wilson...
Haha...Flames traded more for Steve Staios at the deadline than the Lightning traded for Simon Gagne.
*SSIIGGHH*
The summer of 2006 was the toughest one of my life. I had nightmares every night about losing in game 7, then Pronger ripped my heart out and crapped on it. I went into a recluse for a few months, a lot of my friends got over it and had fun summers, I could not enjoy anything that summer...
This was a salary dump. We had a better chance offering Peckham than Souray because Philly just needed to lose money on the Cap.
But yes, nobody wants Souray that badly.
Horcoff has proven he is a team player. The guy has been shuffled from the 1st line to the 3rd without so much as a peep of complaint, he did a ton of heavy lifting for the team in defensive zone draws, pk, pp etc. He always comes to camp in the best shape, he is active in the community with different charities and he takes the grief the fans throw at him and lets it slide. Now saying that, my concern with Horc becoming captain is what if he permanently ends up being on the 3rd line? We had that scenario before and we know how it played out.
lol, Steady Steve is hated more in Calgary than he ever was in Edmonton. I don't think Staios is a good dman but he fits in with the Flames aging team. Next they will resign Connroy. Really what the hell is going on down south ?
Like many I think the battle of Alberta doesn't exist. None of the professional teams have a feud only the fans.
I say if Horcoff comes to camp and earns the top spot he is a good choice. The captain needs to be on the ice at key points of the game, Shawn plays the PK,PP with first line minutes he is more than likely the best option at the time and possiblely down the road. I value what he can bring to the team and I don't think many on the team bring that at this point.
You're on crack. Stevens is a hall of famer and Smith was a servicable but pretty pedestrian defenceman.
Right on dude. I went and took a look - everything seems legit!
I encourage everyone to go there and scream commentary.
I agree. I am so sick of OilersNation too. Honestly, what HAS become of the internet? It used to be about the music, now it's only about the ads.
I will say this, the site is even ad heavy for my tastes right now. But that's how it goes I guess. First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women*
*women coming 2015
Yes because the fans supported Penner so incredibly well in his first two years that he came into camp last Sept ready to dominate.
He had something to prove and to his credit he played very well, despite being ripped. Fans can rip Horcoff, and well you might get sick of it, they have a point.
And this article wasn't rehashed. Some of the comments were, but the author(can't believe I called Wanye an author) doesn't control that. He made a valid argument why Horcoff should be captain.
And if you called Mike a hypocrite because he gave his opinion on something he didn't like, then shouldn't I call you one for slagging Wanye because you ripped him for something YOU don't like. Just saying...
The Captain should be respected and have a do or die attitude. He also has to have a "feel" for the dressing room. Point production is not a major issue. I have never been a big fan of Horc, but I see no other alternative right now. But does he have the respect of the younger guys? People closer to the team have this answer,not I.
@Wanye
I'd rather be on the Nation, not saying Etown isn't good
Wait a minute! Wanye is an acknowledged "author"?
Somewhere right now Brownlee is sharpening his axe.
Sticking with the analyst's job plays to Bob's strengths, notably his ability to dissect what happened as opposed to simply telling us again what we just saw.
I think, all things considered, it's the best move the Oilers could have made when it comes to utilizing Stauffer.
Now, back to vacation . . .
@rubbertrout
Easy Big wiskey... I said i would kinda compare him to Stevens. Not he is Stevens as in their style was somewhat similar with the grit and all. I was making a point that the critera for making a D-MAN captain is somewhat different than a forward IMO. IF you can think of a D-Man who was captian of their team that's more comparable by all means fill me in.