GDB 35.0: HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Wanye
December 26 2011 01:34PM
Ah the ol' Boxing Day Hockey Extravaganza. If there is anything greater than sitting around in your PJs, crushing left over Christmas treats and watching Canada kick off the the World Juniors we can't think of what it is.
What's that? The Oilers play tonight?
That would qualify as greater.
WHICH IS BETTER?
It is difficult to say which game today is more important - Team Canada kicking off the WJC or the Oilers playing the Canucks tonight at 8 PM.
The WJC on the one hand face the crushing pressure of the weight of Canadians annual hopes and dreams. Nothing less than a Gold will be tolerated by couch potatoes from Coast to Coast.
The Oilers on the other hand face the miniscule pressures of a team climbing out of the basement of the NHL, where they have been living and presumably paying rent of some sort these past two years.
If they can keep themselves out of the NHL lottery and shed some underperforming contracts along the way the Trilogy of Hall, Eberle and the NUUUUUUUGE will keep Christmases in the OilersNation merry for years to come.
IF YOU ASK US
We greatly enjoy the World Junior Championships each year. Watching the future NHL stars of tomorrow set aside their differences and come together in the name of Queen and Country is marvelous.
But unless they were all property of the Edmonton Oilers and looking forward to hoisting the Stanley Cup in Edmonton we can't even put them on the same level as the Mighty Oilers. A credit to our fine Nation to be sure but trailing slightly behind in our heart-o-meter.
So Go Team Canada. May you bring home the Gold.
But even more so, go Oilers.
LINEUP
According to the Oilers twitter feed, no lines were run in the practice in Vancouver this morning. Ryan Whitney was absent from practice and Ales Hemsky left the ice early. Both have been since declared out for the game tonight and Khabibulin will get the start.
Jordan Eberle on the other hand presumably put on a clinic of selfless play and hard work the entire practice and declared himself "ready to rock" for tonight's game. Taylor Hall practiced flying into the boards awkwardly at 1000 MPH for the last half of the skate and was pronounced "awesome" by all in attendance.
And we can only imagine that The Nuge clapped delightedly standing on his lil skates and raised his stick in a mighty cheer.
¿ʇsıℲ uʍop ǝpısd∩
WOƆ˙NOI┴∀NSɹƎ˥IO | __ | | / \ | | | ┌ | | | \ / | | \/ | __| | | __/ ‾\ / | / ___ ___/ ___ \ \ | __/___\/ \/ \___ | | / \ / / \ | \___________) | | /\ | | | | | | \ \ \ \ / .-----.-----.-----.----.Props to you Stocc. You keep coming up with new and exciting ways to fist. Awesome dude.
BTW. 2-0 Canada in the Fi(r)st. 4:25 in and the Finns call TO
Wohoooooo go Canada go Let's go Oilers Turkey hangovers going around this boxing day, and I'm glued to the couch!
That's good
No Whitney? MO PLANTE?!
@DDP
¡ǝʌıɟ ɥƃıɥ ɟlǝs uʍop ǝpısd∩
No Whitney!? He better not be injured again.
I just hope hordichuck plays more than 5 seconds in this game just so he can kick beiksa's a$$.
Please let this be the start of a winning streak that gets the team back in the playoffs*
*yes I drink the kool-aid that makes me believe the Oil win the cup every year.
This is impressive. Now I know what a Stocc is.
About time *rolls eyes*
:P
LETS GO OILERS!!!
Freaking awesome!!!!!
Lets go oil!!!
I just spent the last 5 days grieving the loss of my mom who passed away with my sis and i by her side.
I need a break from crying, come on Oilers do it.
Game Day Prediction: The Oilers kick off a long road trip with a 4-2 win.
Obvious Game Day Prediction: RNH will remember his scoring ways... after all: a) It's a CBC Saturday night game, b) He's playing against the loathsome Canucks on whom he scored his first ever Hat-Trick*, and c) the World Juniors start today... and The NUGE is the best junior player on the planet! The Hockey Gods simply must smile upon thee on this; a most Holy Day.
Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: The Canuck forwards, still pouting from their loss to Calgary, will pull out all the stops tonight and we will see more diving than we did 3 years ago at Longyuan Center during the Olympics. Exactly 20 seconds after Weekes starts blabing about Henrick Sedin's team high 534 game "iron man" streak... that crazy ginger will throw out his back while executing a near perfect 113B (flying forward one-and-a-half somersaults, pike) after incidental contact with Gilbert in front of Khabibulin. Hughson will actually call the event a tragety, and say the league is sure to "review the play".
@MAC962
My condolences man, I cannot imagine the depth of such a loss.
May the oilers provide you with a smythmas miracle.
3-2 oil, O/T. DO NOT FAIL ME!!
@Chris Team Fire Chairman Lowe Now Katz!
Hmmm... It's monday man, and the game is on sportsnet.
Otherwise, w00, I also believe Nuge will pot one in front of his family.
@mesh
Yeah. I've been drunk for four days.
Thanks Mesh. Brutal heart wrenching pain. Something about a guys mom you dont mess with.
Peace Bro.
Wanna beat the Canucks? Shut down the Sedins and they got nothin' but very expensive, very average goaltending. Tonight I'm cheering for the Oilers. From a Flames fan. Alberta rules!
>>Mac962: Condolences my friend. Hope you get your wish.
Huge Boxing Day discounts on cans of Whoop-Ass at Rogers Arena tonight. This will not go well for the Oil.
@Stocc - You're blowin' my mind. You got way too much time on your hands, man. You need a girl, NOW.
Thanks Mr poopy pants...
Look up 'refractory period'.
Hate to say it.. But Oiler loss is pretty much inevitable tonight. Also, i personally believe that 1 more Lottery Pick will be critical to the long term success of this team going forward... One more year in the lottery picks.. 2 more years til playoffs. 3 years till the Stanlet Cup. :)
@Wanyes bastard child
Do you see another outcome? Not to be confused with wanting or hoping for another outcome.
@Stocc> Not bad. (Chuckles menacingly.) But I'm still gonna cheer for the Oil tonight.
@admiral> So, you're saying that the Oilers should adopt Stephen Colbert's motto "Building a better tomorrow, tomorrow" ?
@Robin Brownlee
I always see the Oilers winning before every game, reality sucks but you don't have to remind us :P
I don't know, the Oilers just seem to play well against the Canucks lately, I say this game will be a lot closer then some may think, playing without Whitney and Hemsky might prove better for the Oilers. Going out on a biased limb here, 4-3 Oilers!
Betting sites are offering about 2/1 on an Oil win. Those aren't terribly long odds. That means that if tonight's game was being played 3 times we could expect the Oil to win once. If I'm not mistaken they're only playing it once, though, so let's just hope it's the once where the Oil come out on top.
That was my first thought on tonight's game as well, but then again the Oilers have a good knack of making me look bad. I once had a theory about home teams just after the holiday break...
I'll have plenty of rum on hand, and season 4 of Breaking Bad at the ready, just in case!
You keep coming up with new and exciting ways to fist.
**in the voice of the champ**
I says pardon?
Fearless prediction: Oilers come out of the Christmas break with a 4-3 win, as the Canucks don't take them seriously.
Peckham + Plante = Scary on all counts
Anyone have a link for the game tonight? My mom's cable company in Saskatchewan switched Sportsnet for TSN and of course tonight's game is on Sportsnet. :(
Is Hemsky out tonight with hurt feelings? What's up with him now?
a garbage goal certainly sucked, especially after killing the penalty. c'mon boys, please score with ol' ratface in the box.
can't seem to find a working link, either...
wow, wake up. moron refs. the canucks make me sick. zero class.
Plug your nose, 10 minutes in and it looks like its going to be a stinker.
Something like that.. A better tomorrow in the Oil's case means better players. I don't think its a wise strategy to make moves to move this non-playoff team 8-10 pts up in the standings.. All it does is lower the quality player available in the draft. So yah acquire as many pieces as possible to make tomorrow better.
Who the hell slip some crap in my drink. It kinda tastes like sh*t.
This is effing brutal...
anyone know the real deal on whitney and hemsky? also did teubert forget his passport again? why is Plante in and Teubert out?
stuck in BC for the holidays... listening to the nuck homer crew call this game drowning in smug is putting a huge damper on my canada WJC high.
how come that cross check on Belanger didn't get called or that trip on Petrell... oh yea... we're playing the nucks... cry enough and people give you what you want i guess is the lesson.
I say we just forget about the score and run them through the boards. Just play Hordichuk until they kick him out of the game and then throw in Eager till they do the same. Make it look like a Dallas home game hit count.
1st period & down 3-0. Dont know whats worse..the refereeing or the Oilers play. I can barely watch..if Belanger does another swing by in the corner without so much as bump..I gonna switch channels & watch Antique Roadshow.
Hordichuk gets it...he better gome some more TOI & get after Kesler like he tried on a line change in period 1.
I feel for Habbie..could be a long night.no fault of his.
http://www.firstrowsports.tv/watch/99699/1/watch-vancouver-canucks-vs-edmonton-oilers.html
well there appear to be some signs of life here in the second. too bad they already spotted vancouver 3 goals.
So what is that crap? Up 3-0 and you run a guy from behind. Guess they needed to prove something? Unleash hell! Give Gagner some Meth and release him into their bench
make em pay, damnit
Dirty boarding hit on Plante.
Sick and tired of watching the play die off Gagner's stick and even more frustrated with coach verbals inability to prepare this team.
Sign Hemsky, the playoffs are what matter and once we get there he will be worth every penney.
Watching the game from cranbrook & sportsnet Canucks commentators just called that hit on plante a shoulder to shoulder hit