THE RETURN TO CONTENTION . . .
Robin Brownlee
November 17 2012 11:13AM
There's been plenty of discussion about when, exactly, the Edmonton Oilers realized they'd best forget about patching up the remnants of the team that went to the 2006 Stanley Cup final and undertake a bare-metal rebuild.
Framed in what's happened since that close-but-no-cigar trip to Game 7, namely six straight years out of the playoffs and a streak of futility that's seen the Oilers acquire first overall picks in Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, I read with interest something sent to me on Twitter today.
It's a form letter from then-GM Kevin Lowe that was sent to season ticket holders in March of 2007 in the wake of the deadline deal that sent popular Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders. Here it is:
We all, of course, are acutely aware of what's happened in the seasons since Lowe reassured season ticket holders the goal was to return the Stanley Cup to Edmonton. More than five years later, the goal remains the same, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
We wait.
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Does anyone start reading a post before they read who is posting it and after the first whole page when you realize you are reading the same post say" Damnit this is a NewAgeSys post isn't it"
@newagesys
Honestly, I read down to "recipe" and realized what lies in wait.
You are obviously a bright guy. You could be using these comments/rants/punctuation-nightmares as actual blog posts and likely generate positive feedback.
@NewAgeSys
Shorter NewAgeSys:
1. SYSTEM!
2. Rob Schremp just got demoted to the KHL's minor leagues because they DIDN'T HAVE A SYSTEM.
3. Wayne Gretzky taught Mark Messier to be a winner because SYSTEM.
And yes, those are the same three points he makes in response to every article, ever, after a "short" preamble.
@NewAgeSys
NewAgeSys wrote:
then why do you keep trying to feed me your bullspit?
and for f sakes, it is RECIPE
@NewAgeSys
For the most part, I've resisted the overwhelming urge to reply to the volumes of verbosity you've heaped on readers here. This peek, extended and repetitive as it has become, into your mind makes me weary. Others, too, it's obvious.
If these rambling comments are therapy for you, you'll have to shorten up your sessions or go elsewhere -- many professionals will happily listen for $200-$300 per hour.
As for the comments section here regarding items I write, think of it as the old-school "letters to the editor" section in the newspaper. Your submissions will be edited for brevity and might not appear at all if you insist on sending in essays (your last post was more than 2,600 words) that are, essentially, re-worked and re-worded versions of previous posts.
Simply put, if I see another post from you that prompts me to gouge out my eyes with a Bic pen, it will be deleted and you will find yourself in search of another forum where your genius might be better appreciated.
Also, to be fair to KP, how many of his picks had the benefit of a proper minor league system to grow up in? MBS has had the luxury of watching his picks grow in far more fertile soil, has he not?
@gongshow
The years the Oilers decided to go without their own AHL team were a black hole for prospects and development.
I'm not saying there were a bunch of blue-chippers who went sideways during those years because that wasn't the case, but burying guys on teams who were first and foremost mandated to develop their own prospects did nobody any good.
Oh man, what a great list of "the Oilers future". It's so good it hurts.
Nilsson - Scrubbed out of the NHL in barely two years and playing in some Scandanavian league now.
O'Marra - Couldn't even keep a role as a 4th line AHLer on the farm team, shipped off for nothing.
Plante - The 1st from that Smyth deal, currently struggling to be any kind of bottom pairing AHL defender. A poor mans Peckham, who might eventually find a few big league games if he can get over his several concussions.
Pouliot - Our "promising 3/4 centre", bounced out after only a handful of games, currently struggling to be an injury fill on the Lightning. IIRC he's getting scratched in AHL games too.
Jacques - JFJ, our former first line winger, currently doing scrub duty in California. He's supposed to carry the bags to the bus, but somehow one keeps doing an inside/outside on him and getting lost.
Stortini - The prototypical 4th line fighter, moved out to make room for... Lennart Petrell and Darcy Hordichuck? IIRC he'll be likely to do some training camp invites this year.
Brodziak - The only success out of this whole group, Brodz is a consistent 3 C for the Wild, shipped out for next to nothing, so we could rush to get Eric Belanger in to our lineup.
Schremp - Bouncing around second tier european leagues, proving that scoring touch is no substitute for being a good team player.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2007 Edmonton Oiler "Stanley Cup Contender" team. I love my team, but this letter and list are proof positive that you simply can't believe a word that come out of managements mouth.