Like many young Canadian kids, Bil La Forge spent much of his youth in a hockey rink. Unlike most of them, he spent more time watching than he did playing. He was at the rink a lot growing up in the 1980s while his father, the late Bill La Forge, coached in the Ontario Hockey…
I was 15 years old when Wayne Gretzky was sold/traded to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9th, 1988. It was also my grandmothers’ 72nd birthday. Grandma Kramps was a gem. I never forgot the day Gretzky was traded, but it was second to Grandmas birthday. However, I do remember exactly where I was when…
Is there a hockey saying that irks you? I guarantee there is at least one and probably more. I find new phrases are always popping up to describe players. Some are positive, sadly many carry a negative connotation, and some are just, well, nothing. I chuckle when people say, “He is good, BUT…” and then…
On the day he was born three months premature, August 16, 2006, my son Sam was barely bigger than my hand. I spent much of that day on my knees at the Royal Alexandra Hospital praying he’d survive. I’ve told the story of that day, and how my wife Analyn and I got to it…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – whether you’re a fan or a media person, the surest way to look like a fool is to try to predict point totals for NHL players in any given season. Most of us are really bad at it, no matter what “system” we use as…
Four or five years from now, many of the top prospects we’re seeing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton this week will make up the next wave of young stars in the NHL. Before they get there, before they even get drafted this coming June, we get a glimpse them all in one place…
With training camp about a month away and holes still left to be plugged, I heard a rumour from a couple of different sources that I trust that the Edmonton Oilers are one of a few western conference teams (Vancouver is in the mix as well) that are interested in bringing in veteran, Scottie Upshall,…
As per Wednesday tradition, I jumped on the 95.7 Cruz FM airwaves to talk to the boys at The Locker Room about all things Andrej Sekera and what’s next for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers just tweeted out some horrible news that Andrej Sekera will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles.
This is one part of a player-by-player Year in Review series we’ll be doing over the next couple months as we look back on the 2017-18 Edmonton Oilers season. 2017-18 Edmonton Oilers No. 4: Kris Russell GP: 78 – G: 4, A: 17, PTS: 21 One of Peter Chiarelli’s better moves as Edmonton’s general manager…
The Oilers were dealt a huge blow earlier this week when it was announced that Andrej Sekera underwent surgery on a torn Achilles following an off-season training injury. Sekera will be out of the lineup for at least six months. There’s a chance he won’t return to action at all during the 2018-19 season.
Welcome to What Would You Do Wednesday FRIDAY EDITION. It’s the middle of summer and it’s extremely hot outside. You know what that means? It’s time to talk about the Edmonton Oilers’ goal song. Earlier today, my pal Chris the Intern wrote on Glen Gulutzan and that, for whatever reason, sparked Nation Commenter Leichs to…
This morning, I looked at a tweet from Andy Strickland and found myself compelled to write about it. It was a one-liner about a potential Lucic deal that filled me with more hope than dread and here we are.
At the beginning of the season, I thought the expectations that the team and many fans were placing on Ryan Strome were unrealistically high. He played all 82 Oiler games this year and now we have a chance to review what he accomplished and try to project moving forward.
Based on the lines from practice, the Oilers — after 80 games — have finally decided on letting Puljujarvi get another taste of the top six. I know what you’re thinking: “What if this kid blows it for the Oilers in these critical games?” I’m here to rest your mind at ease.
There is always one person on the rollercoaster that gets to the end of the ride and says, “That’s all there is?” For as long as there have been ups there have been downs and there are always people who are going to bitch and complain right to a Stanley Cup win, then immediately start…
MAOR Oilers offseason interviews! And this time, it was Leon Draisaitl’s turn to talk Oilers.
It’s episode four of the Nation Donair Tour and we’re still rolling! Last week we were joined by Yukon Jack and gave Amean Pizza & Donair a taste. This week we received an outrageous amount of recommendations for High Voltage (10387 63 Ave NW, Edmonton), so we just couldn’t resist.
Former Oiler, Mark Letestu has signed a professional tryout with the Florida Panthers. After being traded by the Oilers to the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline then getting flipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Elk Point Native will look to lift the Stanley Cup in Florida.
Tobias Rieder was a steal of a pick for the Edmonton Oilers when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He had just come off a season in which he notched 49 points in 65 games and played in both the U-20 and U-18 tournaments. The U-18 tournament saw…
It’s an Oilers reunion! According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Oilers are signing Tobias Rieder to a one-year, $2-million deal.
According to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, the Edmonton Oilers have inked defenceman Kevin Gravel to a one-year, two-way deal worth $700K. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector says Gravel will get $450k guaranteed and would make $300k in the minors.
When the Edmonton Oilers picked up goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the trade that sent defender Laddy Smid to the Calgary Flames, the first few years post-trade seemed like a home run for the Oil in a slew of years that didn’t pan out. Of course, things didn’t work out quite the way they looked like…
In Game 82 of the 2017-18 Edmonton Oilers season, the ending was bittersweet. With a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks in the final seconds of the season, the beleaguered Oil managed to end on a somewhat high note. They scored two goals in regulation, both earning points for Connor McDavid to earn him…
If you can’t beat ’em, fight their goaltender! FINAL SCORE: CALGARY FLAMES 3, EDMONTON OILERS 2
Something that Oilers fans are going to have to get used to is Auston Matthews being compared to Connor McDavid. Currently, the fans base here in Edmonton doesn’t even seem to be okay with the two being mentioned in the same sentence so we’ve got a way to go before a comparison doesn’t result in…
Most interviews with hockey players, and really all pro athletes in North America, are immediately forgettable. The player says little of substance, usually throws in a cliché or two, and the whole things is over relatively quickly, and wiped from my memory shortly thereafter. There are exceptions to this obviously, but nine times out of…
Yesterday morning I stepped outside to light my barbeque and begin my preparations for the Eskimos annual Labour Day game in Calgary (for me the barbeque was the best part of the day), and I noticed that it didn’t feel like summer anymore. That I was barefoot and standing on concrete helped drive the point…
Last week, I asked if the Oilers really improved this offseason. They signed Kyle Brodziak, Tobias Rieder, and Kevin Gravel (Mikko Koskinen earlier, too), but most of those players simply replace players sent away at the trade deadline. If the Oilers are going to move up the standings it will be based off internal development…
Since the beginning of last season, the Oilers have been aggressively adding forward prospects to fill out their American Hockey League team in Bakersfield. It looks like the Oilers will finally use their AHL team to play their prospects instead of a group of AHL veterans, but those prospects might be more quantity than quality….
It’s the middle of July, so the Edmonton Oilers roster is pretty much set. Barring an unlikely trade or signing, this is the roster the Oilers are going into the 2018-19 season with. It’s a risky plan. They’ll need many players to return to previous levels and hope an extremely green right wing produces. A…
