When I looked at the Oilers’ schedule a few days ago, I was excited to see that there was going to be a game on my birthday. Even though I’m in the back half of my thirties at this point, there’s still something special about a birthday game that gets me excited and it was a real bummer to see that it had to be postponed as a result of COVID. But since I was supposed to write today anyway, I figured that I would share some of the Oilers-fan lessons that I’ve learned in my 36 years so far.

1. Outside of the odd playoff run here and there and the annual loss to the Stars in the late 90s/early 2000s, I haven’t seen a whole lot of success in my Oilers-fan career and even less since I’ve started working here at the Nation. As I think of that sad state of affairs, I think we should make sure we’re enjoying what we’ve got going on right now even after a tough loss or two. There will be a time when you look back on McDavid and Draisaitl as Oilers and remember fondly how amazing they are to watch, but I think we all need a reminder from time to time to stop and smell the flowers.

2. We didn’t appreciate Shawn Horcoff enough. I would have signed that contract too.

3. Touching back on point number one, we’re six years into @Connor McDavid’s career and I will never stop defending him or pumping his tires for as long as I live. He’s the best player I’ve ever been able to watch up close and I want to thank him for his efforts.

4. We Oilers fans like to get fired up when a player is talking contract extension, don’t we? Right now, there are citizens on both sides of the fence arguing for or against guys like RNH and Tyson Barrie, and it reminds me of Ales Hemsky’s last deal here in Edmonton where many fans were ragging on a guy that wanted to say just because he was looking for more money. I don’t know about you, but I like to get more money when/if I can so I don’t know why we act so surprised when an NHL player does it.

5. I feel lucky that I was able to really tie one on at Rexall Place before the team eventually moved over to Rogers. The beers were magical in that old barn and I think about it often.

6. Take more pictures when you’re watching the Oilers with your friends/family. I had a buddy send me a couple of shots from 2006 when we were all watching the Cup run together and it was fun to look back at those. There were a lot of bad outfits and even worse haircuts back then, and I loved every minute of it.

7. If you’re at Rogers Place and you need an intermission pee break, make a run for the bathroom when there is a minute or so left to play in the period. Sure, you run the risk of missing something but you’ll also be a lot less likely to piss your pants. In the playoff run of 2017, I had a video take off on Twitter of the bathroom line at Rogers Place because it took me nearly a minute to walk from the start to the back. You’ll thank me when your bladder feels like it’s about to explode.

8. If your team consistently sucks for years on end, there’s a really good chance it’s not the coach’s fault.

9. The refs in this league will always be as bad as the NHL wants them to be. We’re seeing it now and will continue to see it down the road.

10. Draft good players, keep good players. The best teams in the NHL get built through the draft and they tend to hang onto those best guys until they price themselves out or retire. The Oilers spent what felt like decades trying to build through free agency while also giving up on their guys too early. Draft ’em, keep em’ and pay ’em accordingly.

11. I don’t care what any Flames fan says, we won the Neal-Lucic trade.

12. I’m a big believer in analytics and very much enjoy the talented writers that are breaking the NHL down out there, but I also think that relying solely on numbers without watching those same players carefully can’t work the way we’d like. Remember Mark Fayne? The analytics loved him, but no one else did.

13. I’ve always got time for Cotton Eye Joe at an Oilers game and need the DJ to mix it in from time to time. Maybe not as often as they used to play it at Rexall, but I think there’s room for it on any and all playlists.

14. Oilers fans are the best people on earth and I’ve had some great times with many of you at our events or trips or brunch parties or whatever it may be. As much as it’s been rough to be an Oilers fan over the years, the community surrounding the team is as good as it gets and they (nor we) would be anything without the fans.

15. I don’t get how some fans aren’t into Hunter The Mascot. I get a kick out of him and especially enjoy any time I’m at Rogers Place and see him doing flips and balancing on handrails. He’s a good time and the haters should get on board. Embrace the silliness of it, people.

16. One bad loss or one bad week does not mean your team blows and will never win again. I think back to the three-straight losses to the Leafs from earlier in the season and seeing how many comments on the site made it seem like the sky is falling. You can’t win em all, ya know?

17. A few years back, we did a NationGear launch party at The Pint with former-Oiler Luke Gazdic and he told us a story that will haunt me forever. Did you know that there are some active players in the NHL that play without wearing a can? How? Why? Every day I wake up in fear that I’m about to see a highlight of someone’s beans exploding in front of a national audience.

18. There is no NHL city that loves a 50/50 more than we do. We are the emperors of the 50/50. Wear the title proudly, Edmonton. Sometimes I like to imagine the atmosphere and how big the first 50/50 will be when we’re all able to go to games again. What a glorious jackpot it will be.

19. Free agents do want to play in Edmonton but we’re going to have to pay a little bit more. That said, it would be great if we could figure out how to not turn on these UFAs almost immediately if their first/second season doesn’t go as planned.

20. Hiking up to the press level at the Saddledome is an adventure that you’d better be prepared for. So many stairs, so many opportunities to spill your beer. One time we almost lost Tom Gazzola because of those stairs, but thankfully I was there to save him. Remember, safety first then friendship.

21. I will never forgive Peter Chiarelli for putting this team back years from where they should be at this point. When a general manager tries to rush things as Pistol Pete very much did, things tend to go sideways. As Warren Buffett puts it, “No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things take time. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.”

22. I’ve been saying it for years and I’ll say it again here: Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy should be the Oilers’ intro song. Either that or Da Rockwilder.

23. As much as it’s fun to have hockey back, I really miss the Nation Vacations we do to Vegas. If you’ve never been on one of our trips, be it a roadie to Calgary or a weekend in Vegas, I really hope you get the chance to come because it’s an experience you won’t get anywhere else. Spending time with fellow Nation Citizens and Oilers fans is so much fun and I cannot wait until we’re able to do them again. Fingers crossed.

24. Speaking of travel, I don’t think there’s another fanbase in the NHL that travels as well as Oilers fans. I’ve been lucky enough to make it to games in a few different cities now and we are always well represented. Hell, I even went to a Coyotes-Hurricanes game in Glendale a few years back when I was down there for Monday Night Football and I’d argue that there were nearly as many Oilers jerseys in the crowd as there were anything else. Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little bit but not by much.

25. The Nation Limo was one of the coolest things we ever did and I cannot wait until we’re able to bust out Nation Limo 3.0. I don’t know when it will happen, but I guarantee we’ll be cruising these streets in that baby sooner than later. There will be a time when I spill out of the Limo onto the front stairs at The Pint in celebration of an Oilers Cup — you’ll see.

26. I love me a 5pm start. No matter the outcome, you still have a big chunk of your night to either celebrate or drink away the pain of the loss away. On the other hand, 8:30pm starts can kick rocks. There is nothing worse than a late-night loss, resulting beets assault, and trying to fall asleep while you’re still pissed off at the powerplay.

27. If you ever want to hurt yourself, look back at the Oilers’ draft record. I know the draft is voodoo in most cases, especially when you get outside the top handful of players, but that run of mediocrity is a major contributor to the decade of darkness.

28. Draft complaints aside, if all roads led to McDavid then I guess we’ll take it. The lesson here is to appreciate what you have sometimes, rather than focusing on what could have or should have happened.

29. I’m pretty sure that most insider rumours that surround the Oilers are completely made up because they know talking about our boys will get them clicks. I have no way to prove this, but I don’t think many people would argue with me either.

30. I don’t care what anyone says, Gene Principe is the king we need on the broadcasts.

31. We don’t thank the Buffalo Sabres enough for passing on @Leon Draisaitl and taking @Sam Reinhart at 2nd overall in 2014.

32. A lot of people make fun of the Oilers for being bad at hockey and it’s totally justified, but there is no fanbase on Gord’s green earth that can do a better job of mocking this team than we can. We’ve put in our 10,000 hours and are now masters at our craft.

33. The Oilers are incredibly lucky to have the fanbase they do because this team was so bad for so long that they could have easily found themselves playing to an empty barn long before we had ever heard the word COVID.

34. The only benefit of the pandemic is not having our barn half-filled with Leafs or Habs fans. Could you imagine how annoying these two series would be had there been fans in the building?

35. I would have never predicted in a million years that we’d be living through the situation we’re in, and I’m incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for supporting the website over the years, but this past year specifically. It’s amazing how many articles and conversations were able able to have in a year when barely any hockey was played. I mean, even now, could you have ever imagined a scenario where you’d wake up expecting to watch the Oilers play only to have the game called in the hours leading up to puck drop? It’s weird in these streets.

36. #KeepNugeForever

Have a great weekend, everybody. Happy Easter.