A case of the Tuesdays

“WE WANT TEN! WE WANT TEN! WE WANT TEN!” rained down from the rafters with five minutes to go in last night’s debacle. You know it’s not a good game when the home crowd is routing for the opponent to score double digits in goals. But for the only time all night the hometown crowd got what they wanted — a 10 spot.

Does Groundhog Day have to happen consecutively, or can it happen 42 days later?

It did last night for the Oilers and the Nation — with one difference. This time the opposition scored ten goals rather than a measly nine. If you were at Rexall Place last night then you witnessed history, because an eight-goal loss is the worst home loss in the rich history of the Oil. On Dec. 16 Chicago led 3-0, before the Oilers scored a PP goal.

But Buffalo, to the delight of the crowd, responded and scored their 10th, shorthanded for good measure, and mercifully the night was over for the fans.

The Oilers are now 1-3 at home on Tuesdays this year, and have been outscored 25-10 in those four games.

Since the lockout here is their home record on Tuesdays:

So they aren’t as bad in the past few years, but now I would guess Oiler fans are starting to say “I Don’t Like Tuesdays”. Did you know there was a song titled exactly that?

I’ve never heard of Geoffrey Keezer, and now I think he is even more of a dork for not having audio or lyrics to the song.

While you wake up today, pissed at another horrific Oiler loss, here is a classic song and even better video to let you release the rage.

The Boomtown Rats — what a legendary ‘80s band. Sing along, and just switch Monday with Tuesday and you should feel better. If not, look at the video and take in the uncanny resemblance between the lead singer and Tom Gilbert. Look closely, it’s there, especially the fascination and complete NO REASON to be playing with his hair.

Still can’t see it? How about the back up singer top right. He looks like almost any Russian who played in the league in the ‘80s. And what is with the bottom right singer? Does he have lock jaw before his big “NO REASONS” contribution to the song? And top left guy has an eerie resemblance to Raimo Summanen. Bottom left guy I’m guessing is a mix between BM and JS.

Regardless of who they look like, the synchronicity from left to right with the “NO REASONS” should make this one of the top 10 videos of all time. Or how the couch scenes that made this an absolutely ground breaking video, one that has never been duplicated.

I’m sure you thought the same thing when you awoke back on Dec. 17. “The good news is there is no way the Oilers can play that bad again this year, no chance.”

Well, you were wrong.

They did play worse, much worse. The game was over before the two-minute mark of the first period, when the Sabres went ahead 2-0. From there it was just an exercise in futility.

This team does not know how to handle success. Just when they get on a bit of a roll where their coach is cautiously optimistic, the fans think they are turning the corner and even the media think they might just be able to move from pretender to contender, they soil the sheets to the tenth degree.

Groundhog Day has nothing on the Oilers. It has been Groundhog Year since 2000. Struggle with mediocrity, stay close until March and then scratch and claw to try and make the playoffs. Three times it works, three times is doesn’t and one time they absolutely collapse, only to win their final game and avoid getting into the lottery.

Until this team can put together a string on solid hockey games, before their usual March push for the playoffs, it is impossible to call them anything other than a pretender.

And Wanye, how do you explain Denis Grebeshkov being an EVEN player in both lopsided loses this year. Outscored 19-4, yet your favourite player was even…Truly amazing.

I’ll leave you with another completely nonsensical video, but a song title that is fitting, because I’m sure some of you did this last night. Unable to shake the gory, repetitive, embarrassing, and horrific display you watched last night at Rexall Place.