Idiot with a Soapbox – Playoff Thoughts
By baggedmilk
9 years ago
Anyone else feel like having the playoffs on is like a daily slap to the face? While a lot of us are still watching games, (3 game 7s tonight!) it’s not nearly as exciting or awesome as having a team to cheer for. Actually, it’s even worse than having no one to cheer for…
I’d say watching the playoffs shows just how far off the Oilers are from actually competing even if they tricked someone to get in there! Perfect example is the Sharks/Kings series. Even if the Oilers had managed to sneak in, winding up in a series like that could easily end in a sweep. Times are tough in Oil Country.
Lottery Teams Past
Since there’s nothing else to do, I’ve been wondering how many of the lottery teams have made the playoffs since the Oilers picked 1st overall for 3 straight years. Unfortunately, the answer will bum you out but let’s have a look anyway…
2010
- 1st overall – Taylor Hall – Oilers haven’t made the playoffs since sliced bread
- 2nd overall – Tyler Seguin – Boston via Toronto… Bruins won the Cup 2010-11 season
- 3rd overall – Erik Gudbranson – Florida made the playoffs 2011-12 season
- 4th overall – Ryan Johanson – Columbus made the playoffs 2013-14 season
- 5th overall – Nino Niederreiter (since traded) – NY Islanders made the playoffs 2013 lockout season
2011
- 1st overall – NUUUUUUUGE – Edmonton sucks
- 2nd overall – Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado made the playoffs 2013-14 season
- 3rd overall – Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida made the playoffs 2011-12
- 4th overall – Adam Larsson – New Jersey lost in the 2012 Cup Final
- 5th overall – Ryan Strome – NY Islanders made it in 2013
2012
- 1st overall – Nail Yakupov – Edmonton still sucks
- 2nd overall – Ryan Murray – Columbus made the playoffs this year
- 3rd overall – Alex Galchenyuk – Montreal made the playoffs in 2013 and 2013-14 season
- 4th overall – Griffin Reinhart – Islanders made the playoffs in the lockout season
- 5th overall – Morgan Rielly – Toronto made the playoffs in the lockout season
Now, before you start breaking my balls I know there are a lot of factors that make for a playoff hockey team. Some of these players were traded, others only played a minor role or not at all, but I still find it interesting that only the Oilers haven’t made the playoffs since the Taylor Hall draft. Even the repeat offenders like the Islanders and Blue Jackets made the dance at least once. This year, the Islanders finished as a lottery team again so it’s debatable whether or not they’re making any progress, but Columbus gave Pittsburgh all they can handle.
I guess the worst part of it all is that the progress we’re all expecting hasn’t happened yet. The only progress I see is that we’re all getting better at tracking junior players! Now, some people might argue that the Islanders got lucky in their playoff run, but at least they made it. The Oilers haven’t even come close. Yeah they were in a playoff spot, last year, with a month to go but so what? They finished in 24th place and came crashing down to ground level again this year. Does that count as progress? You tell me.
The Record
As of right now, the Florida Panthers hold the record for most consecutive playoff misses with 10 straight. They missed the show from the 1999-00 season all the way until 2011-12. Pretty wild to think that the Oilers are only 2 shitacular seasons away from matching that record. Sad to think about setting the record for sucking as being a very real possibility, no? We’ve already seen the Oilers miss the playoffs for 8 straight years, is it that much of a stretch to see them missing out for 2 more unless there are major changes?
*sigh*
Pro Connection Hockey Development Camp
On a positive note, I want to give a shout out to Brian Sutherby’s hockey school that’s coming up this summer. If you want your kids surrounded by guys that have played in the NHL, this is where they need to be. I remember going to hockey school when I was a kid and I hated it, mostly because the instructors were dicks and I could skate better than a few of them. Maybe if I had gone to a camp run by NHL players I would have been more into it and not wasted so much of my parents money. And who knows, maybe I could have been on a losing team in Edmonton right now! All the details are here, so check it out. It’s a cool experience your kids definitely won’t forget.
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