Monday Mailbag – Ranking the Pacific Division

It’s time to tilt your chair back to a comfortable position, because we’ve got 3000 words worth of company time wasting wisdom coming at you in this week’s mailbag. As always, I need your questions to make this work. If you’ve got one, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk and I’ll get to you as soon as we can. Fine citizens, I present you with another mailbag. Enjoy!

As always with these questions, it’s best to sit down and really put some effort into forecasting. Instead, I’ll wing it. The Kings and Sharks are good and have no reason not to continue being good; I’d give them the top two spots. Anaheim has had a lackluster summer, but the Ducks still have a crazy-good top line, a brilliant defence and two good goaltenders; that’s probably enough for No. 3 but I guess we’ll see. I like what Calgary did for the most part this summer – their goaltending in particular was awful last year and should be better this time around. Arizona had some hits and some misses, as did Edmonton; I’d toss those three into a group. Finally, Vancouver’s heading the wrong way and I’m not sure how they alter course.

Yes, the California teams will dominate again. As for the rest, it’s a dog’s breakfast. Need a longer look through camp and pre-season to seed the rest of the field.

That’s how I would rank them as well. I think there’s a big chance that Arizona surprises a lot of people this year and are better than expected. I also think there’s a smaller chance the Oilers are FINALLY better than the Flames for the first time in what feels like decades, but it will probably be close. 

Anaheim is going to be interesting to watch this season; on paper they still have a really good team, but they face planted out of the gate last season, fired easily one of the best coaches they’ve ever had out of sheer panic, AND they brought back a coach who was fired from the LEAFS of all teams, for having outdated coaching methods. The Sharks have a good chance at moonwalking to another Pacific Division championship this season I believe.

Without changes? Fifth in the division, 10th in the conference and 21st in the NHL.

That’s a pretty conservative ranking for the Coyotes. That said, I’m not sold on the Ducks. Until proven otherwise the Oilers should really only be placed ahead of the Canucks, but the Flames , Coyotes, and the Oilers do have the chance to grow this season if everything breaks right for them. I’m not confident in the rankings for the Pacific at all. 

I’m just impressed that they had the Oilers being better than two teams in the division! I’d love to believe that the Oilers will be higher than the Flames in the standings by next April but I think there’s still too many question marks on the back end. California will dominate. Oilers are wildcards. I’ll be drinking regardless of what happens. 

I stopped being a collector as a teenager, though I’ve hung on to the cards as a source of writing inspiration. One of them was signed for me as a kid by Georges Laraque; I guess that would be at the top of the list.

At or near the top is third base — the actual bag and spike — from John Ducey Park after the final game was played there. A note from Arnold Palmer. An autograph from Joe Frazier. A Gretzky jersey from the Heritage Classic.

I won a stick at a Christmas tournament that was signed by the 95-96 Oilers team. Featuring such luminaries as David Oliver, Zdeno Cigar, Fred Brathwaite, Scott Thornton and Jiri Slegr! 

Non-hockey related I have a box set of season one of Degrassi Junior High signed by both Stefan Brogren and Pat Mastorianni (Snake and Joey Jeremiah). YES YOU SHOULD BE SUPER JEALOUS! 

I have the ticket stubs from the first game I took each of my children too, I have an old Messier home white and the Gzowski book. Those are the things I value most among the hockey stuff.

I’m not a memorabilia kind of guy but I have a Team Canada sweater that I got signed by Don Cherry when I worked at Don Cherry’s Restaurant while I was in University. I guess that one means more to me because I actually met the man and he signed it right in front of me. First time he came through the back of the restaurant he shook my hand, but 5 seconds prior I was making dry ribs and my hands were still covered in raw meat goo. He just saw me and stuck his hand out and I shook his hand instinctively. There was a look in his eye for a brief moment that told me he knew what just happened but he moved right along and didn’t say a word about it. So that is my fav piece of memorabilia.

I got a game program back in the 90s that Bill Ranford signed for me. I also have an OilersNation hoodie that Ryan Smyth signed for me last year. Before you ask, I’m never wearing it again.

Yes, I think it will be physical; it’s hard to take that out of a competitive game involving this caliber of player.

Skill and speed will dominate. Don’t see this as a crash-and-bang tournament.

I think it will be somewhere between the All-Star Game and the Olympics. More physical than the ASG in terms of guys actually using their bodies to separate other players from the puck, physical play along the boards, etc. However I don’t think we’re going to see a ton of physicality outside of that. No open-ice hits, no scrums, hell I’ll be surprised if we see many penalties called.

I am sure it will be NHL-style hockey and there will be injuries.

My guess is that it will be high speed pond hockey, but I have no idea. Nobody wants to get hurt in September but playing for your country could bring out the competitive fire in anybody. I hope there’s some physicality but I’ll be fine if it’s more skill than physical.

I can see it being a low-hitting type of tournament. I think that speed and skill will be the most important. Maybe that’s just me praying that there won’t be any injuries to Oilers players. 

As a kid I was a big Marty Reasoner fan. I honestly don’t remember why, beyond liking the way he played and feeling a little bad for him because he was the return on the Doug Weight trade. I also liked Mats Lindgren.

For the Oilers, Jason Smith. All-time? Can’t judge guys I’ve never known beyond watching them play.

I still miss Ryan Jones; his long flow flapping as he choppily skated up the ice, the pure surprise and joy on his face whenever he got a puck to go in the net, his penchant for always falling down. Fun fact; his career high 33 points in 2012 would have put him 7th in scoring on the 2015-16 Oilers! What a time to be alive!

Gaetan Duchesne was a brilliant two-way forward for the Washington Capitals 25 years ago. He was such a smart player and I loved watching him play.

Igor Ulanov. Of this there is no question in my mind.

I always loved Jason Smith. The dude was a wrecking ball, and was always willing to put his body on the line for the team. The Oilers could use a half dozen players like him now. 

Generally making notes on the lineup card or (particularly late in the game) diagramming plays on a little whiteboard version of the rink.

Depends which coach. Most keep tabs of line and D-pairing match-ups. Others note mistakes or forechecking schemes that are effective against a particular line or set of D-men. Lots of variety.

Maybe talking points to the team, or specific things seen on the ice that the coach wants to go back and look at on video. May also be 700 lines of ‘Jimmy Crack Corn.’

Milk, eggs, cheese (Gouda?), mushrooms, peppers. 

Not sure, but I would guess they see things that they want to look at again. I would note things like: 12:37 2nd Period – RNH? If there was a play that took place at that time involving Nuge that I wanted to see video of again. Maybe good or bad that can lead to a teaching moment for my club. Alternatively it might be seeing a tendency in the other team. These are things I would like to note while coaching but otherwise I have no idea what they write. 

Grocery lists. Plans for the weekend. Maybe some sexy notes for the missus? In all honesty I assume the notes they write are far more boring than what we’re hoping they’re writing.