OILERSNATION COUNTDOWN: TOP 5 MOST HATED PLAYERS

Last week I told you that we would be doing weekly video countdowns based on your votes. This week we continue our new tradition with the Top 5 most hated players in the NHL.

The voting for this week’s video went crazy. The number of different players that you guys hate for various reasons was alarming. I wasn’t sure whether all this hatred deserved praise or if you guys desperately needed a hug. Either way this made for an interesting list. One thing you’ll note is that the rats and pests of yesteryear seem to have gone the way of the dodo. Mother truckers act like they forgot about Claude Lemieux.

I didn’t know that so many of you hate Milan Lucic. Luckily that hate should grow this year now that the Bruins traded him into our division. To me, Lucic is the kind of player that you hate when he’s playing against you but would love on your team. The guy can score, he plays a tough game, and he’s got a punchable face so I get it, but do you want to know the real reason you should hate Milan Lucic? The Bruins drafted Lucic with the draft pick that the Oilers sent the Bruins for Sergei Samsonov. Hurts, right?

I’ve gotta say that this one surprised me. Sure, Johnny Gaudreau looks like one of those kids from baby geniuses and he’s got some wizardry in his hands but I’m not sure that makes him the 4th most hated player in the NHL. Regardless, it doesn’t matter what I think – this is how you voted. I do, however, respect the healthy hatred of a Calgary Flame. 

Finally a clear cut hatable player! I don’t think anyone can argue that Alex Burrows should make this list. When he’s not practicing his diving/biting people, he’s darting around the ice running his mouth with absolutely nothing to back it up. Burrows is the kind of player that gives you a cheap shot and when confronted will hide behind the linesman. Alex Burrows is annoying on all levels and it makes sense that he’s a Canuck. Where else could he possibly fit in?

Ryan Kesler is a multi millionaire that plays in the NHL yet he never looks like he’s having any fun. I thought when he got traded out of Vancouver he might start looking like he was having a good time. Instead Kesler looks just as miserable as he was but with a better tan. Like Lucic, Kesler is one of those guys that you hate to play against but would love to have on your team. He’s not the player he once was (even though he still gets paid like it) but Ryan Kesler is still irritating when he’s on the ice and when he speaks. I think this is a solid choice at number two. 

As if you guys didn’t see this one coming. This caveman completely derailed Sam Gagner’s last season as an Oiler when he swung his stick around and broke Samwise’s jaw. To make matters worse, Kassian refused to step up and pay the piper for his actions. Luke Gazdic challenged him on many occasions but the only response was from the Burrows’ book of denial®. Dude’s a chump. The funny part about choosing Kassian as the most hated player in the NHL is that his teammates didn’t even like him as was seen in the video above. When your own teammates can’t even stand you that should be a pretty good indicator that you’ve got issues. Although you know what they say… Once a caveman, always a caveman.

Did we miss any obvious players? Mess up the order? Just want to waste company time complaining before the weekend? Let us hear it in the comments! Be sure to watch out for next week’s vote on our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.