Peace for our time

Here at OilersNation, we haven’t been immune to criticism. Thus, we’ve searched high and low for a better role model; a statesman who we can imitate, a man beyond reproach. Then we remembered a certain British Prime Minister, the man at the helm of Great Britain at the start of World War II. We are confident that by following the lead of the great Neville Chamberlain, we can attain peace for our time.

As part of the reforms instituted here, I’ll be doing a blogosphere roundup every Friday, highlighting what’s happening around the Oilogosphere and the NHL in general.

If I could pick just one post as Post of the Day—wait a second, I can, and am! Bruce at Oil Droppings tells us about Glen Sather’s choice of Bryan Watson to coach a young Oilers team, and then about Watson’s subsequent dismissal as Sather “turned to the one guy he had the utmost confidence in: himself.” It’s this kind of article that reflects the best of the blogosphere: attention to relevant detail (the Grey Cup firing note is a thing of beauty), superior prose, and both a grasp of and a passion for history.

Sean at Puck Donkey gives us his thoughts on the pressing matters concerning the Oilers. He also has a nice detail on exactly what kind of roller coaster ride it’s been to this point in the season. Meanwhile, over at mc79hockey.com, they’re still discussing scoring chances – and that’s not bad thing, by the way.

David Staples of Cult of Hockey gives us a classification system for Oilers fans: Rolosonites and Prongerites. I think it oversimplifies a complex issue, but that’s a thought I have with alarming frequency reading all manner of new/old media coverage on a variety of topics, so perhaps that’s to be expected. He also has game grades from last night. Also on the game last night, BBO has his post-game wrap-up on his blog, and the good folks at Bringing Back the Glory have their views up as well. Little Fury and Scarlett discuss MacTavish’s decision to use Smid as a forward, and the likely reasons behind it. One word: desperation.

Greg Wyshynski, who writes the Puck Daddy blog for Yahoo! is one of the most entertaining writers out there, and along with Spector and James Mirtle is one of the three NHL-in-general bloggers that I try to read every single day. In the last day he’s given last night’s three stars, talked about (another) highlight-reel Crosby goal, and written about how the NHL is once again competitive with the NBA after a 14-year hiatus. Most relevant for Oilers fans, he also has a video of the Sheldon Souray fight last night, and some criticism of his work tying down his jersey (you’d think that after Erik Cole’s ejection a few games back, this team would have that lesson down pat). Speaking of the fight, does anyone get the sense that the Oilers’ new obsession with bruisers has less to do with protecting the team in general, and more to do with keeping Souray from getting injured fighting nobodies?

Speaking of Mirtle, he’s got some more news on the Predators ownership fiasco. In brief, it’s a mess.

Spector keeps chugging along, providing real NHL rumours for those of us too snobby/cheap to fork over 20$ for Eklund’s fake ones. He mentions Brendan Shanahan, Antero Niittymaki, Martin Biron, Fredrik Norrena and David Koci. He also has one of the most ridiculous sentiments I’ve seen this year, courtesy of Flyers GM Paul Holmgren: “Holmgren said he intends to re-sign Biron and isn’t evaluating his play this season to determine the size of his new contract.” Right.

A final note: If I’ve missed your Oilers-related blog in my weekly round up, you can let me know by contacting me at jonathan.willis@live.ca. I do try to be inclusive of everyone, so if there are any questions/problems/suggestions that you don’t feel like posting in the comments, feel free to drop me a note.