It is one of our favourite days here at the OilersNation. The day where we all go out on a limb and declare our Star for the upcoming season.

For the uninitiated, we started picking our favourite player and our designated whipping Goat back in 2005. We did so as a means of being able to later gloat "man, did we ever pick the best Star this year" and also be able to gleefully flay our Goat night after night, game after game without mercy or concern of "being a bad fan" during the season.

Picking your star and making him "your guy" for the year can be richly rewarding. We always think back to our buddy Lee who picked Pisani to have a breakout year back in 2006. As he tore the playoffs a new corn chute, Lee was held in equally high regard as Saint Fernando himself. With each passing goal, we would shake our heads in wonder.

Not at Pisani having an out of body experience for two months – but at our buddy who had the foresight to call it. That’s the kind of glory Star pickers can get if it is done right.

Generally our Star will fold under the immense pressure of living with our fanboy endorsement and we will spend the season shaking our heads at what we were thinking back in early September. It’s virtually a kiss of death.

2005-06: Chris Pronger (had great season, broke our collective hearts after)

2006-07: Ryan Smyth (traded at during the season, broke our collective hearts)

2007-08: Shawn Horcoff (lit the lamp like crazy, got hurt)

2008-09: Erik Cole (played like crap, demanded to go back to Carolina)

2009-10: Mike Comrie (led the league in preseason scoring, spent majority of the year on the shelf, signed elsewhere)

With a track record that stellar, we spent the weekend in deep, deep meditation thinking about who would be the Star for 2010. We like to go with players that aren’t the obvious choice. Picking Ales Hemsky to crack the 50 point barrier takes about as much brains as calling Lindsay Lohan to be in porno within 3 years. Likewise picking Taylor Hall to have a good start to his illustrious career is equally safe. We like to find the unsung hero, the guy who is going to exceed his potential and show us all what he is made of.

Take a read of our pick and then name your own. If you are right you will be celebrated for all eternity in the pantheon of hockey geniuses. If you are wrong, well prepare for your own personal end of days.

Last year’s Star picking generated some awesome drama. Horcoff boosters came out in droves as did many a Hemsky fan. Insults were traded and enemies made.

Here is a look at some of the better picks from last year:

Heh heh. Well played TB.

We respect this pick from bingofuel because he went out on a limb. But that is the risk part of "risk & reward."

The best Star call of the 2009-10 season clealy goes out to anyone who had the stones to pick Penner. The big man shook off a disastrous 2008-09 campaign and lit the lamp 32 times during the campaign. If you had told us this time last year that the Oilers would finish last in the league and yet no one would be mad at Penner we would have punched you squarely in your face for lying to us.

Not only did Victoria call Penner as her Star, she also called injuries on Khabibulin and named her the Goat for the year. This is basically a perfect game and the best combo of the 2009-10 season.

Picking Jordan Eberle – a 20 year old rookie who hasn’t played a single game in the NHL – might seem like a bad idea. But on a team with more teenagers than a Justin Bieber concert, going with youth is probably the best move. We feel it is extraordinarily important that everyone understand that Jordan Eberle is going to be our boy. He’s ours dammit. Go get your own Jordan Eberle. This one is all ours!

Picking the goat.

BAAA