The Oilers, unfortunately, blew another couple of leads this week, but they still played some good hockey against some quality teams. The good news is that if they continue to put themselves in a position to lead, they’ll eventually start closing out those games more consistently. That’s a much better situation than constantly having to claw back and tie games. That approach is far less sustainable than learning how to hold onto leads when you have them.

It’s still a better start from the Oilers compared to recent years, and we know they’ll start piecing it together. You never want to get to a point where you have to go on a ten or fifteen-game heater, which we know this team is capable of, and they haven’t put themselves there yet. They just need to start hanging onto these leads, stringing together wins, and finding some consistency instead of the back-and-forth we’ve seen. With the horses they have, it’s only a matter of time. We got to see a Leon Draisaitl goal from the goal line last night, McDavid scored, and there were lots of positives. They just need to finish the job and pick up those extra points in overtime and shootouts. Those matter at the end of the year. You don’t think much of it now, but a few extra points can make a big difference in the standings. And with the players Edmonton has, you’d think overtime should be advantage Oilers.

If you’ve got a question, send it in on social media with the hashtag AskDubey, or drop it in the comments. It can be about hockey, non-hockey, the current season, or past seasons. Anything goes.

I can tell you which one wasn’t. Those navy and copper jerseys from when I started. They were simple and plain, kind of boring like most of the league’s sweaters at the time. I’m happy with how much better they’ve gotten over the years. You can’t really beat the classics that they wear now, those retro-style royal blue and orange ones. They were our third jerseys toward the end, and I always loved getting out of the navy and back into those. The colors just pop.

If I had to pick another, I’d go with the all-navy jersey with the orange numbers and letters. They looked unbelievably sharp, even if they were hard to read at times. When those came out, they really stood out on the ice.

That’s tough. There are so many good memories from the road. It’s one of the things you really miss when you’re done playing—the travel, the restaurants, the time with the guys. One that stands out was a fathers’ trip with Minnesota to Florida and Tampa. I had hurt my knee and wasn’t ready to play, but I was close. So I traveled with the team and got to spend the whole trip with my dad.

Normally, those trips are busy: morning skates, naps, games, and meetings. This time, I couldn’t play, so we actually got to hang out, walk on the beach, grab food, and relax. The team was in a good mood after a big win in Ottawa, so it was just a great atmosphere. Getting that kind of time with my dad while still being part of the group was pretty special.

The Doobie Brothers are a bit before my time, but my dad made me listen to a lot of classic rock growing up. The one I know is “Long Train Runnin’.” If you haven’t heard it, go give it a listen. It’s a good one.

It’s tough. We’re all human. Fans see us as hockey players, but really, we’re just normal people who happen to be good at hockey. We have families, kids, and real-life stuff that can affect us. Sometimes the rink can actually be a bit of therapy—being around your teammates and focusing on the game can help you escape for a bit.

But if something serious is happening, like someone’s sick or there’s a family issue, it’s not always easy to just shut it off. There are things in life more important than hockey, and when those things weigh on you, it can show up in your game even if you don’t want it to. Everyone handles it differently. As professionals, we’re paid to show up and focus, but that’s not always simple. Some days you want to be anywhere but the rink, and other days the rink is exactly where you need to be.

That was my first year of pro hockey, and it was wild. Edmonton didn’t have an AHL team at the time, so after a good preseason, I didn’t know where I’d go. I actually went home to Calgary and didn’t skate for three weeks before ECHL camp opened. Then I showed up in Stockton, which had an open training camp. Let’s just say the first few days were interesting.

One guy asked to take ten shots on me after practice. I thought he wanted to work on something, so I said Sure. He fires his ten shots, then says, “Cool, thanks. I just wanted to tell my friends I shot on you.” That’s how it started.

But Stockton was awesome. It was their second year as a franchise, the rink was beautiful, and the fans were incredible. We’d get 7,000 or 8,000 people a night cheering like crazy, even if they didn’t totally know what they were cheering for. Every glove save felt like the save of the year.

As for who kept me in check, I lived with Tyler Spurgeon, Troy Bodie, Liam Reddox, and Brian Young—all young guys in the same boat, trying to make it. We held each other accountable and made sure we stayed focused on where we wanted to go.

It does. My favorite arena was the Bell Centre in Montreal. The atmosphere there is just different. The fans are right on top of you, the building’s steep, and every game feels like a playoff game. It helped that I had some success there too, but it’s an incredible place to play.

As for cities, Dallas was one of my favorites—great food, great weather, and a good vibe. But if you’re playing in Edmonton or Minnesota and get a trip to Florida or California in the middle of winter, that’s tough to beat. Those road swings were always a nice break, even if facing San Jose, LA, and Anaheim was a gauntlet back then.

That does it for another episode of Ask Dubey. Keep sending your questions with the hashtag AskDubey on any OilersNation social channel or drop them in the comments. Hockey or non-hockey, we’ll get to as many as we can.