Saturday’s 5-0 drubbing by the Calgary Flames was one of the Oilers worst efforts of the past decade, and that’s saying something considering the Oilers have lost 487 times since the Decade of Darkness (DOD) began.

The Oilers have 297 wins since the opening of the 2006/2007 season. You have watched an average of almost 20 more losses than wins every year for the past decade (OT/SO losses are still losses in my eyes).

It’s been painful, but the last Saturday night home game at Rexall Place was awful because of the opponent and the timing. The Oilers had been resting for five days, while the Flames were playing their third game in four nights, yet the Flames dominated the game.

Some will argue you can’t make accurate evaluations from one game, but I challenge anyone to tell me Saturday’s loss wasn’t a perfect outline of the past decade: Not enough desire. Not enough pride. Not enough competitiveness from the players.

Todd McLellan was understandably frustrated after the game.

“I don’t know if there is a number big enough to describe how disappointing that effort was. We have been together for 200 days, and we’ve talked a lot about competing, working hard, holding your hand and showing up and we get that. That is the exact crap we are trying to eradicate from this group.”

He was just getting started.

“You work hard, and you climb and you climb and you climb and you at least get some foundation, and then you give it all back in one night. We were out shot, out hit, outscored, out faceoffed, out powerplayed, out penalty killed, our shift length was terrible. They played their fourth game in six nights and we are going to go for 55 second shifts.

“We turned the puck over one minute and ten into a shift, and then cheated on a change. We had a centre change for a centre who happened to be two zones away. I don’t know how that can happen. So, I guess when you sum it all up like that it is really disappointing, isn’t it? That is the exact attitude and bullshit we are trying to eliminate here, and we see it after 200 days. Disappointing.

“The good news is we know where to go in practice. We have to establish a work ethic,” seethed McLellan.

The Oilers had today off, a scheduled NHLPA off day, although McLellan got in a good barb about that as well: “I guess they get back-to-back days off.

The Oilers played like they had nothing to play for, so McLellan will remind them at practice tomorrow you should always play with pride and, at the very least, give a good effort.

“The effort — that’s freaking embarrassing,” said Mclellan as he ended his short but poignant post-game presser.

We all know the Oilers blueline is not good enough to make the playoffs, and while the D corps has been an issue throughout the DOD, blaming them for the lack of effort on too many nights is a cop out for the forwards.

A lack of effort has stunk up the dressing room for years, and until the players in the room realize they are not working hard enough, they will never be competitive, regardless of which defenders Peter Chiarelli adds this summer.

One trade will not fix this team. Two trades won’t cure them. You can’t blame one or two players. This is an organizational problem.

This is a deep-rooted issue that will only be cured by a total team commitment from the players. They need to challenge themselves and each other. They need to stop waiting for someone else to lead them into the light.

Connor McDavid is not a wizard. He can’t instill a heart in his teammates. He is an incredible player, and he will be the leader in the future, but good teams have more than one leader, and their followers work just as hard as the leaders.

The next two games won’t solve anything, even if they play well. This is about much more than a few games. It is about a commitment to improving, and too many players have walked into the Oilers dressing room during the past decade and accepted losing. They have not demanded consistency from themselves or their teammates, and it is the main reason they have become the laughing stock of the National Hockey League.

They have won a paltry 159 of the 456 games they have played the past seven years. They’ve won 34.8% of the games while finishing 30th, 30th, 29th, 24th, 28th, 28th and most likely 29th or 30th this year.

There has been no improvement in seven seasons.

Chiarelli will make some trades, but he also needs to cull his management and scouting staff. Serious change needs to happen throughout the organization. Their evaluation of NHL defenceman has been undeniably atrocious, and retaining those who made those decisions will only lead to further disappointment.

The stench of losing has overtaken the once-hallowed halls of Northlands Coliseum. There is no easy fix, and unless the players change their attitude, it won’t be fixed by simply moving to a brand new arena next fall.

Thirty six years ago Roberto Duran uttered the infamous words “No Mas” during the eighth round of his title fight versus Sugar Ray Leonard. He retired immediately after the bout, only to return a few years later, but he was never the same.

Giving up has become commonplace for the Oilers. It must change. Being competitive for the month of March is not enough to prove they’ve learned how to be competitive regularly.

The players who return next fall have must say No Mas (no more) to their losing ways. They are the ones who must change their habits, not the few new faces who will be acquired this summer.