To Oilers Fans Everywhere:
We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasn’t happened, and it hurts. It’s frustrating – for all of us. For our fans, for our players and staff, and for everyone in our community who shares a common bond around a game, a team and a city that we love.
I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs. I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesn’t make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course.
Yes, we hoped and expected to be better this year – there’s no question about that. But we’ve also been more active than any team I can think of in rebuilding our organization from bottom to top by supporting player development in OKC and Bakersfield, revamping our scouting organization, naming a new GM and a new coach, signing free agents like Justin Schultz, Boyd Gordon, Andrew Ference, Anton Belov and Ilya Bryzgalov, and trading for players like David Perron, and now Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks. And we’re not done.
But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term. Those days are over and they’re not coming back. If we’re going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once.
I hear a lot from fans about accountability, so let’s be clear. We are all accountable. That includes me, Kevin, Craig, Dallas, every player who wears our jersey, and every member of our staff. I know Kevin is the target of a lot of personal attacks right now, and that’s really unfortunate. Kevin is a big part of our organization, and it’s not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective. He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavish’s team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup — year in and year out for years to come.
That’s our vision. We are committed to it — and we’re confident that we are on the right track.
Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive. At the same time, we know there’s a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place.
I’ll tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when we’re back on top. We hope you’ll do the same.
We value our fans, we hear you, and we appreciate your support.
Daryl Katz
Monday, January 20, 2014
NHL Three Stars Of Week
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick and Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 19.
FIRST STAR – MARTIN ST. LOUIS, RW, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
St. Louis paced all skaters with five goals and eight points, highlighted by a four-goal performance Jan. 18 versus the San Jose Sharks, to help the Lightning (29-16-5, 63 points) maintain second place in the Atlantic Division. He began the week with one point in each of his first three games: an assist in a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Jan. 13, an assist in a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers Jan. 14 and a goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Islanders Jan. 16. St. Louis then became the second player in Lightning history – and first since the team’s first regular-season game Oct. 17, 1992 (Chris Kontos) – to score four goals in a game in a 5-4 loss to the Sharks Jan. 18. He also matched his own club record by tallying three goals in one period, last accomplished Jan. 15, 2004. St. Louis then closed the week by collecting one assist in a
5-3 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes Jan. 19. The 38-year-old Laval, Que., native leads the Lightning and ranks seventh in the NHL with 25-25—50 in 50 games this season, including 8-4—12 during an eight-game point streak, the longest active streak in the League.
SECOND STAR – JONATHAN QUICK, G, LOS ANGELES KINGS
Quick posted a 2-0-1 record with a 0.97 goals-against average, .967 save percentage and one shutout to backstop the Kings (29-14-6, 64 points) to five out of a possible six points. He made 28 saves in a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Jan. 13 to earn his second shutout of the season and the 27th of his NHL career, five shy of Rogie Vachon for the club record. Quick followed that up with another 28-save performance in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues Jan. 16. He closed the week by making 33 saves, plus another two in the shootout, in a 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Jan. 18. The 27-year-old Milford, Conn., native has compiled a 14-6-2 record with a 2.05 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 23 appearances this season, including a 4-1-2 mark with a 1.40 goals-against average and .946 save percentage since being activated from the injured reserve list Jan. 4.
THIRD STAR – COREY CRAWFORD, G, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Crawford went 2-0-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .916 save percentage to help the Blackhawks (32-8-11, 75 points) remain in first place in the Central Division. He recorded 23 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche Jan. 14. Crawford then made 19 saves in a 4-2 victory over the League-leading Anaheim Ducks Jan. 17. He capped the week by turning aside 34 shots, plus another two in the shootout, in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins Jan. 19 in the teams’ first meeting since the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. The 29-year-old Montreal native has played in 34 games this season, posting a 19-7-7 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
Richard Sherman Comes Clean
Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman is the talk of the sports world today after his emotional rant with FOX's Erin Andrews at the end of the NFC Championship. A calmer Sherman spoke with CNNSI's Peter King and comes clean on what happened yesterday. You can read that interview right here
Coach C Up For Coach Of The Year
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are pleased to announce that Corey Chamblin has been selected as one of three finalists for the 2013 CFL Coach of the Year award. Kent Austin of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary’s John Hufnagel have also been nominated for the Annis Stukus award.
In his second season as head coach of the Green and White, Chamblin led the Riders to an 11-7 regular season record, securing the team a home playoff date for the first time since 2010. The Riders went on to win the 101st Grey Cup 45-23 on home turf – registering the franchises fourth title.
In the league’s history there have only been five Roughrider coaches win the trophy as Coach of the Year.
The top head coach of the 2013 season will be honoured during the 53rd CFL Coach of the Year Luncheon. This year’s luncheon will take place on Wednesday, February 5 at 12:15 ET at the Delta Ottawa City Centre Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Something To "Mitch" About
Love him or hate him, Richard Sherman is going to the Super Bowl and he is taking his NFC champion Seattle Seahawks with him after a nail-biting win over the San Francisco 49ers which obviously makes this blogger very, very happy.
Sherman is taking a lot of heat for his in the moment post-game interview with FOX's Erin Andrews where he exploded and went on a rant that will go down forever, but the bottom line is like him or not, he gets the job done. He is the NFL's Dwight Anderson ladies and gentlemen.
Speaking of which, did the scene at CenturyLink field not resemble a certain November night at Mosaic. It sure did to me with the fans cheering their heads off to make it nearly impossible for Colin Kaeperpick to hear and for them to stick around to see the trophy presentation (albeit not THE trophy presentation) and then celebrate with the players who ran around the field to share it. Was throwing Skittles at Niners linebacker Navorro Bowman the right thing to do...absolutely not. At least, it wasn't full beer cans.
Thoughts on the game and on the AFC Championship
--I will be the first to admit the fumble Bowman recovered when he suffered that gruesome leg injury was a horrible mistake for the officials to make and it was good to see the game didn't change on that possession as Seattle was stuffed on 4th down. This of course made my heartrate elevate just a little until Sherman's tip into the hands of teammate Malcolm Smith, but the wrong call was made and it would have cheapened the victory somewhat
--Say what you will about Sherman, but Crabtree is just as big a yapper if not more
--It seemed for a while the ball was not going to bounce Seattle's way, but you earn your bounces and Seattle's D did that in the 2nd half.
--I thought New England would be able to run the ball on Denver and kill valuable time. It was Denver who successfully ran the ball and killed valuable time.
--If you put Brady on Denver with receivers and Manning on New England without, what would the verdict be. How Brady got this far with the talent he had is beyond me.
--Seattle's o-line needs to improve tenfold before the Super Bowl. Aldon Smith just ate Russell Okung alive. Then again, does Denver have an Aldon Smith like player since Von Miller is done for the year.
--FOX's decibel meter had to be broken. There is NO way the decibel level at C-Link got to 110 in a winner goes to the Super Bowl game when it got to nearly 137 for a Monday nighter. That place had to explode on the Lynch TD, the Kearse TD and the Smith INT to end it.
Vanstone's Broncos against my Seahawks in two weeks.......CAN'T WAIT!!
Alright, the other big story of the weekend.
The hockey world is buzzing and they should be after the antics of Saturday night’s game between the Flames and the Canucks. Both teams brought their “Charleston Chiefs” mentality to Rogers Arena as a line brawl erupted as soon as the puck was dropped. What a wonderful thing to happen on “Hockey Day in Canada”! I am not one who thinks fighting should be abolished in the NHL, but the staged fight is something we don’t need and while John Tortorella takes all the heat (which he should), the blame must fall on Flames coach Bob Hartley as far as I’m concerned. He was the instigator.
Hartley knew exactly what he was doing when he put his “enforcer” line out to start the game. "Those guys are playing well for us," he said. "They got a goal last game. We're not scoring many goals. We had zero intentions there.” What a crock of crap! Watch the video and you will see HNIC announcers Rick Ball and Kelly Hrudey knew what was about to happen.
Hartley lit the match for the explosives to go off and while Tortorella is way off base for what he did and should be suspended for a while, Hartley should also get out his chequebook and give way to his assistants for a while because he should also be reprimanded heavily by the NHL.
As bad (or entertaining) as the incident was, the performance by PJ Stock was just embarassing. I’ve never been a fan of the HNIC analyst, but he went right off the rails talking about what happened. As someone tweeted Saturday night after his meltdown, “PJ Stock is the dumbest analyst in the history of analysts and TSN used to use a monkey.” That may be stretching it just a little. I just hope the suits at Rogers realize Stock should not be a part of HNIC once they get control of it. Then again, that could mean Nick Kypreos and is that much better. YEESH!!!
Who does ESPN baseball writer Peter Gammons think he is when he calls the NHL a "minor sport" on his Twitter account. I'm a baseball fan Mr. Gammons, but do you want to start comparing the two sports and the problems they have. I think its safe to say Gammons got a lot of opinions from Canadians on his Twitter feed.
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A great will leave the sports world later this week when Anthony Calvillo calls it quits. The debate is already on so lets pick it up and that debate is where does Calvillo rank when it comes to CFL quarterbacks. He is definitely top 10, but where do you put him. I would put him 5th behind Moon, Flutie, Damon Allen and Ronnie. I might even have Calvillo ahead of Ronnie when you look at the post-season success he had. It’s a shame to see A-C call it a career because of an injury because he didn’t get to go out on his terms, but certainly he will get his day in Montreal and we will see him in the CFL Hall of Fame sooner than later. He has been a true professional in every sense of the word and I do salute him for the long and glorious career he had.
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OMAHA!!! OMAHA!!!!
A lot of people are wondering what the Riders do if Weston Dressler and/or Kory Sheets finds NFL employment. I say its too early to even know the answer to that. What you see now is not what you will see when training camp starts. Some have suggested Geroy Simon’s time in Riderville will continue if Dressler doesn’t come back. Again, it is wayyyyyyy too early to start thinking about that. Lets let the cards be played before we start wondering how the hand will turn out. We have free agency, a draft, and a lot of organizational decisions to be made before we start putting things together.
The Ottawa REDBLACKS must have been salivating upon hearing it looks like Craig Butler will go to free agency and see how everything plays out. The REDBLACKS, and every other CFL team, would love to have someone of Butler’s ilk wearing their uniform. Ottawa may have the most money to throw at Butler. I hope he stays in green, but his statements make me wonder if the Riders will cough up enough money for that to happen. I know they won’t overspend for him. I also know Sam Hurl is likely ready to step into the starting lineup should it come to that.
This baseball fan is not pleased with the fact instant replay is coming to the sport. How long will these replays take and how much longer will that make a game that can sometime go three and a half or four hours if not longer. I am all for getting the call right, but at what price. Baseball needs to do something to speed up the play whether it be telling pitchers to stop fidgeting on the mound or batters to stay in the batters box. This could end up being more harm than good.
I’m wayyyy late on this, but I saw the 60 minutes documentary on Alex Rodriguez. I’ve lost any respect I had for A-Rod. If he doesn’t come back, I have no problem with it. What disturbed me the most was the guy who was administering this stuff to A-Rod. What a sleazebag! Is A-Rod not smart enough to see you couldn’t trust this guy. WOW!!!!
I hope for the sake of the Regina Pats that when they make the playoffs, SHAW TV does not decide to do their first round playoff series. If they do, it might be four and out for the home side. Why doesn’t this team play well when the cameras are on? With the exception of an Access game where they played perhaps their best game of the year against Kelowna, they have not looked good when the bright lights of TV have shined on them. I can’t even begin to offer an explanation.
All this talk about Aaron Hernandez on Sunday and the fact the former New England tight end who sits in a jail cell because he murdered someone hasn’t seen a play of his team on TV nor will he this year even if they win the Super Bowl. WHO CARES!!!! Does Aaron Hernandez deserve to watch football or any TV after what he did. NO! End of story!
Curling in Vegas. Jennifer Jones says rinks were bag-piped through casinos to wherever they were playing. That must have the old cronies playing the slot machines wondering what was going on.
Have a great week!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
This And That
So this is how you felt before the Western final is it Rider
Nation? Covering our football team on a daily basis and writing articles for
them means I can’t wave the flag the way I want, but that isn’t the case when
it comes to the NFL. You know I’m a strong Seahawks fan and they are one win
away from going to the Super Bowl. Much like the Riders, the only thing
standing in their way is their chief rival, but its not the Calgary Stampeders,
it’s the San Francisco 49ers. It’s the two best teams going mano a mano at
CenturyLink field in what I’m sure will be a ring a ding dong dandy. Yes, I am pumped for this one as you were for the Western final. I can't wait!!
I have no fear going into this one---just confidence. Can
San Francisco beat Seattle? They absolutely can, but I prefer to think of the
Seahawks advancing to their 2nd ever Super Bowl against either the
Denver Broncos (two weeks of smacktalk at Vanstone) or the New England
Patriots. I’m on record saying it will be the Hawks and the Patriots for all
the marbles. I don’t care if it’s the Hawks and Denver, just as long as Seattle
as in and the NFL does not award Bill Leavy with the task of refereeing the big
game. Who's kidding who---the first one to 17 wins this one and I may be high on that point figure. Oh yeah, it won't be Leavy, but Terry McAulay doing the game.
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Reginans are being asked to “Pack the Dome” tonight when the
Pats take on the Kootenay Ice in WHL action. It’s a game that will be shown
across the country on Rogers Sportsnet. Everyone in Canada knows Regina is a
football town, but can we show them we are a hockey town too? I know there are
a lot of ill feelings out there about the Pats, but it seems that ill will is
changing day by day by day. The gameday experience may not be what it is at
other rinks because there is no scoreclock at center ice, but Cliff Mapes and
company have done a tremendous job of trying to get people in the rink and
Malcolm Cameron has his team firing as they try to catch Swift Current for first
in the East. I would like to hope a crowd of 5000 can be attained tonight, but
I honestly don’t know if it will happen. Its up to you Regina. It is one night
and it’s a night to show you still have some love for your junior hockey
franchise. Make the effort!
--
I won’t be at the Brandt Centre tonight. That’s because I
have other duties to do as I will be at the scorers table getting ready for
another weekend of Cougars basketball. The womens team just keeps marching
along to what hopefully will be another berth at the nationals while the mens
team continues to grow under new head coach Steve Burrows. The Cougars have had
some close losses this year and perhaps their record should see a few more wins
on it, but inexperience has played a role.
Bottom line is both teams are providing an entertaining product and they
deserve a share of your entertainment dollar as well. Check them out if you get
a chance this weekend.
--
I won’t lie to you. I was thrilled to be asked to be a part
of the High Impact Wrestling TV program. If you know me, you know I have been
addicted to what goes on in the square circle since the days of Stampede
Wrestling. I watch WWE regularly and call it my “rope opera”. Its going to be a
lot of fun jawing at the wrestlers and calling the action with Pete Paczko. I don’t think I’ll have that Jesse Ventura
wardrobe, but I may have to see if I can borrow a bow-tie or two from Global’s
Kent Morrison. I will miss the first tapings since the wrasslers are doing
their thing at the same time of the Cougars, but I will be ready for the
February card.
--
Mark me down as one that likes the Oilers goalie swap. I was
never a fan of Devan Dubnyk and I think Ben Scrivens can be a number one guy.
He is an unrestricted free agent though so I hope the Oilers can lock him up
and do it rather quickly. That’s the only thing that surprised me is I thought
a sign and swap would have happened. I will admit I don’t know a lot about Matt
Hendricks, but it sounds like he will be a 4th line grinder.
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Was there any need for the Chicago Cubs to get a mascot?
--
The LP’s Rob Vanstone was right when he suggested this week
CFL players deserve more money. With a huge TV deal in the league’s backpocket
it is time the players were rewarded. Perhaps a few more $$$$ will keep some
players from wanting to pursue an NFL career. That dream is there for many
players, but if a starters wage goes up significantly, some might just want to
keep playing instead of earning a practice roster salary where they don’t get
to do their thing.
--
Curtis Hunt mused on Wednesday’s Sportscage that with the
Riders, Thunder and Red Sox success over the past few years that we should
start calling ourselves “The City of Champions”. Why not? The place that
currently has that moniker really can’t lay claim to it anymore can they?
--
Bombers CEO Wade Miller says he had the idea of having
people get married at Investors Group Field. Hey Wade, this just in. It’s been done at Mosaic Stadium. How about
you think of something original and quit trying to copy what the Riders do. It
really is laughable. Then again, it is Winnipeg!
--
Speaking of Winnipeg, I don’t know about you, but I would
take advantage of the new Regina-Winnipeg route on Westjet to watch the Jets
play. Fly in on Saturday morning, go to the game and fly out Sunday morning.
Would it be cheaper than driving with the gas? Hmmmmmmmmm!!! I wonder how many
Rider fans might take advantage of that when the Banjo Bowl comes around.
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Regina was declared as one of the happiest places in Canada
this week. The people behind this decision obviously was not trying to navigate
around east Regina during Christmas. It begs the question “Why are we so
happy?” Was this survey taken after the Western final?
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Have a great weekend!! GO SEAHAWKS!
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Have a great weekend!! GO SEAHAWKS!
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