Speculation: Are we too hard on our Oilers?

[Mcnofool6110]

Because I don't have anything positive to say about the Oilers right now, I'll just say this on the thread, as an almost-positive:

We shouldn't be this bad. There's talent on this team.

 

[LTIR]

I think the Oilers have been too hard on us.

Best post on this thread... Give us a break Oilers..The fanse deserve better

 

[OilerTyler]

We aren't hard enough on them. They have become complacent.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

When the only players on this team with any heart and effort are ones who weren't here before this year... well, no we aren't hard enough. I respect Arcobello, Perron, Belov, Ference and Gazdic. The rest can get traded away for parts for all I care.

 

[n7]

Hahahahaahahahaa.

No. Not even slightly.

 

[Replacement*]

I like Perron.

I still like Perron.

 

[shoop]

Too hard? Aboslutely not.

These are men paid huge amounts of money to play a game.

If anyone associated with the team has a problem with fans complaining about them on a fan message board that is too effing bad. No fans means no ticket revenue and no gazillion dollar tv deal. If you don't want to deal with fans then go ahead and play for free in the world's most highly skilled beer league. If you want to get paid then media and fan message boards are part of the deal.

They deserve to be treated with basic human decency in person. The kid who chirped Eakins when he was walking his daughter going to school went too far. Poor parenting. Kid will likely end up being a hooligan. Media can go too far at times, but nobody makes the players watch tv or read stuff online.

I would have to say I like MacT and Eakins so far.

MacT has taken some chances and done pretty well. Belov, while a little disappointing, would still have to be classified as a success. Perron and Gordon have been solid pickups. Garbagekov was a flyer that didn't work out. Cheap, so meh. A little snake-bitten with goalies. Sucks a Schneider deal didn't work out. Bryz, well we all knew he was a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd get a concussion.

Eakins has proven to be a bright guy. His swarm nonsense didn't work out, but he has adapted.

 

[Sheeshta]

Of course we're too hard on the players, but it's hard to boo a decade's worh of systematic mismanagement and nepotism and really easy to boo Sam Gagner, so there you go.

 

[Sheeshta]

The absolute biggest moral sports-crime committed my Katz and Lowe was to let an extremely talented group of extremely young players come together and form a team culture based through-and-through on losing hockey games. There's been no continuity of coaching, and the absolutely laughably bad collection of "vets" on the team–Horcoff, Smyth, Hemsky etc.–have never won a ******* thing either.

What persists, then, is a group of five or six immensely talented players who expect to lose. Perron isn't a better hockey player than Hall, it's just that he hasn't realized how utterly pointless competing is when the team is being managed by people who are now and have been for a decade completely unable with the exception of a trade for Chris Pronger to assemble a team with enough talent in enough areas to be competitive.

I used to blame guys for not busting their ass, but really, it's pointless, so I can understand why they don't bother.

 

[Starbuds]

.. and the absolutely laughably bad collection of "vets" on the team–Horcoff, Smyth, Hemsky etc.–have never won a ******* thing either.

 

[Gone]

I still like Perron.

How long before he demands a trade?

 

[Up the Irons]

we are too hard on the Oiler players. they are what they are. all the team's problems are a function of managerial failures and neglect. all anger should be directed at management.

they team is not good enough to compete at the NHL level. they are not going to improve enough by osmosis or time . bold deals must be made.

your serve, Mact.

 

[Up the Irons]

The absolute biggest moral sports-crime committed my Katz and Lowe was to let an extremely talented group of extremely young players come together and form a team culture based through-and-through on losing hockey games. There's been no continuity of coaching, and the absolutely laughably bad collection of "vets" on the team–Horcoff, Smyth, Hemsky etc.–have never won a ******* thing either.

What persists, then, is a group of five or six immensely talented players who expect to lose. Perron isn't a better hockey player than Hall, it's just that he hasn't realized how utterly pointless competing is when the team is being managed by people who are now and have been for a decade completely unable with the exception of a trade for Chris Pronger to assemble a team with enough talent in enough areas to be competitive.

I used to blame guys for not busting their ass, but really, it's pointless, so I can understand why they don't bother.

I agree. they look at management and say to themselves: 'they clearly aren't concerned with winning this season, why should I back check and bust my ass when they want to lose?'

 

[DarthP0ker]

What our small market city needs, is to have no hockey team for a couple years in order to appreciate that we have an NHL hockey team over alot of major desirable cities across the two countries. A city like Salt Lake, Houston, Hamilton, Quebec, these cities would salivate taking a team with 3 very young #1 overall picks, loaded with alot of young developing talent, poised to win chamionships years down the road.
Then after much petition and years of cultivation, we get a hockey team again, but this time, it's a so-so team with older players, that stay consistent at staying just out of the playoffs every year. In the meantime, the old Oilers team has now developed after years of exp. and of course support from their new market, and we see them win a Stanley Cup, maybe 2 or 3.
Then we can look back and say, wow, we had the Boss hockey team, and all we could do was boo them off the ice
True story

 

[Gord]

I'm pretty sure of the response, but I thought I'd create this thread to ask the question anyways.

As fans, are we being too hard on the team? I know we've been losers for the last 7 years or so, but maybe we should just lay off the nastiness and dismissive attitudes towards the players.

They still need to learn more systems, they are very young, and I think it is time to lay off the chopping down of some of these guys.

How about just for tonight, we look at all the positives instead of dwelling needlessley on the negatives and have a look at what we have in a positive fashion?

Is this too much to ask of the fans of this site? Am I dreaming in technicolor? Do I have copper and blue glasses that only I can see through, or is there a glimpse of hope that we, as Oiler fans, can somehow take the positives out of a gaame and maybe talk about that?

Flame away chumps.

we had a be positive thread earlier in the year.
Are we too hard to the Oilers? actually no.
Almost all of us are likely decent people who wouldn't be like the guy who told Eakins he sucked, right in front of his child. I respect them off the ice as people, but they have to do their jobs.

but overall, they are getting from us more than they deserve. the team in a complete failure from the owner on down.

plus the "they are very young" excuse has passed it's expiry date.

I'm supportive of players that accomplish something, show work ethic, or continue to show positive development in all 3 zones.

after all these years, there is little to be positive about and it is on management and the players. not on the fans. they're lucky the fans have stuck will them as strongly as they have.

 

[Gord]

What our small market city needs, is to have no hockey team for a couple years in order to appreciate that we have an NHL hockey team over alot of major desirable cities across the two countries. A city like Salt Lake, Houston, Hamilton, Quebec, these cities would salivate taking a team with 3 very young #1 overall picks, loaded with alot of young developing talent, poised to win chamionships years down the road.
Then after much petition and years of cultivation, we get a hockey team again, but this time, it's a so-so team with older players, that stay consistent at staying just out of the playoffs every year. In the meantime, the old Oilers team has now developed after years of exp. and of course support from their new market, and we see them win a Stanley Cup, maybe 2 or 3.
Then we can look back and say, wow, we had the Boss hockey team, and all we could do was boo them off the ice
True story

fans like you that make katz and lowe drool.
why put together a good team, when you'll bow at their feet for any bowl of crap they offer and you gladly give them all your money for it.

your only true comment was the part about "years down the road"

 

[thadd]

I do hold the kids accountable to an extent but management hasn't given them a helluva chance.

You can't have a team of 80 or even 70% smaller skilled players. The 80's are over.

That being said, we had enough team toughness back in the day to tire out the other team and keep our players safe.

There's nothing wrong with building your team like Detroit or Chicago, but you need to have guys who're naturally gritty.

Taylor Hall isn't Mark Messier.

Nail Yakupov isn't Glen Anderson.

Gazdic is a helluva fighter, but he's not going to play minutes like Mcsorley did.
Ference brings it physically on some nights, but if you're looking for him to be a punisher you have to have him playing 3rd pairing minutes IMO.

Ryan Smyth is too old to do his Craig Simpson impression in front of the net.

I'm pretty much OK with having Gordon and Lander playing 3rd and 4th line center.

Jones is a 3rd line winger 1/10 games, a 4th line winger 3/10 games and 6/10 times he doesn't belong in the NHL.

Joensuu is a 2nd liner 1/20 games, a 3rd liner 3/10 games and a 4th liner 6/10 games. We can't expect him to play big minutes. I'd be ok with him getting regular minutes on the PP with Yakupov playing the point and shooting often.

We either need 2 more Perrons or a nasty powerforward with 25/25 upside for our forwards to compete and boy do we ever need something new on the rear.

Still. It sucks to see the team have nights where nobody even tries.

 

[Captain Catatomic]

This thread is a trick question by the OP.

How many of our Oilers are really actually Oilers?

 

[Aerchon]

Overall, hell yes. We are way too hard on our team. The pressure we put on our team is over the top. Some of our booing is completely uncalled for. There were 2 games this year we booed our team off the ice that I thought was completely uncalled for. It doesn't help our team to know they are going to be publicly embarrassed by the fans as well as their opponents.

On the HF boards. No. This is our place to ***** and moan and complain about player X or preach how great player Y is.

There have been times where we didn't boo when we should of have and others where we did boo and they deserved it. But generally speaking we need to be a little less vocal in our displeasure.

 

[Blue And Orange]

Kevin Lowe must be eradicated!!!!

He destroyed the team!!!!

I hate you Kevin Lowe!

 

[McTedi]

I do hold the kids accountable to an extent but management hasn't given them a helluva chance.

You can't have a team of 80 or even 70% smaller skilled players. The 80's are over.

That being said, we had enough team toughness back in the day to tire out the other team and keep our players safe.

There's nothing wrong with building your team like Detroit or Chicago, but you need to have guys who're naturally gritty.

Taylor Hall isn't Mark Messier.

Nail Yakupov isn't Glen Anderson.

Gazdic is a helluva fighter, but he's not going to play minutes like Mcsorley did.
Ference brings it physically on some nights, but if you're looking for him to be a punisher you have to have him playing 3rd pairing minutes IMO.

Ryan Smyth is too old to do his Craig Simpson impression in front of the net.

I'm pretty much OK with having Gordon and Lander playing 3rd and 4th line center.

Jones is a 3rd line winger 1/10 games, a 4th line winger 3/10 games and 6/10 times he doesn't belong in the NHL.

Joensuu is a 2nd liner 1/20 games, a 3rd liner 3/10 games and a 4th liner 6/10 games. We can't expect him to play big minutes. I'd be ok with him getting regular minutes on the PP with Yakupov playing the point and shooting often.

We either need 2 more Perrons or a nasty powerforward with 25/25 upside for our forwards to compete and boy do we ever need something new on the rear.

Still. It sucks to see the team have nights where nobody even tries.

Did your class just start a new unit on fractions?

 

[Gone]

Kevin Lowe must be eradicated!!!!

He destroyed the team!!!!

I hate you Kevin Lowe!

I've been on that bandwagon for seven years. More people MUST stop going to games, buying merchandise etc. for this to happen. Otherwise, we are going to be stuck with this marshmallow rebuild for the next 20 years!

 

[Up the Irons]

Overall, hell yes. We are way too hard on our team. The pressure we put on our team is over the top. Some of our booing is completely uncalled for. There were 2 games this year we booed our team off the ice that I thought was completely uncalled for. It doesn't help our team to know they are going to be publicly embarrassed by the fans as well as their opponents.

On the HF boards. No. This is our place to ***** and moan and complain about player X or preach how great player Y is.

There have been times where we didn't boo when we should of have and others where we did boo and they deserved it. But generally speaking we need to be a little less vocal in our displeasure.

concur. hopefully, the players can deduce that the boos are more a reflection of dissatisfaction with Oilers' management than at them, though, i don't think they do. there is no question that the pressure to be better is too heavy for these guys. they simply can't compete with the top half of the league.

how long can you wait, mact?

 

[sepHF]

The team has been horrible this year, like beyond imagination but I agree the fans are being too harsh at home. I agree with Aerchon, there's been a couple games where they've been booed off the ice after putting in a solid effort and just falling short. I also hate them booing the PP so much... It doesn't help.... at all. It just makes things worse, makes the players hate playing here, makes them cough up the puck more because they're nervous, makes then force plays they wouldn't make normally because some drunk slob is screaming SHOOT over the glass.

I wonder why no one wants to play here?

 

[Slicknitty]

Kevin Lowe must be eradicated!!!!

He destroyed the team!!!!

I hate you Kevin Lowe!

is it okay if i listened to that in my brain with a british accent?

even brits hate kevin lowe.