Do the Oilers have it too easy with the Local Media?

[McDrai]

Every year since 2007 has been year 1 of the rebuild. This summer is again... year 1. Next year will be year 1 of that rebuild and so on and so on.

Lol pretty much this. It seems like every press conference involves "we are just a couple years I ton he rebuild" and "fans need to be patient". Not to mention "visually, the team has improved"

 

[oobga]

Lol pretty much this. It seems like every press conference involves "we are just a couple years I ton he rebuild" and "fans need to be patient". Not to mention "visually, the team has improved"

I like when Oilers management accidentally gets specific about timelines.

April 15, 2013 - Kevin Lowe: "You know we chased the dream a few year for our fanbase. Like a lot of teams do. And then at some point in that time frame we realized that’s a bad plan and we made a change. We’re finishing year three of that plan. Now you say to me you’re getting impatient after three years?â€


Wonder what he would say today. "We're finishing year five of that plan. Now you say to me you're getting impatient after five years?"

Pretty clear next year will be another non-playoff year, so there is year 6 of the plan. Then year 7 we can break the playoff drought record! Woohoo!

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I like when Oilers management accidentally gets specific about timelines.

April 15, 2013 - Kevin Lowe: "You know we chased the dream a few year for our fanbase. Like a lot of teams do. And then at some point in that time frame we realized that’s a bad plan and we made a change. We’re finishing year three of that plan. Now you say to me you’re getting impatient after three years?â€


Wonder what he would say today. "We're finishing year five of that plan. Now you say to me you're getting impatient after five years?"

Pretty clear next year will be another non-playoff year, so there is year 6 of the plan. Then year 7 we can break the playoff drought record! Woohoo!

Most teams don't think trying to win is a bad plan in general.

 

[MoLarr]

A few months ago, I tweeted to Stauffer how disappointing he is now....going back to his first TelePrompTer interview with Katz.

He followed me back, DM'd me "you think you got it all figured out eh (my name)? Good luck" .....and immediately unfollowed.

It's funny that for all the dismissive jibes he takes at twitter tough guys and fans who chirp players, he does that garbage.

I think we all agree Edmonton is a hockey town to the level NY is a Yankee town or BOS is a Red Sox place. In those markets even the broadcast rights holder has at least one guy/show that outs the team on blast. But in a realistic manner; they don't dump, they point out errors and provide possible solutions....


Jeez, look at the Philly media rail about what the Eagles are doing....and they will have a chance at the playoffs again...

 

[oilinblood]

Ryan Rishaug.

I have nothing but bad things to say about this guy.

One of the most disturbing media guys in this town along with Bob "Stuffer" and Gene "Pun" Principe.

Rishaug is a joke. The way he handled the Larionov/Yakupov situation made me sick. He gave Yak harder questions than MacT or Lowe will ever see. It really upset me to see him treat a player like that. Unbelievable.

To be honest, I can't think of any other specific things he's done besides his recent "impatient fans" quote but good god I dislike the guy

Wasnt he the one that asked taylor hall if he is palying to get the coach fired or something like that and hall answered thats a stupid question.

I think it was rishaug. And yes...i am not a lover of any individual oilers and i think they should be asked tough questions but the yakupov interview was rediculous when he had an elementary grasp of the language etc.
I dont think our media is very intelligent to be honest. For the oilers network...ched...its different. You need to realize, and should be obvious, that the site will cater to the oilers. My problem is with outside media that dont owe anything to the oilers, arent asking tough questions. But when you easily get no comments or cliche answers maybe the effort stops.

 

[McArthur]

I'm not sure what being ignorant would prove. Example "conferences that Katz attends for a reporter to grill him about the Oilers and the frustration level of the fans." Does the reporter know anything about owning a NHL club? Being a NHL GM? If Craig Button, Doug MacLean, or Mike Milbury knew better than MacTavish, they would have his job. Katz paid for a club that has almost moved in the past, and has gone even further by investing in the city. What does he need to prove or explain to any fan. If you don't like it, cheer for another team. When this thing turns around, don't come back. Media could learn from our guys like Gene Principe, who reports the positives, and doesn't pretend to know how to fix the negatives. And i'm going to go on a limb when I say Gene Principe knows the inner workings better than anyone on here.

A reporter probably knows very little about owning a club or being a GM but he/she should know a lot about being a journalist. Don't you agree? And in that job you should do research and based on that research ask questions about whatever subject your supposed to report on. Journalism today has become more about presenting your own ideas and less about reporting and asking questions but the latter is what the job is actually about. Not acting like a know it all and not being a cheerleader.

Katz has done a lot of good things as far as investing in the team and putting a longterm financial plan in place but his hockey hirings are what is and should be questioned.

The "what does he/she know about this and that to be asking question" is such a high horses kind of a attitude. If things aren't working you have every reason to ask why the hell not and question the strategies behind it.
You have to question an owner who puts a guy in charge of hockey operations who fails to deliver results year in year out. You have to question a president who hires his buddy as GM without interviewing other candidates if the results are bad. You have to question a GM who hires a disaster of a head coach and fails to add the right players when the results are continously bad.
Yes we don't have any inside knowledge but we do know the results are bad to terrible and we do know that there are decisions made that looks really odd from an outside perspective. The reporters job is to get info on the thought process behind those decisions and to question the men making the calls.
There are ofcourse things that MacT et al can't tell us for different reasons but the questions still need to be asked. I actually think MacT has gotten better at making himself available for questioning as the season has passed, I don't understand his thinking all the time but I applaude him for at least trying to explain the thinking that went into his decisions and I actually agree on some of it.

I really enjoyed the objectivity of your response. And I wish the answers we seek would satisfy disappointment over the last decade. We all want accountability when we aren't the ones being held accountable. Example see poster below....

3)

What does he need to prove or explain to any fan. If you don't like it, cheer for another team.

This is classic, you are expected to unquestioningly support a for profit sports team no matter what. If the Edmonton fans did what you suggest and lord knows i wish they did the failings of the team would be blamed on the fans for not supporting their team.

Just a real Oileresque type of post, arrogant, entitled, avoiding all fault, maintaining the people in charge are the best and the brightest. If you don't already work for the Oilers you should, you would fit in perfectly.

12,500 something posts that look like this ^^^. willing to say what ever he/she wants with no repercussion. like some of those who stand in the bar and wait for players to come off the ice after a hard loss. Or the ones that throw their jersey on the ice. I even saw a guy piss on the coliseum after Dallas eliminated us in the second round 1998. I'm honored that you would call my response "Oileresque." It's the same attitude I had from 1991-1997 and early 2000's. And then we (the Oileresque) started to win again, and had to deal with people like you that call yourselves fans.

"If the Edmonton fans did what you suggest and lord knows i wish they did the failings of the team would be blamed on the fans for not supporting their team."?

I'm saying stand behind them through thick and thin. Be a fan. not an armchair/beer and peanuts GM. Find something to take out a game win, lose, or draw. Because the negativity changes nothing. Lowe asked for a sabbatical, Katz said no. Katz is going nowhere and we should thank him for that. like it, lump it, or go away. I will take a losing team over no team at all. And they aren't going to lose forever. Even Milbury couldn't screw up with this many futures in the system.

2)He (katz) has invested Jack squat compared to the over the top sweet heart deal the city has invested in by essentially building a rink and then handing it over to Katz.

Katz does nothing for the city of Edmonton?

http://www.bnn.ca/News/2014/8/29/Downtown-Edmontons-26-billion-gamble.aspx

Detroits new arena is paid for by the city... And that's a city that is falling apart. The Lemieux investor group put up less then 10% than Katz on Pittsburgh's consul energy centre.

This is one of the most idiotic posts of all time on these forums that says a lot.

Being a NHL GM? If Craig Button, Doug MacLean, or Mike Milbury knew better than MacTavish, they would have his job.

just a head shaking, mind numbingly foolish comment.

Button, MacLean, and Milbury were all fired from GM positions. MacTavish still has a job. The defense still has holes, and the farm is full of defense.

But thank you for calling me an idiot for claiming to be nothing more than a fan.

 

[oobga]

A few months ago, I tweeted to Stauffer how disappointing he is now....going back to his first TelePrompTer interview with Katz.

He followed me back, DM'd me "you think you got it all figured out eh (my name)? Good luck" .....and immediately unfollowed.

It's funny that for all the dismissive jibes he takes at twitter tough guys and fans who chirp players, he does that garbage.

I think we all agree Edmonton is a hockey town to the level NY is a Yankee town or BOS is a Red Sox place. In those markets even the broadcast rights holder has at least one guy/show that outs the team on blast. But in a realistic manner; they don't dump, they point out errors and provide possible solutions....


Jeez, look at the Philly media rail about what the Eagles are doing....and they will have a chance at the playoffs again...

It's hard to change things after you've sold out for the nice paying cushy job. Stauffer has a lot to lose now by saying what he really thinks. Can't really blame him I guess, a guy has gotta eat and it's not like he's hurting anyone in the grand scheme. It's just hockey, he's not trying to convince us that smoking doesn't harm you or no one needs immunizations anymore or something Just a typical guy trading his integrity for money and not really hurting anyone. We all know he's just an Oilers puppet now.

 

[Up the Irons]

Agreed. These arrogant ****** thought that progress was inevitable with so many high picks so they'd just ride it out to glory. Well, looks like you need competent management too. As a result the Oilers have had an unprecedented amount of failure. These ****ing pieces of **** are holding the fan base hostage. Give us someone who knows what they're doing.

Bang on, brother. that's exactly what they thought. they thought it was going to be easy. I think they still do. Just 1. tank, 2. pick high. 3. wait for it all to happen.

Katz has done a lot of good things as far as investing in the team and putting a longterm financial plan in place but his hockey hirings are what is and should be questioned.

You have to question an owner who puts a guy in charge of hockey operations who fails to deliver results year in year out. You have to question a president who hires his buddy as GM without interviewing other candidates if the results are bad. You have to question a GM who hires a disaster of a head coach and fails to add the right players when the results are continously bad.
Yes we don't have any inside knowledge but we do know the results are bad to terrible and we do know that there are decisions made that looks really odd from an outside perspective. The reporters job is to get info on the thought process behind those decisions and to question the men making the calls.

great post!! And you could add: you have to question an organization that is all alone on an island in never making changes to management after a decade of futility.

What is going on here in Edmonton, right now, is unprecedented (as far as I can recall) in the NHL. Have we ever seen management fail for this long and remain on the job before? And really, its never really seen anywhere in the corporate world. When management fails for this long, there are changes in management. You have to question why Katz is so off the wall on this one.

 

[McArthur]

Bang on, brother. that's exactly what they thought. they thought it was going to be easy. I think they still do. Just 1. tank, 2. pick high. 3. wait for it all to happen.




great post!! And you could add: you have to question an organization that is all alone on an island in never making changes to management after a decade of futility.

What is going on here in Edmonton, right now, is unprecedented (as far as I can recall) in the NHL. Have we ever seen management fail for this long and remain on the job before? And really, its never really seen anywhere in the corporate world. When management fails for this long, there are changes in management. You have to question why Katz is so off the wall on this one.

I think its pretty good on management for never bringing up the fact that good free agents don't choose to play in Edmonton for less money. our only recipe for success is going to be drafting and development. that said, I don't understand why we are trading those developed players. by looking at the numbers, its not a far cry to say we have a problem. they had built up a decent prospect pool pre-lockout 2004. and 2005/06 could be the product of having a team that didn't suffer because of the cap. they traded a few picks to make it happen. but to me, something happened shortly after, that created this stigma with the club. making it the last place players want to go. If media could do this team/city any justice, it would be finding out why. but going forward, the more success this team has, the more players will want to play here. look at Perron, is he going to get more money on the open market with 50points while carrying the oilers second line, or 70 points tapping in rebounds on Crosby's wing. Players are paid based upon a certain success rate, and in Edmonton there is none. and won't be any until draft picks can finally carry the load. Because we have the team the Gretzky was traded from. Messier too. Traded Doug Weight, Ryan Smyth... This team will have to be built through the draft, whether we like it or not. It just hasn't happened yet. If someone has a magic recipe to change that... it would be useful info. but Lowe threw a ton of cash around to get guys to come here, and even Michael Nylander played us like fools. If money isn't going to talk... We need a different solution, and something tells me they aren't turning down extra's of millions because they don't like Kevin Lowe or Craig MacTavish. And Daryl Katz is the guy spending billions to make Edmonton a better place. so please, be nice.

 

[Halibut]

I think its pretty good on management for never bringing up the fact that good free agents don't choose to play in Edmonton for less money. our only recipe for success is going to be drafting and development. that said, I don't understand why we are trading those developed players. by looking at the numbers, its not a far cry to say we have a problem. they had built up a decent prospect pool pre-lockout 2004. and 2005/06 could be the product of having a team that didn't suffer because of the cap. they traded a few picks to make it happen. but to me, something happened shortly after, that created this stigma with the club. making it the last place players want to go. If media could do this team/city any justice, it would be finding out why. but going forward, the more success this team has, the more players will want to play here. look at Perron, is he going to get more money on the open market with 50points while carrying the oilers second line, or 70 points tapping in rebounds on Crosby's wing. Players are paid based upon a certain success rate, and in Edmonton there is none. and won't be any until draft picks can finally carry the load. Because we have the team the Gretzky was traded from. Messier too. Traded Doug Weight, Ryan Smyth... This team will have to be built through the draft, whether we like it or not. It just hasn't happened yet. If someone has a magic recipe to change that... it would be useful info. but Lowe threw a ton of cash around to get guys to come here, and even Michael Nylander played us like fools. If money isn't going to talk... We need a different solution, and something tells me they aren't turning down extra's of millions because they don't like Kevin Lowe or Craig MacTavish. And Daryl Katz is the guy spending billions to make Edmonton a better place. so please, be nice.

I dont think anyone is questioning the need to build through the draft and develop players. The problem is the Oilers have shown themselves unable to do that. They've managed to acquire a ton of top draft picks and have done nothing with them. We're still challenging for worst overall after picking up three first overall picks and have failed to get anything in later rounds of the draft. They've failed to develop players even when they have them. Cogliano has turned into a useful player for Anaheim, Gagner is doing ok in Arizona, Dubnyk is killing it in Minnesota but we failed to find a use for them here. We failed to turn talented prospects into useful pieces instead we gave them all away for next to nothing. Then there's the defence where we're faced with losing Jeff Petry because they played games in contract negotiation, challenged him with a 1 year contract that took him to UFA status and then had to give him away for nothing.

This management team isnt building towards anything. They are treading water at the bottom of the standings while time passes and they continue to lose as much as they gain. Players are aging and the team isnt improving, soon enough we'll be losing Hall and RNH and Eberle to UFA status just like we lost others. They've got a short time frame to make some serious improvements before this thing falls apart once again and we'll be lucky to see a playoff round before it happens.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I dont think anyone is questioning the need to build through the draft and develop players. The problem is the Oilers have shown themselves unable to do that. They've managed to acquire a ton of top draft picks and have done nothing with them. We're still challenging for worst overall after picking up three first overall picks and have failed to get anything in later rounds of the draft. They've failed to develop players even when they have them. Cogliano has turned into a useful player for Anaheim, Gagner is doing ok in Arizona, Dubnyk is killing it in Minnesota but we failed to find a use for them here. We failed to turn talented prospects into useful pieces instead we gave them all away for next to nothing. Then there's the defence where we're faced with losing Jeff Petry because they played games in contract negotiation, challenged him with a 1 year contract that took him to UFA status and then had to give him away for nothing.

This management team isnt building towards anything. They are treading water at the bottom of the standings while time passes and they continue to lose as much as they gain. Players are aging and the team isnt improving, soon enough we'll be losing Hall and RNH and Eberle to UFA status just like we lost others. They've got a short time frame to make some serious improvements before this thing falls apart once again and we'll be lucky to see a playoff round before it happens.

This is a key point.

Eberle 4 years away from UFA status
Hall 5 years away...
Nuge 6 years away...

If we take MacT at face value in his declaration that he won't change the roster this summer. I think its safe to say we are at least 2 years away from any real chance of a playoff spot. Then probably additional year before we are real contenders (if you believe management can steer this ship in that direction).

In other words, at this stage the second we get "good" the core will be hitting UFA status leaving us with two options.

a) We resign them to more money and leave ourselves less cap space to improve in other areas

b) We hope that our drafting and development will be able to find players to replace the core leaving via UFA status.

You have to remember as well that if guys like Klefbom, Nurse, Draisaitl, whomever we draft this year in 3 years time will be on their 2nd contract and making significantly more than their ELC. Thus making this window of opportunity at this point a whole 12-24 months.

Then we will be like Chicago or Pittsburgh where we are top heavy and relying that the drafting and development of our young players can fill the void to keep us competitive.

 

[Da McBomb]

didn't expect anything different today.. good job local media scribes.

 

[Lock]

Yeah, today really answered the question.

Craig MacTavish stated two 'facts' that were completely and clearly wrong and not one person said anything.

 

[Zap Brannigan]

I guess Gregor might be the hard question guy but he doesn't have the balls in person that he does on his radio show. Same with Brownlee

 

[RuneMcEres]

All questions have been swept aside. Bend over backwards, smile and accept your press pass.

 

[Up the Irons]

that was a joke. Not pair of stones in the room, even if you added them up.

Not a single uncomfortable question. Nothing on the audit. He says the team has more room for growth? what the hell is that supposed to mean and how is that good? I guess the Rangers are already good, so they have less room for growth. Yeah us. We made our D worse, so we have room to grow!!

BTW, no one asked him about his D corp, which he weakened!!!

sickening

 

[BudBundy]

Who did this surprise? The Oilers are known for black-listing those in the media who are too critical. No access to the Oilers in the local sports market= career death. Remember the hissy old 6 rings threw in response to a perfectly valid though tough question? If you want valid criticism of the Oilers, read a post from one of the many competent bloggers who have less to lose. For the mainstream media, reading the occasional inside tidbit is the reward readers get for tolerating the 90% drivel pumped out the rest of the time.

 

[Jumptheshark]

we get this thread this time a year almost every year

 

[Up the Irons]

Who did this surprise? The Oilers are known for black-listing those in the media who are too critical. No access to the Oilers in the local sports market= career death. Remember the hissy old 6 rings threw in response to a perfectly valid though tough question? If you want valid criticism of the Oilers, read a post from one of the many competent bloggers who have less to lose. For the mainstream media, reading the occasional inside tidbit is the reward readers get for tolerating the 90% drivel pumped out the rest of the time.

all true. the Oilers hold the hammer. I guess you can't blame them. but wouldn't it be nice if someone held these guys accountable?? Their boss doesn't, the media don't, the STHs don't.

It's like Orwell's Oceania in 1984. there's just no beating The Party.

I think the ONLY solution is to cheer for another team. I think I'll try cheering for ex-Oilkings, like Lazar in Ottawa, Reinhart in Brooklyn and Samuelson in Arizona.

 

[Board Gordon]

Rishaug must hate Yak. Gives him these ridiculous questions every time lol.

I used to like RR but he's just so annoying now.

Like, Yak signs a new contract and looks extremely happy. Then Rishaug asks "did you ever think you would move on to another team". What the **** man. Such an inappropriate time to ask that.

 

[TheSpecialist]

Rishaug must hate Yak. Gives him these ridiculous questions every time lol.

I used to like RR but he's just so annoying now.

Like, Yak signs a new contract and looks extremely happy. Then Rishaug asks "did you ever think you would move on to another team". What the **** man. Such an inappropriate time to ask that.

Rishaug is a complete tool. Im not sure what it is about him and giving Yakupov little to no respect. He must have something against Russians... I dunno.

I recall listening to him on team 1260 and just can't stand the guy! Comes on the radio, rambling on and on, sounding like he knows everything but really doesn't have a ****in clue of what he's talking about! I can remember more then one instance where he mentions that Martin Jones is a guy the Oilers should go after as a #1 goalie.

Loses a ton of credibility for even entertaing the thought. Haven't we seen enough back up goalies come through and fail miserably? Martin Jones hasn't even seen enough games to prove he's worthy of splitting half a season never mind playing 60+ games.

Out of all the media guys in the city, I have a ton of respect for Mark Spector. I really miss listening to his show when he was on team 1260.

 

[NewBoysClub97*]

Spec is top notch

 

[Soundwave]

The funniest sequence was from the Taylor Hall interview where the reporter even asked Hall if the "we" (the local media) had been too hard on him and he replied by saying "no ... I think you guys were pretty good" or something to that effect.

This media base is sooooooo soft compared to markets like Toronto.

 

[OilerFan4Life]

DVD and Tych from the Sun destroy the management group consistently on twitter.

They weren't at the PC yesterday because they were flying out to cover playoff series.

 

[Da McBomb]

DVD and Tych from the Sun destroy the management group consistently on twitter.

They weren't at the PC yesterday because they were flying out to cover playoff series.

I thought DVD was at the conference....

Derek Van Diest @SUNdvandiest
More of the same from Craig MacTavish who can't even remember how many years #Oilers have been out of playoffs. It's nine, not seven ...

Thomas Simpson @tsimpson76
@SUNdvandiest why not call him out? You have access!

Derek Van Diest @SUNdvandiest
.@tsimpson76 PR guys was in control of the press conference, wouldn't let me ask a question, yet allowed his propaganda minster to. #Oilers