Have the Oilers tuned out Hitchcock?

space321

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May 11, 2011
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So didn't we get rid of all the cancer in Hall, Ebs, etc. Those guys that didn't care enough about the team. They're gone.

Now this team still has attitude problems? Who are we blaming now? So should RNH be the next to go? What about McD, Drai and Larsson? Are they toxic leaders?

lol I wonder what hk97's been up to, i wonder if he still thinks Hall's character was the problem
 
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The Batman

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Sep 30, 2014
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Klefbom and Koskinen did a good job of carrying the team but it wasn't sustainable. Hitchcock then worked miracles with a healthy but below average team.

I've said since November that our shitty depth was going to get exposed sooner rather than later. We went into the season with Rattie as our top RW and a crappy D which is even crappier now after the injuries.

GG. Fire Chia now.
 
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space321

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May 11, 2011
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Klefbom and Koskinen did a good job of carrying the team but it wasn't sustainable. Hitchcock then worked miracles with a healthy but below average team.

I've said since November that our ****ty depth was going to get exposed sooner rather than later. We went into the season with Rattie as our top RW and a crappy D which is even crappier now after the injuries.

GG. Fire Chia now.

don't worry about our D, we got "not sexy players" manning + petrovic to help us out
 

CycloneSweep

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Sep 27, 2017
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I think he’s saying that the players need to be better in that aspect.
Yep, second coach in a row they just simply can't prepare for games for.

I feel like the locker room is dead quiet before games. No hooting and hollering, no excitement, just dead quiet.
 

CantHaveTkachev

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Nov 30, 2004
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Hitch is finding out exactly what McLellan did...can't make chicken salad out of chicken crap

btw, I thought Hitch was gonna fix Puljujarvi? he's as dumb as the rest of the organization...no wonder he fits right in
 

Aerchon

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Jul 20, 2011
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The line up just isn't good enough. They know that. When you don't have a chance what is the point of putting effort in?
Each game is like bringing a knife to a gun fight and hoping McDavid shows up with a mini-gun.

This line of thinking is flawed for a fan and a disaster if any player is stupid enough to buy into.

Worse rosters with worse injury problems can and do much better than what the Oilers did this last ten games.

A Peewee team could do better than the Oilers last night.

Zero effort. Zero discipline. Zero results.

The team needs to show up to every game like it matters and be more resilient if things don't go well.

The Oilers overall have enough talent to at least survive until we get bodies back. But they just are not mentally tough enough to elevate during adversatity.
 

Messrules11

6 Cups, elbows up.
Nov 23, 2018
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This just doesn’t look like a professional team in any way, shape or form. The last place team made that very obvious last night.
 

GOilers88

Fer Da
Dec 24, 2016
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So didn't we get rid of all the cancer in Hall, Ebs, etc. Those guys that didn't care enough about the team. They're gone.

Now this team still has attitude problems? Who are we blaming now? So should RNH be the next to go? What about McD, Drai and Larsson? Are they toxic leaders?

lol I wonder what hk97's been up to, i wonder if he still thinks Hall's character was the problem
How many years do people talk about a toxic attitude and character issues with players before they look at the single comstant over the last 15 years. Upper management. Its been abundantly clear for years that Edmonton needs to remove everyone from office and wipe it clean. Players, scouts, coaches, head coaches, trainers...They always fire the people who cause this supposed "toxic environment" and here we are 15 years later saying the same thing about new players and coaches.

Its absolutely mind boggling.
 

Stoneman89

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Feb 8, 2008
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No they havent tuned him out, this was a hungover team playing hungover hockey because they dont give a **** about anyone but themselves.

They don't care the Oilers have seen one round of playoff hockey since 06.

They don't care they are only 4 points out of a playoff spot.

They don't care about the name on the front, just the names on the back, I am convinced of that.

If they did care, they would have taken this game seriously and played with some pride. Do you think Tampa was out chasing LA beav until God knows what time? No. They went into Staples and made LA look like the last place team they are.

I shut it off after it was 2-0 but the rest of the GDT and PGT painted a damn good picture of what the problem was. 16 shots on goal. What a disgrace. Half of them were probably still drunk when the anthems started.

They have all summer to go wherever the **** they want to go in the world and party and get lit up. From September to at least April, they are on the clock and it is business, not pleasure.

/rant


Where did you get this information?:laugh:
 

Drivesaitl

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I don’t see it as Connor or Drai tuning out Hitch at all. Listen to any old NHL player and they’ll admit they didn’t go 100% in all 82 games a year. It was physically impossible. The season is just too long. That’s why you see the pace and intensity ramp up so much in the playoffs.

Now imagine you’re Connor or Drai and you know if you don’t put up 3 or 4 points EVERY NIGHT your team has ZERO chance of winning.

What you see is exhaustion (look at the minutes they’re playing), both physical and mental. They aren’t tuning Hitch out, they’re exhausted.

This is an excellent reply. But aside from McDrai some other players have pretty clearly checked out or weren't on board anyway.

For instance Looch, Kass, Spooner, Rattie, Rieder, Benning. Actually in fairness to Rattie the addition of Hitch had to be a bad moment for him. The interesting thing though is I've never seen Brodziak play this consistently bad. To the degree I wonder if Brodz still has some misgivings about being back here.
 
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Drivesaitl

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How many years do people talk about a toxic attitude and character issues with players before they look at the single comstant over the last 15 years. Upper management. Its been abundantly clear for years that Edmonton needs to remove everyone from office and wipe it clean. Players, scouts, coaches, head coaches, trainers...They always fire the people who cause this supposed "toxic environment" and here we are 15 years later saying the same thing about new players and coaches.

Its absolutely mind boggling.

Yeah, the rot is above. Always was. Its hard to not notice that for any player spending years here.
 
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GOilers88

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Dec 24, 2016
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Yeah, the rot is above. Always was. Its hard to not notice that for any player spending years here.
Its funny too, because regardless of what people think of cheap old Eugene Melnyk, hes had much more on ice success despite being worse off if it.
 

ElysiumAB

Registered User
Sep 12, 2013
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Even Babcock had crappy teams playing good systems, and had very very few games where the whole team put forth low effort (I'm a Wings fan, watched every game of that era).

What I'm saying is, even crappy teams can execute systems and put in the effort.

I think Hitch just starts demoting and benching people. He's nearly a 70 year old man, who has no reason to be here except because he wants to help. Doubt he stands for the low effort stuff.
 

hotcabbagesoup

why u guys want Celebrini, he played like a weenie
Feb 18, 2009
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Read the GDT and PGT, even the media are speculating they were out on a bender.

They were in LA for two days, not hard to figure out what the team was up to in their spare time.

Do you have anything to support the contrary?

Could you quote some of these stuff you see from those threads? I just want to read it myself to try to judge it. I don't want to believe you, but if I see it, then you're onto something.
 

Stoneman89

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Feb 8, 2008
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I've said this before. Hitch is an excellent coach, and has the track record of turning teams around quickly and efficiently. When he was hired, he said he knew what the problem was and that he would fix it. Was going to turn Puljujarvi into a serviceable player. But it is becoming abundantly clear that he had no idea how bad this organization is. Best player in the world, and another top 10 player to go with him, and you are forced to play a defensive kitty bar the door game and try to win 2-1 in a league where the good teams seem to score at will. Lose a top dman and your whole team is screwed. Lose a #4/#5 man, and the whole world seems to end. The poor man is clearly over his head, and I do not mean that in a derogatory way in any sense. It's like going into a house of horrors in the dark and someone turns the lights on, and you go, holy shit, this is way crazier than I thought. Of course, he will never admit that publicly or through the media. He keeps pumping out the quotes everyone knows and loves. But eventually, he will crack, just like all the others before him and throw up his hands. It's already started, with him begging Chia through the media, to get some help. And now, he's going to jump all over the players, and they in turn, are giving up and looking the other way. I sincerely hope for his sake, that this will not be Ken Hitchcock's Edmonton Oilers coaching legacy - to take over a struggling team, and have them turn out worse and finally crash and burn.
 
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Stoneman89

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Feb 8, 2008
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Read the GDT and PGT, even the media are speculating they were out on a bender.

They were in LA for two days, not hard to figure out what the team was up to in their spare time.

Do you have anything to support the contrary?
As always, source or link please. Not hearsay or conjecture. I don't need to bring up anything to the contrary. You are the one that brought up the outrageous accusations, so you are the one that needs to prove them.
 
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Drivesaitl

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Read the GDT and PGT, even the media are speculating they were out on a bender.

They were in LA for two days, not hard to figure out what the team was up to in their spare time.

Do you have anything to support the contrary?

Which media? Sorry to do this but any citations. I'm not seeing anything.
 
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Drivesaitl

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I've said this before. Hitch is an excellent coach, and has the track record of turning teams around quickly and efficiently. When he was hired, he said he knew what the problem was and that he would fix it. But it is becoming abundantly clear that he had no idea how bad this organization is. Best player in the world, and another top 10 player to go with him, and you are forced to play a defensive kitty bar the door game and try to win 2-1 in a league where the good teams seem to score at will. Lose a top dman and your whole team is screwed. Lose a #4/#5 man, and the whole world seems to end. The poor man is clearly over his head, and I do not mean that in a derogatory way in any sense. It's like going into a house of horrors in the dark and someone turns the lights on, and you go, holy ****, this is way crazier than I thought. Of course, he will never admit that publicly or through the media. He keeps pumping out the quotes everyone knows and loves. But eventually, he will crack, just like all the others before him and throw up his hands. It's already started, with him begging Chia through the media, to get some help. And now, he's going to jump all over the players. I sincerely hope for his sake, that this will not be Ken Hitchcock's Edmonton Oilers coaching legacy - to take over a struggling team, and have them turn out worse and finally crash and burn.

It must be 2019. We agree! heh

Great post. Bolded is conjecture but I'm thinking the same. Hitch came in here pretty blind and was sold a false bill of goods.
 

Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
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Hitchcock seems like a weird choice as coach to get this current version of the Oilers into gear. For the past decade they've been trying to revive the high flying dynasty years brand of hockey back into Edmonton, and Hitchcock seems like he's more suited for the small market, underdog survival mode Oilers.

Given the general lack of success in the Hall-McDavid years, I wonder if Edmonton would actually benefit from a tear down and go with a two way hard nosed blue collar build similar to the Blue Jackets than try to replicate the Gretzky years. Just try to bring back those 1997-2006 Oilers on a 4 line team, good defense and an elite goalie. Just seems like a level of celebrity and entitlement creep into the picture when you draft high powered stars, promote them to the NHL as teenagers and start whispering "80s Oilers" without the right supporting defense and goaltending. I suppose the next decade is set with McDavid in place, but you do sometimes wonder if the other way would work better.
 

Ritchie Valens

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Sep 24, 2007
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Could you quote some of these stuff you see from those threads? I just want to read it myself to try to judge it. I don't want to believe you, but if I see it, then you're onto something.

As always, source or link please. Not hearsay or conjecture. I don't need to bring up anything to the contrary. You are the one that brought up the outrageous accusations, so you are the one that needs to prove them.

Which media? Sorry to do this but any citations. I'm not seeing anything.

I went through the PGT, I could have sworn I read something someone heard on the radio that also referenced it but I clearly misinterpreted, my bad and I own that one fully.

There's the one post on page 8 of the GDT but it's hearsay. However, given their dogshit performance against a team that sat at the bottom of the league when they were in LA for two days (they had a practice Friday morning in LA), the circumstantial evidence is enough for me to say yes, that was likely a factor to the entire team's performance, not just one or three players. If you want a source or a link, I advise you ask the person who posted it where he/she heard it. I'm taking it as face value because the way they played as a team, I have zero doubt that's what their problem was.

I'm not backing off my original post, my point still stands they don't give a f*** they're in a playoff battle otherwise they'd put some consistent effort in especially having two days off between games against teams below them in the standings.

It's not a coaching issue, it's a player personnel issue (which is nothing new).
 

hotcabbagesoup

why u guys want Celebrini, he played like a weenie
Feb 18, 2009
10,093
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Reno, Nevada
I went through the PGT, I could have sworn I read something someone heard on the radio that also referenced it but I clearly misinterpreted, my bad and I own that one fully.

There's the one post on page 8 of the GDT but it's hearsay. However, given their dog**** performance against a team that sat at the bottom of the league when they were in LA for two days (they had a practice Friday morning in LA), the circumstantial evidence is enough for me to say yes, that was likely a factor to the entire team's performance, not just one or three players. If you want a source or a link, I advise you ask the person who posted it where he/she heard it. I'm taking it as face value because the way they played as a team, I have zero doubt that's what their problem was.

I'm not backing off my original post, my point still stands they don't give a **** they're in a playoff battle otherwise they'd put some consistent effort in especially having two days off between games against teams below them in the standings.

It's not a coaching issue, it's a player personnel issue (which is nothing new).

I understand and thank you for your efforts trying to dig it up.
It's interesting because a similar situation happened with the Sharks earlier in the year when they were struggling. A few of the Sharks guys went to a Drake concert the night before a game, and then local reporters asked the players about it after a loss. And then they asked the coach about. It kinda exacerbated the whole situation heheh. We know players hang out together even really close to game day though.
 
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Zerotonine

Registered User
Apr 23, 2017
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Everyone always says teams or players have tuned out the coach but has anyone thought maybe just maybe it's not the coach and perhaps maybe they are pretty much protesting towards the GM? I mean his last move alone of signing manning is utter dog sh!t move .

In all honesty I can't believe anyone in the Oilers management let that trade go thru
 

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