Line Combos: "It Sucks When We Get Split Up" Eberle to Ralph

[Replacement*]

He didn't get benched he had issues with his skates.



That's not going to happen any time soon. He's had balance issues before his Spitfire days. I've been told by fans in Windsor that he would fall on his own with the closest player on the ice no less than 10 feet away.



Biggest issue I've had with fans is them writing off Paajarvi ever since he put on an Oilers jersey. They think rookies come off an assembly line and experience parallel growth. Poor guy had to measure up against a first overall pick and the best world junior player in Canadian history (TSN). I'm not surprised by his recent success but everyone else is...

Sure, I got on MPS last year because he's a better player, and not as tentative as what he was showing. It was basically a lost year here but from reports he learned something in OKC. I have seen a much different player this year and imo better than his first year here.

In the moment last season I was critical, yes, but didn't state the team should get rid of him. trade him, etc. You do need to take time with young players.

 

[Replacement*]

Although I agree with a lot of the examples you give, I totally disagree with you conclusions. Go to any message board on this site, listen any sports radio, and you will find the same bile typed and spoken.

It has nothing to do with cities, it has everything to do with the forum. The thing is there are so many places for discussion, that we ignore the bizarro world that is sports. It is not about intelligence, yet in message boards, call-in radio, blogs, and even fantasy sports people want to prove they are right.

My question, how much enjoyment do people get from being right that someone or their team sucks?

For me, like many here, the chances to make that judgement and be proven right have been unending in the last number of year. But the enjoyment I got from all of those opportunities do not match that from a single win.

As for Eberle's comment, not a big deal. I understand that it is fun to play with the best engine on the team. I also expect he understands why there was a time he was not doing so.

There is a difference here. 5 Stanley cups and the expectation of that made us different.

When you've never had the best you learn to appreciate things a lot more. To make do with less and make it more.

Calgary and Vancouver fanbases have always had to do that.

Its funny, In either Calgary or Vancouver Doug Weight would be up in the rafters by now and not even a question. In Edmonton it will never happen. In fact here it took years before people here started to acknowledge what a solid player Doug Weight was. After having and seeing the best in the 80's any player since has always looked like week old bread and have been treated like that by the fanbase AND management.

This is very specific to this org and a hangover dynamic of our former success. Its odd that they dynamic still exists after decades. But not as odd when you see who is in charge.

Players aren't valued here and know it. Its why in other places you see instances of career players. Here you don't, ever.

Booing young players (different thread I realize) isn't such a good idea. Despising them is a much worse idea.

Theres a fractured connection between fan and player here. Its not hard to notice.

 

[Senor Catface]

I like how being "critical" now equals saying MPS wouldn't play 200 games in the league.

Ah, the beautiful winds of revisionist historians.

 

[Oiltankjob Fail]

Sure, I got on MPS last year because he's a better player, and not as tentative as what he was showing. It was basically a lost year here but from reports he learned something in OKC. I have seen a much different player this year and imo better than his first year here.

In the moment last season I was critical, yes, but didn't state the team should get rid of him. trade him, etc. You do need to take time with young players.

You need to apply this when it comes To RNH you seem not to

 

[Slicknitty]

Tend to disagree with this.

What you see always on this board is players that have been here for awhile being maligned, despised, mocked, and fantasy traded. With any new incoming player being touted as the best thing since sliced bread. Its sad, but this board would be busy throwing up over Weight, Cujo, Guerin, Smyth if they remained here...oh wait.

Theres no loyalty to player on this board. Its what have you done for me lately always.

Which culminates in repeated instances of booing a struggling young team on home ice because there is no positive connection, and right now, only frustration.

We can't even celebrate a Win in the PGT.

This is who we are as a fanbase:

Gretzky traded: "Phoney tears, phoney royal wedding, wasn't even invited, GTFO, Go to Janet traitor" Go suck in LA.

Pronger: "Glad we burned your furniture, GTFO, go with that loser Lauren ya turncoat traitor.

Roli: GTFO, you're weird anyway and your kids weren't picked on in school you made it all up..plus you look weird all leering and stuff at nightclubs. (things actually stated here)

Gilbert: GTFO Tammy, loser, lose so many games, loser, *****, don't let the door hit you, can I drive you to the airport.

Comrie: I won't even go there, don't even need to. From the top down from manager to fanbase what a festering mess of accusation, drama, finger pointing.

Souray: Ditto. One year he's the most popular player on the club and should be team captain. By the end of the year he's bubonic exploding cancer and should be set on fire 3 times and buried under 12 feet of concrete just in case he's infectious or radioactive or something..

Salo: Hooboy.

Smyth: Phoney tears! GTFO out loser. Two bit scab, what a ****ing loser, lets post up that picture for the next 20 years and endlessly mock a good human being just because.

Horcoff "Scorecoff, Whiffcoff" you get it.

Gagner: Snowpants, inconsistent, "doesn't fit here"

Hemsky: "Trade him, trade him now,(repeated 100's of times) for whatever we can get.

Taylor Fall: "This lovely moniker occurring at least a dozen times in recent GDT's. This just happening to be a player that has 33pts in 30games and is having the most successful season of any Oiler since Doug Weight.


Really this is a deplorable fanbase. Basically devoid of love for team or any players contained therein. Not excluding my part in that either except that I put some value in players that HAVE or ARE here and less value in the revolving door of player recruits.

Theres no loyalty to established Oiler players on this fanbase. Theres often a lot worse adjectives that could describe.


Conversely people in Vancouver actually manage to love the Sedins. In Calgary they actually managed to love Iggy. Who and what players have we continously loved over the last dozen years?

I've always loved smytty, more or less the same for hemmers, hall is starting to grow on me, same with the other youngins. I think people dislike management more than the players and its just the way the poop flows some time and lands on the players. I mean its the same problem we have with almost every body who we always love to point fingers at but in the end the thing that always remains constant is there is a lack of heart on the teams we've seen in the last few years. There used to be a time when the club was a little respectable. I always loved that. I don't know, maybe we're too hard on the team. Maybe our expectations of the team are making management and players shaky and nervous. God knows what brilliant plan management is banking on, and we've seen our guys try to play a perfectionist style of hockey that doesn't work.

Just some thoughts

 

[harpoon]

He didn't get benched he had issues with his skates.

Wrong. He got benched. Both Hall and Krueger spoke to it in the post game pressers.

I like how being "critical" now equals saying MPS wouldn't play 200 games in the league.

Ah, the beautiful winds of revisionist historians.

Maybe that was me you are talking about?
I'm delighted to admit that MPS is proving me wrong this year.
Kid might actually have a future in the NHL after all.
Still, you gotta admit his game this year is night and day from what we have seen from this player thus far - even in the AHL, and yes I watched the games.
I put it down to getting to play with Gagner

 

[Replacement*]

You need to apply this when it comes To RNH you seem not to

I know you're joking but I like a good cerebral game so I'm a fan of RNH. If I'm hard on the kid its because I have big expectation.

 

[Replacement*]

Wrong. He got benched. Both Hall and Krueger spoke to it in the post game pressers.

Maybe that was me you are talking about?
I'm delighted to admit that MPS is proving me wrong this year.
Kid might actually have a future in the NHL after all.
Still, you gotta admit his game this year is night and day from what we have seen from this player thus far - even in the AHL, and yes I watched the games.
I put it down to getting to play with Gagner

Theres an interesting article in the journal today that quotes Paajarvi on last season being confused, losing the confidence(you were right BBO) and he just couldn't find it last year. He talked about this being night and day different this year and that he now has a much better idea of what to do. Kid actually sounds surprised that his goals will come in the fashion they have by going to the well. (this being more than surprising playing on a team with guys like Smyth around and with Gagner who plays a downlow game.

Paajarvi, interestingly said he knows that when a player loses his confidence its sometimes "over" and can be the death of an NHL player (Brule, Omark reference?) Obviously MPS did some soul searching and wondering. Tough thing to go through.

 

[McBooya42]

I can't wait till he learns to balance on his skates. Literally half of his miscues come off of him not being able to stay on his feet.

Still over a PPG too...how's that Sequin kid doing anyways?