GDT: PS #8 // Oilers @ Haie // Oct 3 @ 8 AM MST // TV: SNET

[bone]

Brutal. I hope the Oilers fought against the idea at least, before volunteering to hit the ground stumbling heading into the regular season. If this was sort of forced on them then I guess it is what it is.

Having only really watched the past few games I still maintain that this team looks to be in trouble yet again, with a problem with offensive depth and a weak defense.

If every team will eventually do this, it's only fair to take our turn. Also, when you have the league's most marketable player on your team, you have to expect that they will need to participate in some of these showcase events.

 

[doulos]

That's the downside with having the best player in the world and the best German NHL player ever. Draisaitl obviously works in Germany, which is a huge potential market, and McDavid works everywhere.

Yeah I suppose. Call me selfish, but after so many years of failure I'd just like to see this team do everything it can to be relevant again. Bigger forces at play though, you're right. I'm quite concerned with the state of things right now, as usual.

 

[iCanada]

If this trip was league mandated is one thing, I can see the league wanting to do that and have teams visit. Also makes the most sense for the Oilers to do the Cologne game for obvious reasons.

What I can't subscribe to is the exhibition game taking place on the actual date that the NHL opens the REGULAR season. That should not have been allowed, or required. I understand that the Cologne Sharks play weekend league games. But seriously this is a big deal, its a game with an NHL team. So what happened here is Cologne was already scheduled for league games on the prior Friday and Sunday and the NHL goes OK, just have the game on Wednesday.... That is inane. Cologne and the DEL ought to have bent to the NHL schedule, not the other way around.

By the time the Oilers play their first reg season game many teams will have already played 2 games. By the time the Oilers play their 2nd game teams will have played 4-5.

What a joke the scheduling is.

Eh, i think the NHL benefits more from this arrangement short term and long term. Certainly no one in edmonton is going out to buy a Köln Jersey, but i could see thousands buying McDavid / Drai merch from Cologne. While the buzz of an NHL game may spur and inspire the youngsters and create buzz, i doubt it's selling many tickets to DEL games before and after; indeed even the inspired youngsters would benefit the NHL more than the DEL.

I don't necessarily think the DEL needs to bend over backwards. I think the arrangement as made was mutually beneficial and fair.

 

[guymez]

I agree with this, it is also quite a bit easier going West rather than East. I definitely understand why the China trip was done early in the pre-season.
For the jetlag I mean.

More worrying for me is that they'll meet teams who are already 3-4 games into their seasons. Teams who have had the time and chance to get into the season and rid of season-opener nerves.

Thats totally valid. As a matter of fact I was looking at the schedule last night just to see how many games most teams will have played before the Oilers play their 2nd game.
Its a definite problem IMO so I completely agree with you.
It will be interesting to see how the team manages that situation.

 

[LaGu]

Eh, i think the NHL benefits more from this arrangement short term and long term. Certainly no one in edmonton is going out to buy a Köln Jersey, but i could see thousands buying McDavid / Drai merch from Cologne. While the buzz of an NHL game may spur and inspire the youngsters and create buzz, i doubt it's selling many tickets to DEL games before and after; indeed even the inspired youngsters would benefit the NHL more than the DEL.

I don't necessarily think the DEL needs to bend over backwards. I think the arrangement as made was mutually beneficial and fair.

I'll go back to see Koln again, and probably buy a Jones jersey.

So that's one!

Edit: I am not in Edm though, but as a fan of Edm and because Edm came I got the chance to visit Laxness Arena and experience a great atmosphere.

 

[guymez]

Shortsighted.
The next Drai or Kopitar might have been inspired by these games. The sport and the league are trying to grow beyond Canada and the Northern US. I see the connection between the Coyotes and
Matthews. I personally saw the buzz this Global Series created in Europe. Take a look at basketball in China right now and how it got to this point.



I have to travel for work, sometimes to China, Texas, all over Europe. Often work a 1/2 day on the travel day and full day the next day. If you are fit, professional, focused, and strong willed "jet lag" isn't much. Pacific teams do Eastern conference road trips and vice versa. Think about the KHL. Imagine these guys aren't flying economy and dealing with normal air travel annoyances of us Plebs.

Placebo affect, immaturity, and generally just being a big baby is likely behind a lot of this "jet lag" talk. NHL players are notorious for sticking to pre-game rituals, so I'm sure many are disturbed. Hey, welcome a tiny bit to the real world fellas.

Actually there is an airlines dirty little secret thats slowly being changed outside of the public eye. I treated an ex pilot for extreme toxicity which was later revealed as something called Aerotoxic syndrome. There is a number of pilots who have been debilitated by bleed air from the engines of the planes they fly. This is air that comes directly off of the engine and into the cockpit and cabin. Most planes do not have air filtering...you breathe the air that comes off of the engine. If its contaminated (and quite often it is) you breathe it. It is thought that this also contributes to jetlag. Some peoples bodies handle these events better than others....the healthier you are the better you can handle this toxic exposure. For pilots who fly all day every day this toxicity is cumulative and after years of exposure (especially for older pilots) their bodies breakdown and they cant work anymore. The Airlines of course want no part of this so pilots have joined together and are suing airlines and forcing them to change the air systems in planes. The newer planes actually have filtered (safe) air systems...the older planes do not.

Here is a link for an association that a group of pilots have started if you are interested....

About the Aerotoxic Association

It surprises me just how in the dark the public is on this issue...most people don't know or don't want to know.
If this was to go public the Airlines would be forced to move a lot quicker in changing the air systems designs in older planes. That would make a huge difference in flying overall.

 

[rboomercat90]

If this trip was league mandated is one thing, I can see the league wanting to do that and have teams visit. Also makes the most sense for the Oilers to do the Cologne game for obvious reasons.

What I can't subscribe to is the exhibition game taking place on the actual date that the NHL opens the REGULAR season. That should not have been allowed, or required. I understand that the Cologne Sharks play weekend league games. But seriously this is a big deal, its a game with an NHL team. So what happened here is Cologne was already scheduled for league games on the prior Friday and Sunday and the NHL goes OK, just have the game on Wednesday.... That is inane. Cologne and the DEL ought to have bent to the NHL schedule, not the other way around.

By the time the Oilers play their first reg season game many teams will have already played 2 games. By the time the Oilers play their 2nd game teams will have played 4-5.

What a joke the scheduling is.

Yeah, if I had an issue with this game, that’s what it is. If the Oilers lose their first two games of the year they’re behind the eight ball even more than usual. I know everybody plays 82 games and the schedule balances out at the end but if it takes two weeks to win their first game of the year, they’re going to hear about it. Obviously we hope that isn’t the case but the schedule sets them up for that.

 

[rboomercat90]

I wonder if the plan was not different from the beginning. I seem to remember there always being a two regular season games in Europe for the teams going over. Sometimes with a exhibition game or two before, but still once the season started they normally played the same team twice.This was definitely the case the last two seasons.

For me it would have made much more sense to play the exhibition games Sunday or Monday, and then see two regular season games between EDM and NJD, first one on the opening day (when they played Koln) and second one as scheduled now.

We discussed this when the schedule first came out. I suspect the reason there was only one regular season game played was because the Oilers didn’t want to lose the revenue from a home game in the new expensive arena in Edmonton, figuring what they’d get at home would be a much larger take than a game in Sweden. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Devils are the home team here.

 

[LaGu]

We discussed this when the schedule first came out. I suspect the reason there was only one regular season game played was because the Oilers didn’t want to lose the revenue from a home game in the new expensive arena in Edmonton, figuring what they’d get at home would be a much larger take than a game in Sweden. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Devils are the home team here.

I remember now that you mention it. It makes sense, but would be a first. I went back to check and it has always been two games.

 

[SaltNPeca]

I don't know, I guess I feel like a team that has been the very representation of embarrassing for over a decade should focus a bit more on finally becoming a good team, instead of worrying about expanding the global game.

They started last year 1-4 with 4 home games and the road game vs. Vancouver.
Subsequently 3-6-1 in their first 10 with 6 home games and no trip overseas.

I don't know, it can't get much worse.