News Article: The Culture is Broken

MaxR11

Registered User
Mar 28, 2017
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Ken Hitchcock feeling sobering reality with Oilers' situation - Sportsnet.ca


It is bigger than he thought. It is bigger than all of them thought.
The culture is broken, and even the third winningest coach in NHL history can’t seem to repair it.

...they sashayed out on a Saturday night and played like they were on the ODR, cold beers stacked in the snow.

“At the end of the day we have to decide if we want to play the right way because it’s successful, or we just want to do our thing. Today was a game where we just wanted to do our thing,” he said. “To me, it’s priorities and what’s important. On the fifth goal: We just turned it over in the neutral zone and went dribbling to the bench. Just walked to the bench and changed. It can’t be acceptable.”
It has been going on here for years, however, a sure sign that the culture is rotten.

It goes right back to the days of Hall and Ebs and Gagner and Gilbert. No one knows how to win, because no one has been taught what it takes. There is no institutional knowledge on things like compete and character. It does not exist, missing the playoffs for 11 of the past 12 years.

“When you put skill ahead of work you get burned, and there’s just too much of that going on,” he said. “We address it all the time,

Yes, it’s not a strong roster. But it’s the good players who lack structure just as much as the rest. An example:
With the score 1-0 for San Jose in the first period, Edmonton’s second best player, Leon Draisaitl, blindly turned a puck over in the offensive zone. Most times, the guy who turns the puck over checks the hardest. But Draisiaitl cruised back through the neutral zone, stopped skating at about centre ice, and watched as his guy (Evander Kane) blazed past, went in on net, took a pass and scored from the doorstep while completely unchecked.
It was flagrant nonchalance at a key point in the game by one of your best players. We asked Hitchcock afterwards: Is it worse when a leader makes a play like that?
“That’s a good question,” he mused, buying time to chose his words on a question that clearly struck home. “I think it’s a symptom of something much bigger. It’s priorities and what’s important. It just can’t be acceptable.
“At this time of year the coaches can’t want it more than the players.”
 
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redgrant

Registered User
Nov 2, 2013
6,306
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I hope more of the national media shits on us because guys like Terry Jones have become the equivalent of Gobbels with ludicrious articles how Chiarelli is a genius etc.

I have zero faith in the local media worried that they "lose access" and wont be allowed in a scrum to ask Kyle Brodziak keys to win against the Arizona Coyotes.
 

BlackDogg

perpetuum defectum
Oct 3, 2015
40,404
40,272
Here's hoping next year isn't another year of fan and player abuse again by the front office.
 

TB12

Registered User
Apr 5, 2015
3,569
11,661
I hope more of the national media ****s on us because guys like Terry Jones have become the equivalent of Gobbels with ludicrious articles how Chiarelli is a genius etc.

I have zero faith in the local media worried that they "lose access" and wont be allowed in a scrum to ask Kyle Brodziak keys to win against the Arizona Coyotes.
I posted this earlier in the year but I’ll repeat it now...my friend in the media was pulled aside in the dressing room by the Oilers PR guy and was chastised for “being too negative” about the team.
 

voxel

Testicle Terrorist
Feb 14, 2007
19,961
4,379
Florida
In the GDTs I've bitched about how Draisaitl and McDavid float in their own zone or don't tie up the opponent's stick.... lots of floating, waiting for an outlet pass.
 

BlackDogg

perpetuum defectum
Oct 3, 2015
40,404
40,272
I posted this earlier in the year but I’ll repeat it now...my friend in the media was pulled aside in the dressing room by the Oilers PR guy and was chastised for “being too negative” about the team.
Yep, I imagine they would be refused access, just like at the White House if they are too negative.
 

snipes

How cold? I’m ice cold.
Dec 28, 2015
54,882
61,421
I hope more of the national media ****s on us because guys like Terry Jones have become the equivalent of Gobbels with ludicrious articles how Chiarelli is a genius etc.

I have zero faith in the local media worried that they "lose access" and wont be allowed in a scrum to ask Kyle Brodziak keys to win against the Arizona Coyotes.

Jones, Stauffer, etc. are hacks for the regime.
 

oobga

Tier 2 Fan
Aug 1, 2003
22,936
17,813
SPector is tiresome. If he had his way this team would be McDAvid, 11 Matt Hendricks' and 6 Kris Russell's. And he might consider moving McDavid for a 12th Hendricks if McDavid dared to make a few defensive errors while he had a flu.
 
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guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
32,644
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@HK97

Anybody thats been paying attention cant possibly take issue with the Spector article or the over the top Tim and Sid rant. Right back from the days when Hall was here there were reports of how toxic the environment was and how putting in an effort was discouraged. Hall s comment to Connor immediately after the Oilers drafted him...."dont ruin what we have started here"
Quite a thing for a leader to say when the culture up to that point was all about losing.

Talent is needed of course but without a commitment to systems play and a commitment to put in the necessary work then talent becomes useless....a waste.
Teams that have a commitment to systems play and winning are able to absorb injuries much better than teams that dont....especially over the short term. It becomes plug and play.

This team is devastated when injuries happen....it cant sustain a competitive level of play because too many players either dont know (are too dumb) or simply wont commit to what it takes to win.

Its not an easy thing to fix either...just throwing talent at the problem isnt a fix.
 
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BlackDogg

perpetuum defectum
Oct 3, 2015
40,404
40,272
Bob, you should also do an air quality study in the locker room. Clearly a toxic environment there as well.
 

MaxR11

Registered User
Mar 28, 2017
4,991
1,709
@HK97

Anybody thats been paying attention cant possibly take issue with the Spector article of the over the top Tim and Sid rant. Right back from the days when Hall was here there were reports of how toxic the environment was and how putting in an effort was discouraged. Hall s comment to Connor immediately after the Oilers drafted him...."dont ruin what we have started here"
Quite a thing for a leader to say when the culture up to that point was all about losing.

Talent is needed of course but without a commitment to systems play and a commitment to put in the necessary work then talent becomes useless....a waste.
Teams that have a commitment to systems play and winning are able to absorb injuries much better than teams that dont....especially over the short term. It becomes plug and play.

This team is devastated when injuries happen....it cant sustain a competitive level of play because too many players either dont know (are too dumb) or simply wont commit to what it takes to win.

Its not an easy thing to fix either...just throwing talent at the problem isnt a fix.

100%... we need more talent but make no mistake culture is the root of this atrocity. I think the sagging poor culture makes the players here look worse. you could bring in a good fluorishing player like elias lindholm into this mix and he'll wind up looking like mats lindgren here.

fix the culture before trying to infuse talent because you're going to wind up wondering why the f*** these supposed good players look like s*** here.

boot the entire obc and start fresh with new poho and gm. vegas style. don't need obc looking over the shoulders of the new gm and poho and sending conflicting messages or even influencing what the poho or gm may want to do.
 

Bryanbryoil

Pray For Ukraine
Sep 13, 2004
85,957
34,082
The environment is toxic because the team has made dumb move after dumb move for years, the same idiots get promoted for ****ing up and ticket prices keep going up. We basically win the equivalent of a real life lottery by getting McDavid, yet it feels like we bought lifetime supplies of TP and paper towels with the winnings and don't even have a house or car to show for it.

The fans are fed up and take it out on the players because ****wads like MacT, Howson, Lowe, Chia, Nicholson, Katz, etc. are not visible and hide while ****ing the team, the players and the fans.
 

rboomercat90

Registered User
Mar 24, 2013
14,598
8,770
Edmonton
I've got Seixiero on permanent mute. He's such an idiot.
Sid lost me for good when he ripped off Ron Burgundy’s “stay classy” line not long after the movie came out. He’s ripped off a lot more than that over the years too. Never had an original thought in his on air career. I’ve been amazed for years that he’s still on tv. Guess that shows how good Micalef is.
 
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Del Preston

Registered User
Mar 8, 2013
63,171
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Sid lost me for good when he ripped off Ron Burgundy’s “stay classy” line not long after the movie came out. He’s ripped off a lot more than that over the years too. Never had an original thought in his on air career. I’ve been amazed for years that he’s still on tv. Guess that shows how good Micalef is.
He's like Rod Black but louder and immature. He's not an expert in any sport.
 

Todd from Leduc

Connor “The Next Great One” McDavid
Nov 15, 2017
1,411
918
Leduc
I feel like the whole team needs to do what baseball teams do when they’re in a funk, go out on the town get just buckled and bump uglies with the biggest sloppiest slumpbuster they can find.
 

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