News Article: The Culture is Broken

[Little Fury]

The culture here keeps hiring the wrong people the culture here needs to be expunged! The 80’s glory years culture is what’s ruining things here and they need to be put to the pasture and the owner has to get his mind out of their behinds!

Chia and Bobby Nicks aren't part of that group and they proved to be incompetent as well.

 

[fuswald]

I see big things coming, Keith wasn’t shy today to let everyone know big things are changing.

Didn't read that anywhere. Mentioned needs etc thats all.

 

[Heavy Dee]

Lol, where are they getting all the cap space to spend all this money?

Don't bring logic into this discussion.

 

[Frank the Tank]

If you can't trade him, then bench him for the whole year!

Send him to Robidas Island.

 

[Sugi21]

The first step to change is figuring out the root of the problem.

"How the team identifies itself" is not that.

The root of the problem is the inability to assess and acquire talent. That's it.

So who is part of the process that “assess and acquire” such talent? Maybe the same clowns that have been around the last 10+ years? That’s the root and common denominator when it comes to continually messing things up! These are the same clowns that decided to give Kosko the big extension! When they are gone and replaced with the rightful hockey mind then things will get better not just drafting another high pick and throwing another rookie to the wolves!

 

[Heavy Dee]

Sixeiro just tripped the oil again on national TV. Wish I could disagree with him.

 

[Sugi21]

It's a top down problem but the Oilers continuously blame bad culture on "toxic" players and only seek out players that are good for their PR, not players that are good on the ice.

Players are only “toxic” because it’s seeping down from above starting with the “toxic” management and the environment they created!

 

[Frank the Tank]

Chia and Bobby Nicks aren't part of that group and they proved to be incompetent as well.

I look at this way. Chicago had the same ineffective GM carrousel with Pulford overseeing them all and surrounding them with ex-Hawks. Philly spins it's tires every season while also shuffling GMs. Meanwhile, Clarke and Holmgren hang around in the background and survive all of them. The Oilers obviously have the same problem.

Why not interview numerous top candidates. Listen to their vision of the team and dig for details in pro scouting, analytics, player development, cap management, etc... Hire the best candidate, supplement them with great ideas other candidates provided, and then let them build their team. No forcing MacT or Howson into roles under a new GM. No keeping the analytics guy because we like him. Commit to someone's vision and let him build it as they see fit.

That's not how they'll do it, but one can dream...

 

[MaxR11]

Well maybe this is why we're all disagreeing.

When you read Culture: you think we're talking about bringing in Lucic or Ference at the detriment of skill.

When I write Culture: I'm talking about our team, telling EACH OTHER, that it is NOT OK to lose the puck at the opponent's blue line. It's not ok to take the time to slam your stick or roll your eyes when you've/we've lost the puck... just get skating, period,... and we'll bail each other out.

There are only three ways to change culture:
1) Coaching, we've tried that many times, it hasn't worked
2) Bring in guys who've played in more positive situations to support our younger players, that are either
a) skilled
b) veterans who play both sides of the puck
3) Wait for our younger players to grow up and mature as hockey players

MacT/Chia tried to do #2b, but he failed because i) the guys he brought in didn't have enough skill left in them to command the room from a leadership perspective and ii) he didn't bring enough depth with them. I'd argue that the first year Lucic was hear, the culture was changing... but then with Sekera out and Larsson and Klef injured, we struggled, and guys individually slipped back into bad habits.

I'd want the new GM to focus on bringing in a QUANTITY of players that can fill both 2a that are also 2b. If we bring in a bunch of 20 year olds that are 2a I can predict that we will not change our culture... we need the infusion of leadership that 2b can bring (in support of the talent we ALREADY have). But if we bring in 2b that can't play anymore (Ference types) then the culture won't change because our guys aren't listening to coaches, or pseudo-coaches. It has to be guys that can lead by example on the ice.

If those of you screaming "skill breeds winning, winning breeds culture" actually think that a bunch of skilled ELC kids will right this ship, you are doomed to allowing history to repeat itself AGAIN.

absolutely. just because this regime failed to bring in the right pieces and players to improve culture and overall skill doesn't mean that they didn't have the right idea in trying to address the root issue of culture. it's just they failed on the execution. culture needs to improve... this is not an option. and yes that will likely start at the very top ousting obc and bringing in a new management with CLEAR plans and expectation of what culture they intend EVERYONE to abide by and communicate it frequently and CLEARLY. Ousting those who don't want to buy in. Some guys may have a longer leash as to buy in but ultamitely a message has to be sent that NOONE is beyond not abiding by the standards of the new culture.

There's a lot of good hockey players out there, in the draft and in the nhl and pro ranks. if you're culture is right you can definitely build winning teams IF you have the right culture entrenched in the organization.

Patriots have shown it for 20 yrs now. Have great leadership and culture set by Bellichek and Brady. doens't matter who they bring in, they seem to know how to succeed. Heck, Edelman like Brady was drafted like 200+ overall and was actually slated to come play for the BC lions at one point in time. The RIGHT culture can bring out that hidden talent or get guys to achieve to their potential or overachieve.

 

[MaxR11]

And continuously blaming the bad culture is a reason the Oilers are still bad.

It's a scapegoat that doesn't involve firing anyone.

management is part of that bad culture. just shows the organizational culture of ZERO accountability when the obc fellas are still hanging around after all this failure. sends a message that some people and players in this org can do whatever the f*** they want in management and on the ice and not face discipline or consequences or be accountable for their actions.

 

[Hynh]

The Oilers Culture™

1. Realize the team sucks
2. Draft extremely poorly outside of the top 10 (alternatively, trade draft picks for players that aren't NHL calibre)
3. Sign washed up vets to fill out roster because zero player development
   
4. Realize that only a couple players can make a positive impact each game
5. Build a gameplan that consists of letting those players do whatever in an attempt to score while the rest of the team tries not to die
6. Lose
7. Blame the players that you are relying on for the minuscule amount of success you find
8. Trade them for awful returns to address culture issues
   
9. Realize the team sucks

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Looks like another culture loss tonight.

 

[BlackDogg]

Looks like another culture loss tonight.

The culture has spreaded.

 

[redgrant]

Lucic deserves whatever is the hockey culture equivalent of sharia law, the dreaded press boxing for infidels.

 

[Soundwave]

Culture scoring a ton of goals.

 

[Soundwave]

This whole farce that you can build a "grind" team around a 22 year old McDavid will never work. You either get serious about a skilled, talented team similar to the Leafs or get the hell out of here and move on to the post McDavid era where no one gives one crap about your franchise Katz.

 

[YearsintheWilderness]

"Hey, let's choose some people to be in charge of a multi-million dollar organization."

"OK, sure. Let's choose a bunch of uneducated f***s who, back in the day, were quite good at what they did. Some of them were cokeheads and alcoholics too. Maybe some of them still have issues with things like alcohol and just plain being able to function normally in society. They have no qualifications, experience or training to do what they need to create a successful organization, but...it just somehow feels RIGHT. We all know how important things like hunches, intuition and superstitions are.

To make up for the generations-long steaming pile of absolute f***ing shit that will result, we can allow these semi-literate turds with no idea about things like management, the way the game has evolved or notions like cause and effect to engage in self-congratulatory horseshit events that convince people the past is the only thing that matters. Most people are suckers for nostalgia."

"True. I bet we can get the invincibly gullible suckers to pay for a billion dollar arena and convince the morons to subsidize us for the next seven or eight decades so we don't have to pay our fair share of taxes."

"Let's do it."

 

[MaxR11]

the handling of jesse is telling as to the rot of this culture. either the team is making jesse feel unwanted and not making him feel welcome and comfortable and the management just not placing a player in a position to succeed by keeping him in the NHL OR jesse's just being a selfish a** and saying he will not report to the AHL.... if this is the case then trade his a** like a year ago... don't allow him to mull around and cause tension in the room. GONG show!

all these little lingering drama in the room kills culture.

 

[Soundwave]

the handling of jesse is telling as to the rot of this culture. either the team is making jesse feel unwanted and not making him feel welcome and comfortable and the management just not placing a player in a position to succeed by keeping him in the NHL OR jesse's just being a selfish a** and saying he will not report to the AHL.... if this is the case then trade his a** like a year ago... don't allow him to mull around and cause tension in the room. GONG show!

all these little lingering drama in the room kills culture.

Or hes just not very good and Columbus' Finnish scouts actually saw that.

 

[MaxR11]

Or hes just not very good and Columbus' Finnish scouts actually saw that.

ya and the culture of this organization is messed up with communication and plan of how to handle this player. why are they keeping him up here? is the culture that of entitlement for high draft picks? this is a classic example of a poor organizational culture with the handling of jesse.

 

[Soundwave]

The frustration in the room is from not being able to SCORE. Not being able to SCORE is because there isn't TALENT here.

You put that combination with a YOUNG group of kids and they will get discouraged, frustrated, angry, pissed every time.

Toronto, Winnipeg don't try this stupid shit. No team that had a young Gretzky or Lemieux or Crosby or Ovechkin tried to build that way either. Toronto and Winnipeg don't win games on "grit" and "character" they win on talent.

This whole idea of being some team that "guts out" wins on the basis of character (meaning really "grinding it out") for a team this young is STUPID. And it will NEVER WORK.

There you go Bobby Burgers, I just saved you 10 years of "evaluating". The closest type of team to us in terms of assets is Toronto, which is a forward heavy and very young group -- either build a team like that or start prepping for a McDavid trade out in a few years. There is no debate to be had, do or do not.

Matthews has Marner, Tavares, Nylander, Marleau, Kapanen, Kadri to play with. That is why their locker room is tight because they can play loose and free and have fun. You're down 0-2 in a game? No big deal. You can't have fun with the garbage "grind/KARAKATAR" losers that Chiarelli built here, it's only misery and grind.

 

[Tyrolean]

Yawn .. all the same fan rhetoric (including myself). Nothing will change unless Katz dies or sells or realizes losing does have consequences.

 

[guymez]

Yawn .. all the same fan rhetoric (including myself). Nothing will change unless Katz dies or sells or realizes losing does have consequences.

Well to be fair this is exactly the place to discuss these things...dont you think?

 

[MaxR11]

NYI is an example of how a culture change made them a vastly better team this year. Basically the same scrubby team from last year minus a superstar in tavares and they went from a well below average team to one of the best teams in the league in one year.

Lamerello and Trotz changed the culture. Players are held responsible to play the right way. Good habits. etc. They went from allowing the most goals against last year to the very fewest this year. And with scrub goalies like Lehner and Greiss to boot! Honestly if those two guys played here they would be no better than scrivens and fasth probably. It's culture and buy in.

 

[guymez]

NYI is an example of how a culture change made them a vastly better team this year. Basically the same scrubby team from last year minus a superstar in tavares and they went from a well below average team to one of the best teams in the league in one year.

Lamerello and Trotz changed the culture. Players are held responsible to play the right way. Good habits. etc. They went from allowing the most goals against last year to the very fewest this year. And with scrub goalies like Lehner and Greiss to boot! Honestly if those two guys played here they would be no better than scrivens and fasth probably. It's culture and buy in.

The team essentially had a major downgrade in talent when they lost a star player in Tavares. Thats a huge hole that was never close to being filled.
Bring in a strong coach with a solid system and get 100% buy in from the players and its a much better team than last season.
They are now a top 10 NHL team despite having less talent than the season before.