GDT: Around The League 24/25. First month ends, the parity dream begins.

[Soundwave]

Looking more like last year was a blip in the matrix. The true contenders are contending while we wither away like frauds.

Contending for what exactly? The November participation trophy? This team has to get its shit together, but all three of the recent Oiler teams to make the Finals (1990, 2006, 2024) all had poor starts to their seasons.

 

[North]

Still on pace to start 64 games, which is right around the high mark in a season for him.

Yikes, not good. He seemed to be mixing Comrie in more early on.

Oh I almost forgot: eat shit Flames and eat shit Blues.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Panthers with 7 pps tonight

This league is sickening. It's infuriating how hard it is for us to get calls most games, even though the pp is sucking

The good news is all penalty calls are down in our games. That gives us the blessing of less pk's as well. Really I prefer this club at EV this season.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Contending for what exactly? The November participation trophy? This team has to get its shit together, but all three of the recent Oiler teams to make the Finals (1990, 2006, 2024) all had poor starts to their seasons.

Not every season mirrors the other. What happened to the Blues in 2018 or us last season doesn't always occur. Conversely a lot of the contender looking teams in the west look fresher with more youth in lineup and a few less aging players. For instance Vegas, Dallas. Colorado seems to have found something as well this year. The only club that regularly has the hot start and folds and will probably slow down is Winnipeg But you can't assume it happening. Among teams ahead of us seems like LA and Calgary will hit harder times and in other division Minny will.

First place I think is already sold. We're a playoff club. Don't know where we finish is all.

 

[Soundwave]

Not every season mirrors the other. What happened to the Blues in 2018 or us last season doesn't always occur. Conversely a lot of the contender looking teams in the west look fresher with more youth in lineup and a few less aging players. For instance Vegas, Dallas. Colorado seems to have found something as well this year. The only club that regularly has the hot start and folds and will probably slow down is Winnipeg But you can't assume it happening. Among teams ahead of us seems like LA and Calgary will hit harder times and in other division Minny will.

First place I think is already sold. We're a playoff club. Don't know where we finish is all.

The only Oiler teams that have made a Cup Finals that had a hot start were the 84-85 and 83-84 teams, lol. 86-87 was just ok (6-4 through the first 10 games). They had a win streak at the start of 87-88 but losses too, only 6-5 record at game 11. So out of 8 Finals appearances, the Oilers have only really had "good to great" starts in 2/8.

The first Oilers team to make the Cup Finals (82-83) had a brutal start too, 4-6-3 at game 13.

I dunno but this whole starting the season hot and going on a long playoff run thing doesn't seem to be the franchise's bag at all.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The only Oiler teams that have made a Cup Finals that had a hot start were the 84-85 and 83-84 teams, lol. 86-87 was just ok (6-4 through the first 10 games). They had a win streak at the start of 87-88 but losses too, only 6-5 record at game 11. So out of 8 Finals appearances, the Oilers have only really had "good to great" starts in 2/8.

The first Oilers team to make the Cup Finals (82-83) had a brutal start too, 4-6-3 at game 13.

I dunno but this whole starting the season hot and going on a long playoff run doesn't seem to be the franchise's bag at all.

So in 4/5 of the Oilers cup wins they had a hot or winning start. heh. I know that wasn't what you're saying but it doesn't make me feel better.

heh I agree too much gets made of how a club starts except if said club had a goal of first place, home advantage, all that. Myself I'm fine with 2nd place, then worry about it all later. I still don't feel like this is going to be the year. Not my favorite roster.

 

[Soundwave]

So in 4/5 of the Oilers cup wins they had a hot or winning start. heh. I know that wasn't what you're saying but it doesn't make me feel better.

heh I agree too much gets made of how a club starts except if said club had a goal of first place, home advantage, all that. Myself I'm fine with 2nd place, then worry about it all later. I still don't feel like this is going to be the year. Not my favorite roster.

Granted last year had a ton of "this ain't the year" vibes too, how many people were truly in love with that roster?

Everyone whined about having to upgrade on Ceci all year long and then Holland did nothing at the deadline to address that and only added ... uh ... Henrique, which looked like a large step down from the previous year's deadline.

Connor was dealing with a year long abdominal injury and not even trying to shoot the puck, Skinner wasn't showing any improvement, the much hyped bounce back year for Campbell went into the toilet early, etc. etc. etc.

Honestly I thought the season was pretty much done when they announced the Knoblaugh hire (no veteran coach brought it). Like "cool, good for Connor to get his junior coach back" but at that point my hope was maybe they can crawl back to .500 by like New Years-ish time as a high bar.

If you had told me at this exact time 1 year ago that team would make game 7 of a Cup Final with nothing added at the deadline but a 3rd line center, and no real improvement in Skinner's game ... I'd have called you crazy.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Granted last year had a ton of "this ain't the year" vibes too, how many people were truly in love with that roster?

Everyone whined about having to upgrade on Ceci all year long and then Holland did nothing at the deadline to address that and only added ... uh ... Henrique, which looked like a large step down from the previous year's deadline.

Connor was dealing with a year long abdominal injury and not even trying to shoot the puck, Skinner wasn't showing any improvement, the much hyped bounce back year for Campbell went into the toilet early, etc. etc. etc.

Honestly I thought the season was pretty much done when they announced the Knoblaugh hire (no veteran coach brought it). Like "cool, good for Connor to get his junior coach back" but at that point my hope was maybe they can crawl back to .500 by like New Years-ish time as a high bar.

If you had told me at this exact time 1 year ago that team would make game 7 of a Cup Final with nothing added at the deadline but a 3rd line center, and no real improvement in Skinner's game ... I'd have called you crazy.

You're right. To an extent. Still felt like the team last season was going to get through division. Not as sure of it this season. Last season Vegas had their hangover. Division was there for the grabbing and Vegas went out first round. That won't be happening this season is my view. So I figure we win first round either against Kings or Nucks and then probably get Vegas. Way too far ahead of myself on that but just how I see it.

 

[Soundwave]

You're right. To an extent. Still felt like the team last season was going to get through division. Not as sure of it this season. Last season Vegas had their hangover. Division was there for the grabbing and Vegas went out first round. That won't be happening this season is my view. So I figure we win first round either against Kings or Nucks and then probably get Vegas. Way too far ahead of myself on that but just how I see it.

I didn't even have "this is the year" vibes in 1990, lol.

When Gretzky broke Howe's record early in the season, it obviously had to happen here at Northlands and it just made me feel like "wow ... we're really just going to be a foot note now in Gretzky's future career. Bet he wins the Cup in LA this year, we are so done".

2006 ... early in the season definitely didn't have the vibe that team could be that good. By Christmas though there was an inkling of "if we get a goalie ... who knows ...".

Last year's team? LMAO. f*** no. I felt actually a little sorry for Kris Knoblaugh when he was hired listening to his first interview like "man this poor bastard is going to get eaten alive here".

Even going waaaay back to '88, I was young, but I distinctly remember lots of people feeling that was Calgary's year and they were going to beat us for sure and we had lost a step with Coffey gone. Then we absolutely *destroyed* Calgary in the playoffs, lol.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I didn't even have "this is the year" vibes in 1990, lol.

When Gretzky broke Howe's record early in the season, it obviously had to happen here at Northlands and it just made me feel like "wow ... we're really just going to be a foot note now in Gretzky's future career. Bet he wins the Cup in LA this year, we are so done".

2006 ... early in the season definitely didn't have the vibe that team could be that good. By Christmas though there was an inkling of "if we get a goalie ... who knows ...".

Last year's team? LMAO. f*** no. I felt actually a little sorry for Kris Knoblaugh when he was hired listening to his first interview like "man this poor bastard is going to get eaten alive here".

Even going waaaay back to '88, I was young, but I distinctly remember lots of people feeling that was Calgary's year and they were going to beat us for sure and we had lost a step with Coffey gone. Then we absolutely *destroyed* Calgary in the playoffs, lol.

1990 was interesting. Team was still dangerous and Pens hadn't really got there yet. Had a sense if we beat Winnipeg the club might start rallying and finishing business they left behind in 89 when they got sucked into Gretzky feels. Jets were the closest to eliminating us in first round. Once that club got its feet under them they started to roll. I attended around 10 playoff games that season. Good times!

I even immensely enjoyed the 91 and 92 playoffs. "Roll on down the highway"

 

[Soundwave]

1990 was interesting. Team was still dangerous and Pens hadn't really got there yet. Had a sense if we beat Winnipeg the club might start rallying and finishing business they left behind in 89 when they got sucked into Gretzky feels. Jets were the closest to eliminating us in first round. Once that club got its feet under them they started to roll. I attended around 10 playoff games that season. Good times!

I even immensely enjoyed the 91 and 92 playoffs. "Roll on down the highway"

By the playoffs of course things always come into clearer (and more optimistic) view but by the early part of the season that 1990 team was not impressive.

Gretzky gone. Coffey gone. Fuhr out for the year. Flames defending champs, Gretzky and the Kings whooping it up on our home ice and our expense ... looked pretty damn bleak.

 

[Drivesaitl]

By the playoffs of course things always come into clearer (and more optimistic) view but by the early part of the season that 1990 team was not impressive.

Gretzky gone. Coffey gone. Fuhr out for the year. Flames defending champs, Gretzky and the Kings whooping it up on our home ice and our expense ... looked pretty damn bleak.

I did think we were gonna get revenge on the Kings. Was convinced we had them in 89 and the team didn't finish em. From bios once they saw Wayne as a King whooping it up at their expense the players endeavored to not have that happen again. Gloves were a bit off by 90 and afairc we beat Kings in playoffs multiple seasons after 89 and lol continue today.

 

[Soundwave]

I did think we were gonna get revenge on the Kings. Was convinced we had them in 89 and the team didn't finish em. From bios once they saw Wayne as a King whooping it up at their expense the players endeavored to not have that happen again. Gloves were a bit off by 90 and afairc we beat Kings in playoffs multiple seasons after 89 and lol continue today.

This killed me, because everyone on the planet knew it was going to happen. It felt like we were going nowhere in 89-90, but at the same time you didn't want the record broken anywhere else. It had to happen here.



You're happy that it happened but you're also sad because it felt like at that point the hockey world had passed us by. And we needed the two points dammit, lol. If you had told me on this night that we'd be lifting a Cup just a few months later, I'd have said no freaking chance.