All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreaming
On such a winter’s day.
Oilers now 13-12-1: THE THREAD THAT'S FUN FOR EVERYONE
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And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreaming
On such a winter’s day.
AmabileCassarole
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2023
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I wouldn't call it dunking - I've just always been of the opinion it's a failed year if you don't win a Cup. But that's just my opinion. YMMV, of course.
PainForShane
formerly surfshop
- Dec 24, 2019
- 2,844
- 3,283
That's not what he said. He said "When (McD's linemates) aren’t on the ice with him picking up neutral zone assists they immediately regress to their norm."
Unless you believe that picking up additional neutral zone assists means you're playing better and / or improving as a player? I guess that's a decision you can make for yourself
Ask the Los Angeles Angels in baseball.
While last year was an exception, all years before that McD was primary a playmaker.
Somehow everyone on his line picks assists without anyone scoring any goals
Yukon Joe
Registered User
Dude, every fanbase has jackass, loudmouth fans. You look hard enough you'll find really obnoxious Coyotes and CBJ fans.
It's not worth taking the worst examples of a group, and then saying the entire group acts like that.
AmabileCassarole
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2023
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It really is frighteningly uncanny how the Angels and Oilers compare with one another. If Drai ends up a free agent like Ohtani...
blankall
Registered User
- Jul 4, 2007
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- 5,521
I can confirm this is a thing. I am a brutal hockey player. One year in my bear league I was on the wing of the best player in our league (he played Junior B). I was a PPG that year (well above my usual .3-.5ppg). He scored about 2.5 points per game. Just being on the ice with him meant I was getting all sorts of touches, and you could just stand in front of the net often and bat in gimmees.
Anyone who thinks that Draisaitl, and every other player McDavid shares ice time with, isn't getting a massive boost from McDavid is being willfully blind.
AmabileCassarole
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2023
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Well, I'd say you're right, but how many Coyotes fans can there really be?
Seriously, though, I don't think the entire group acts like that. I just bring it up because I think it's funny when fans of that team do so, compared to others. Some loudmouth fans, I can sympathize with, depending on the teams they follow. In the case of the Oilers, their loudmouth fans don't realize that there are countless worse teams out there, across sports, who'd be happy to take whatever "suffering" they've got.
LeafsNation149
Registered User
- Feb 4, 2013
- 7,383
- 1,261
McDavid is injured and Drais getting exposed because he doesn’t have McDavid carrying him.
Drais is a top 10 center in the league still, but let’s not pretend like he is the 2nd best player in the nhl like how he was projected going into the season. Hence, overrated…
Yukon Joe
Registered User
The "decade of darkness" is a very specific decade: 2006-2007 through to 2015-2016. During that 10 year period not only did the Oilers never make the playoffs, but they were never even really close to making the playoffs. Many years fans would start talking about who to take in the entry draft by late November.
I have to admit I roll my eyes a little bit at Oilers fans whining about the "decade of darkness" because while they haven't been consistently good, they've had numerous bright spots at least since their last cup - far more than some other teams. From 96-97 until the lockout they only failed to make the playoffs twice. They made it to the Cup finals in 2006, and since 2016 they've been pretty decent, generally making the playoffs, and have won some series.
Well, I'd say you're right, but how many Coyotes fans can there really be?
Oh, I know at least a couple of Coyotes fans who love to harp on Winnipeg's attendance issues...
WhataKnight
The KnightMan Cometh!
- Jan 6, 2023
- 1,043
- 1,158
I’m mostly looking at Ken Holland for this misdo.
He’s the one finalizing contracts. Campbell, Nurse, Bouchard, Ceci and Kane account for ~27M of the Oilers’ roster, and they’re not getting it done.
One can wax hypothetical about superstars accepting less money for the good of a roster in the Salary Cap Era, but McDavid’s making what it looks like he should make and Draisaitl is making less.
They ran back a largely identical squad from last season, no? After what the Oilers have done most recently prior to this year, more than McDavid being banged up has to be preying upon mental toughness in that locker room.
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Little Psycho
I solemnly swear I'm up to no good
Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well, I got down on my knees
And I pretend to pray
You know the preacher like the cold
He knows I'm gonna stay
Certainly not anything like the most significant problem, but while the two are undeniable great scorers, they are both also defensive liabilities never having bothered to develop 200' games after so many years. This certainly contributes to the woes of the Oilers' Matador defense, plus there are clearly times when Draisatl is just leisurely cruising around the ice at maybe 40% effort making careless passes in his own zone, while McDavid from time to time tends to visibly sulk which is not ideal for a captain.
Great for a fantasy team, not so great for real-world SCF contention.
HarrySPlinkett
Not a film critic
Well that’s exactly what I’m saying. What makes McDavid so effective is his uniquely insane talents - primarily speed. Barely anyone on the team can do half the things McDavid can do, especially at the speed he does it at: he’s completely inimitable.
If you’ve ever played much hockey - especially NOT being a top player on the team, you find there is alot to learn from the more skilled players, all sorts of different moves to navigate different situations. Some things learn, practice, put it together.. and it works! Others are simply out of your grasp. With McDavid, due to the speed he operates at, basically everything is out of reach.
Can’t speak on the locker-room side, maybe he’s great.
Bouboumaster
Registered User
- Jul 4, 2014
- 10,761
- 9,232
This is why the NHL can't get viewers. Keep throwing your young star players over the border where no Americans watch.
Bouboumaster
Registered User
- Jul 4, 2014
- 10,761
- 9,232
No, they don’t play better. I could hug the boards and have McDavid bounce pucks off my ass while racing through the neutral zone on route to his 3rd highlight reel goal of the game. Putting up a point when on ice with high scoring players does not mean you were ‘better’ that shift.
AmabileCassarole
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2023
- 273
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Well, just hold out hope that the next one pulls a Lindros and forces a trade down south then.
I think sending a first round pick to mediocrity central like that would only make one ask how to fix said pick's issues.
Thank you. In hindsight it should be obvious, but sometimes it takes actually being in the situation to draw your attention. I’ve had almost the exact same experience.
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