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Game 24 - Edmonton Oilers vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Rexall Place - November 23, 2009. PPV 7:00 PM
The Film, Coyote Ugly, was released in 2000. It certainly didn’t feature an ensemble cast, but the lead actor, Piper Perabo, was sure easy on the eyes. The story itself was not particularly memorable though I do recall it being based on an actual Coyote Ugly Saloon in New York City. I also vaguely recall that the film itself featured a series of musical montages with attractive women dancing on bars in the backdrop. Essentially, the plot of this movie was based on a struggling musician trying to find her way in the big city. Tonight, the struggling Edmonton Oilers will continue to try to find their game in the big leagues. Each are stories about persistence. Doug Weight is unequivocally my personal all-time favorite Oiler. No, he didn’t have the pure skill of many former Oilers, but like Piper Perabo, he made watching a less than stellar cast (the 1995-2000 Oilers) easier on the eyes. The ever cash-strapped Oilers team of those years had many flaws. On paper, they really didn’t look like much, but on the ice, they were a team worth watching.
On any given night, you always felt that they had a chance to win. With their blue-collar work ethic, grit, and the stewardship of one Doug Weight, you would never write them off. Last night (vs. Chicago), if you’re like me, you probably wrote-off the Oilers long before the puck even dropped or heard the news of Khabibulin’s back injury. Unlike today’s Edmonton Oilers, they seemed more preoccupied with outworking and embarrassing star-studded teams rather than worrying about getting embarrassed themselves. Doug Weight was an Edmonton Oiler from the season commencing in 1992 to the start of the new millennium. He was the ‘official’ captain of the team for just two years, yet the Oilers made the playoffs for five consecutive years under his leadership prior to his departure. As an Oiler, Doug Weight had a career high 104 points. He was unceremoniously traded for scraps since the team could not longer afford his salary. When money’s an issue, a sense of loyalty is equally scarce too. Under Doug Weights tenure, the Oilers had a dogged work ethic. They would neither back down nor lay down for any team. On any given night, you could expect Doug Weight to mount an offensive comeback himself, rally the troops to leave it all on the ice, and make the Oilers a hard team to play against. Ethan Moreau, the current captain of the Edmonton Oilers, has been on the team since the start of the 1998 season. On October 2nd, 2007, he was named the team captain. Ethan has a career-high of 32 points. On any given night, you may or may not seen him provide a physical presence on the ice or play well defensively. Conversely, unlike Doug Weight, you can be pretty certain that you won’t find him mounting an offensive comeback. In fact, you’re more likely to find him sitting in the penalty box during the third period for an offensive zone infraction. You sure as shit can’t score goals from the penalty box. It’s sad really. The combination of age and injuries have not been kind to our captain. He’s most certainly not the player he once was. Today, he might no longer even be regarded as an effective fourth liner. Once, he was known as player with character who possessed defensive prowess and good foot speed. Now while watching him, you just hope he can manage to get the puck to the other end of the ice and try to stay out of the penalty box. What’s interesting is that he continually takes these penalties with impunity from the coaching staff. When money is seemingly not an issue, is loyalty upheld at the cost to the team? The NHL is the toughest hockey league in the world. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic to Ethan Moreau either. Players like Jason Smith who retired from the Senators this summer, have to continually reevaluate themselves and ask if they can still contribute to their team. When you get old in life, things get taken from you. That’s part of life, but you only learn that when you start losing stuff. As a hockey player, you lose half a step here, half a step there, and it’s not long before the game passes you by. At some point, you have to know when you should either hand up your skates or just pass the torch. Today’s Edmonton Oilers just aren’t easy on the eyes. In short, watching these Edmonton Oilers lose hockey games is just damn Coyote Ugly. It’s not because we didn’t manage to sign Dany Heatley or Marian Hossa either. They’re probably not what’s lacking on this team. It’s quite possible that this team is lacking roster balance. It’s most certain that the team is lacking a captain with both character as well as skill to provide leadership on the ice. Pat Quinn? He’s too old. He can’t lace up his skates and do it for them. Perhaps instead of being so busy chasing skirt with trying to sign self-absorbed prima donnas like Dany Heatley or Marian Hossa, this organization needs to spend more time trying to find the next Ryan Smyth or Doug Weight type of player. It’s one thing to watch your team lose. When they don’t seem to care on or off the ice, then it’s just another thing entirely. The fans get angry when the team loses… Pat Quinn certainly does so himself. Do the players? Fans can forgive players who work hard but either lack ability or make mistakes. The players that the fans love are those that show they really give a shit about this team winning too—that’s character.
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Great post. You're evaluation of this team is about the same as mine - there seems to be a lack of leadership. I thought that Moreau was a good choice to replace Smith but he just can't do what he once did anymore. More frustrating than anything he can't do anymore is the number of stupid penalties he takes. That is the polar opposite of what you'd expect from a leader.