GDB 14.0 EXPECTATIONS
Wanye
February 16 2013 12:25PM
As promised the 2012 Lockout has condensed the 2013 season and put 'er on FF. Normally as Oilers fans we are entitled to at least several weeks of unreasonable optimism, followed by about a month or so where we are confused and perplexed about the team. Are they underachieving? Is the performance we are seeing legitimate given the talent the team has? Then we turn on each other for a month or two and then finally invent snazzy acronyms for being in last place.
But with the lockout shortened season this annual dance has been compressed and months have become weeks. Weeks have turned into days. Days become seconds. It's all happening so fast.
THE POWER OF EXPECTATION
We all have one buddy who is the eternal optimist. No matter how bad things may get the guy just has that rosy expectation that things are going to turn out ok. And often as not that is exactly what happens. We have a buddy who is like this particularly when it comes to gambling.
He will walk into a casino and expect to leave up on the night. It's just in his DNA that on the odd night when his old lady lets him go out sans leash he is going to walk away up a fat stack and then will spend the next few weeks telling us how he has spent the money secretly without the Missus finding out.
Others may sit at the blackjack table with him getting bad hands. "I never win" they will mutter under their breath. "This dealer is crooked. I can't believe casinos are legal." As the night goes on they will come up with a million different reasons for why it is impossible to win at the tables.
And all the while our buddy will keep his mouth shut, brimming with secret positivity. If he loses a few hands - fine. If the dealer makes 21 off of a 6 and screws the entire table that's ok too. Even if he has to make a few trips to the ATM in the process he is still completely confident he is walking away at some point up on the night.
And he always does.
EXPECT TO WIN
As it goes with a guy who can't help but make a few hundy at the casino so goes it with professional athletes. Confidence is a big part of the game and an overriding belief that you are going to win goes a long way to being a winning team.
A team that is now this stocked with talented Super Kids has a major dose of individual confidence. Guys like Taylor Hall or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't dominate through minor and junior hockey ranks by being fatalists. They operate on the base assumption that they are going to win - just like our buddy at the casino.
Organizationally the Oilers have about as much confidence as Lindsay Lohan on Oscar nominations day* We can't imagine what thoughts rattle around in Steve Tambellini's head while he assesses the situation for the 6907th game in a row but we can't think its "now with a couple more pieces added to the puzzle it's playoff time for Steve!"
Hardly. He has shown us beyond a shadow of a doubt that he lacks the confidence to make any major moves and put himself at the risk of being crucified by fans and media alike for doing the wrong thing. He continues to sit and be fit.
THE TRANSITION TO WINNING
Part of the transition of this club away from the Shitanusly Bad Hockey Era (2007-2012) is removing all of the negative nancies in the room and moving towards the swagger that seeps from the pores of 4, 14, 19, 64 and 93. Think that the Nuge considers himself to be crappy now that he has been cold for a couple weeks? Please. Think King Jordan of Eberle lies awake at night surrounded by naked sleeping supermodels wondering if he will ever score again? As if.
This team is loaded to the rafters with world class talent. The pieces that need to be added - a couple role players here - a couple upgrades on the back end there - are waaaaaay easier to find than the Fab 5 that will be lacing them up for the Oil for the next 15 years.
Expectations cannot be lowered. Period.
Ask teams like Columbus and the Isles what happens when expectations are lowered and the belief in winning is snuffed out. You sit at the bottom of the league and never ever leave. Think Scott Howson came to work every day looking for ways to make big moves to get the team out of the basement? Nope.
Winners win. Losers lose. Excuses in the long run are just that. If you are paid by Kay-Z to play or work for this club and you don't think you can make the playoffs with every fibre of your being you gotta go. Yesterday.
GAME DAY VS AVS
The Oilers (5-5-3) play the Colorado Avalanche (5-6-1) tonight. A team with high expectations for its season - say the lofty goal of being the 8th best team in the Western Conference - looks to a game like this with an opponent below them in the standings as a night to score some goals and walk away with a win. The Avs are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and there is nothing going on in Colorado that would suggest that the Mighty Oil can't break out against them tonight.
Dubnyk is starting in the next for the Oil and the lines are as follows courtesy of the Oilers twitter feed:
Hall-Nuge-Eberle
Hartikainen-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Belanger-Yakupov
Eager-Vandevelde-Petrell
Whitney-Petry
Schultz-Schultz
Smid-Fistric
IN CLOSING
Leave your game day predictions in the comments below. We predict only one thing: the Oilers win. Seriously.
*ZING!
**ZING!
Marty Reasoner cried
Oilers will win this game. Yo can put that in writing.
Time for a new crystal ball.
I AGREE WITH SELMA HAYEK YOU ARE A CRUMB WANYE AMATEUR HOUR
Hey DSF, do you like apples?...
...for gawds sake fire our GM ...someone please fire our GM...MacT is waiting
Prediction: Oilers win tonight through the power of Wanye. In this last string of games the only game we truly deserved to lose was the Columbus game. But that was the only game we won and, I think, the only game that Wanye wrote the GDB for. After the Oilers win tonight Gregor's gonna have to sit out a few GDBs until we get back on track.
Krueger's first line reminds me a lot of the overpaid Horcoff arguements-somebody is beating a dead horse here. I am having problems understanding why he keeps going back to that combination and why he feels it is necessary.
Ralph's 1st line centre has no goals so far this season, yet Ralph's feels that the problem is with RNH's LW. Why does he feel Eberle ad RNH are a duo that shouldn't be broken.?
Hemsky and Hartikanen with Gagner is a line that will get lit up tonight. Hemsky never much cared for defense and Gagner is Gagner. Hartikanen will have problems keeping up with their unpredictability and the fans will see that it wasn't Yakupov's inexpirience or play at LW that was responsible for that line's +/-.
Smyth goes from the pressbox to playing with Yakupov, look for Yakupov in the pressbox next. Why is Yakupov a RW tonight? Why with Belanger and Smyth?
Smyth got benched for not being able to keep up with the play, and Ralph's solution is to put him with your leading scorer-who is also one of your faster skaters. For what purpose? What sense could it possible make?
Why did Paajarvi get pressboxed? Why not try him with Yakupov? Why not try him in the top 6? Let Hartikanen have a look from upstairs.
Hmm. Oilers outshooting Avs 38-19 after 2. 2 even strength goals. Who could have seen that coming? Not DSF, apparently. Now just win this so he will STFU.
Man this team is something else. "The most dangerous team at both ends of the ice".
not you, evidently.....again
it would be impressive to see how someone is able to sit with both feet in their mouth and their head up their a$$, all at the same time. let us know how that turns out for you
good grief
@ DSF:
One more thing:
Gagner 14ga 4G 11A 15P tied for 3rd in Western Conference scoring
Wellwood 11ga 0G 2A 2P
Now I'll shutup
can we have childish responses that target his arguments? asking for a friend.
WIN WIN WIN HANG THOSE WHO SPEAK OF LESS EXCEPT STRUDWICK HE IS A GEM WHO FACES HORDES OF INSANE CALLERS NIGHTLY
I hate that Yakupov is on the third line.
Oilers get outshot 75-19 but win the game 6-5 in OT.
This Koolaid drinker is heard arguing with some Flames fan at a bar "If we kept them under 60 shots, the score would not have been close"
I can't believe this is happening!!! This year was supposed to be the year we took a huge step forward ,instead we are heading right back into a bottom feeder.This is brutal!!!!
What if DSF is really Wayne? It's just devious enough to be true, no?
I wasn't one to complain about the oilers but they are terrible,why oilers management never surrounded these kids with muckers and grinders is crazy,every other team that goes through a rebuild surrounds the youth with size and toughness.I wonder if this management lacks knowledge.Common Mr Katz you been spending near the cap on multiple near last place seasons it's time to get rid of this management that runs your team.
EBERSQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Yes, who could of seen this turn of events? Coming back 3 down is pretty good despite what the stats are? 2 ES 2 PP
@ DSF - don't make us wait too long ....
4 ES goals, hmmmmmmm Team record in shots. Come from behind from 3 goals twice. Very exciting hockey game. Woot!!
DSF doesn't have the honor or the guts to admit he was wrong or the nurse at his nursing home already put him to bed.
Awwww, DSF. You were sooo close. Better luck next time.
I expect the first ghost ride of the season to be posted tomorrow. That was one helluva comeback.
Same Colorado team that beat the Minnesota Wild....in Minnesota....3 nights ago.....But I Take your point that you can't really get a true bearing on the Oils progress by comparing them to lesser teams like the Avalanche, the Wild and the Blue Jackets. It really isn't a sound marker for measuring their progress.
As you point out, there is ONE game next week we can use as a measuring stick.....LA on Tuesday.
I like the look of the forth line, should have some good energy. I too dislike Yakupov on the third line, he won't see much ice time there if Belanger and Smyth have to kill a lot of penalties. I wish they could find a few more opportunities to play him with Nuge on the power play, set up the one-timer we haven't seen enough of yet.
Did not like this article at all. Many points simply didn't make sense, and are flawed logically. Very amateurish.
1 Nerd per tree
GDP: Oilers win 12-0
OGDP: DSF realizes the Oilers are for real, rejoins the flock, becomes the biggest dispenser of Oiler Kool-Aid in the history of the nation.
NSOGD: Wayne's buddy wins the Oilers off of Darryl Katz in a poker game, promptly loses Oilers to Wanye in a game of rock-paper-scissors.
I think that was actually meant to be a review of the movie "What to expect when you are expecting"...
Will you come on here after the game and admit you were wrong?
Remember when folks called fit Mac Ts head on a platter ? It's always fire someone around here and it just as annoying as DSF ....
Oiler 5v5 woes continue as COL wins 3-1. I'll be wearin' a warm parka for Alexsander Barkov. (ok it doesn't quite rhyme)
edit: Quite happy to see Yakupov playing on the right side, where he belongs.
Drinking the kool-aid tonight. I am in the mood to break out and have a comfortable victory. I'll say 6-2 Oilers. Smid with all six goals, unassisted. GO OILERS GO!!
NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEE
HEMSQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
@Oilersfan4
nhlscap.com is a domain referral to capgeek.com, which is what I originally posted, and it clearly states 14M for the Oil.
I'm missing something. But I'll take you at your word.
Curious, are you screaming for death less now that we've tied it? I was in the depths of despair myself for about 20 minutes there.
Paaaaaaaaaa da man hees money!!!!!!
@DSF
Well what do you say now?
@RSD
Who could have seen that coming???
"crickets", no doubt
Opps sorry Johe that was for DSF
Tough to eat crow with both feet firmly planted in the old yapper.
Couldn't disagree more on two related points....64 made an incredible one time pass on the PP. This pass was the reason 89 had so much time and space on the goal that was supposedly "all him"
I suggest you get yourself a PVR there bud
I wonder how many would have had the balls to show up and tell DSF he was right, if he was right?
"When you win say LITTLE... when you lose say nothing."
or
"Act like you've been there before."
(it's getting old - all the DSF bashing... from a die hard Oiler fan)
...but OC... i still get a kick outta some of the nations' citizens regularly spill a marble or two from their collective sacks here... from how charlie gives HUGS to oilclog or oilsomeone fights tooth and nail for every wrong turn the guy makes...i know i wanna go to Victoria (where he apparently lives) and make that trip to downtown Seattle from there in a half an hour as he suggested awhile back during the Katz pulling his team BS...his schtick only gets old if you let it get old ...the guy hangs in in spite of all the bashing ... he's not stupid OC we know that and sometimes he's knowledgebly funny albeit he gets caught more often than not when his spew gets on too many of his detractors...but here's the thing we will revel in EVERY one of his gaffs and that's a good thing ...imo he gets waaay too much attention here he gets waaay too far under the skin of waaay too many ... part of me wishes he stays forever but he won't...i wonder sometime... would he and Ender have clashed in a meteoric battle to the death here by now?
DSF has chosen trolling as his MO. The childish responses to him (the ones that target him as opposed to his arguments) are worse than his impact here. If you don't like DSF just ignore him.
Ignore who?