Dvorak with the hat trick...

Old habits really are hard to break, aren't they Sac? He is, of course, more likely to pot 3 than Lupul.
 

Heh.

I was in England when the Ashes were on last year.

Not the foggiest idea as to what was going on but it was exciting just the same.

Have you been to a soccer, er, football match? Isn't Sheffield in the Premiership this year?
 

As long as Ian Lapointe gets a beat down he deserves then I am all good.

Raffi pots 2 Oilers 4-2 EN
 

I've been obsessed with the Ashes. I've decided I love cricket. It is fantastic.

I'm going to my first football match on Saturday. Sadly, I'm a Wednesday supporter not United, so it is Championship League not Premiership. Should be fun all the same.
 

I point out only that the last time Sacamano was posting game threads, things went rather well for the Oilers. He hands off the reigns to Grabia and everything falls apart.

I take this to be a positive sign.
 

The Ashes are getting more damn exciting than this sad show lately.

Either way - BOO YEAH! TAKE THAT ENGLAND!
 

Dvorak with the hattrick

Hmmm...seems I saw D-vo in Nashville attempting to enter the wrong Penalty Box after a 2nd period hooking call. Seems he was sporting a Blue Note on his chest.
 

The poor Brits didn't get to hang on to the Ashes for too long. And Wednesday?

I guess there is something to be said for going into a city with two teams and choosing the worse team. Not sure if you really want to hear what it is that is said about that ;)
 

You'll love it - I've talked about this book a million times - Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby - if you want a great read about the soccer experience.

My wife and I saw Spurs v. Portsmouth in October when we were in London.

I enjoy soccer but even if you do not, its a terrific experience, the singing, the chants, the police presence.

Enjoy!

(Dvo pots two for Wednesday. One on a penalty, the other on a thirty foot chip shot, catching the keeper off his line. :))
 

the english were pathetic. Do you think Ponting can lead us (er, that is, the Australians) to a clean sweep???

I think I might go to the 3rd or 4th day of the Melbourne test.

Also, goilers!
 

I think that this will be another 5-0 whitewash for the convicts. England has too many important pieces out and their bowling attack is not up to the levels of last summer.

Also, Fever Pitch (the book, not the movie) is one of the best pieces of sports-related writing I have ever read.

I saw Liverpool-Fulham and Brondby-FC Copenhagen when I was on exchange and the atmosphere is insane.
 

I was listening to the BBC news on the radio yesterday morning, and they interviewed the Australia captain. The first words out of his mouth were, "Obviously, it's a team game..."


I almost drove off the road.
 

Yeah, Fever Pitch is fantastic. I don't think there's ever been a movie that was so divorced from the book it's "based on".


Anyway, the book really is quite good, and I get the feeling it'd have been even better if I actually knew anything about English Football. With me, it was like your average football hooligan reading Lowetide's site and trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
 

Fantastic! A little elf told me that I'm getting Fever Pitch in my stocking, so now I'm pumped.

I suspect England will manage nothing better than a draw in one of the final two tests. England has been poor; but Austrailia has just been dominant. Warne and McGrath are a combined 475 years old, and the English batters just couldn't do anything against them.

It was a massive mistake for the English selectors to take Jones over Read at wicketkeeper and even worse, to take Giles rather than Panesar for the first two tests. What were they thinking? All Panesar does is take wickets (5 in the third test).
 

Didn't this used to be a hockey blog? Is this the Battle of Alberta or the Battle of Stratford-on-Avon? I have no idea what you are talking about.

But, Fever Pitch is terrific.

Go Flames.
 

You're right Peter.

That's it graham -- next year it is so on
 

I'll be at that blog with bells...err...whites on.
 

"couldn't we burn Steve Smith's old stick and use those ashes to symbolize seasonal supremity in the BoA?"

Now you're talking. There really ought to be some sort of physical monument to the BofA. I can't think of anything more appropriate than the ashes of Steve Smith's stick. Well, other than the ashes of Steve Smith himself.

PPP, bring yourself and your damn United fans with you.
 

...and they interviewed the Australia captain. The first words out of his mouth were, "Obviously, it's a team game..."

Ha! Proof of universal sports stereotypes- no media skills, cringe-inducing cliches.

I wonder if he wears a mullet?
 

I point out only that the last time Sacamano was posting game threads, things went rather well for the Oilers. He hands off the reigns to Grabia and everything falls apart.

I take this to be a positive sign.

I'm pretty sure the last time Sac was posting game threads on here was during the Finals. Didn't end so well, I hear. But I appreciate the concern. Merry Christmas to you, too.

I'm currently hiding in Concord Mass., living in a tiny shack by a pond, eagerly scouting out the town for any sign of this. Uh, Go Bruins!?
 

sorry to give you the impression that I was a fan of Neil Warnock's squad. I was just surprised that you chose Wednesday instead of the Blades although now that I remember who their manager is I understand a bit better. But it seems like you have the football spirit already.

I will be there with my Liverpool fans ;)

And you won't be able to put down Fever Pitch. It would be akin to reading a book of a kid following the Oilers from their inception in the WHA to the Cup final...except he has to wait longer for success and suffers much more...other than that it's similar.

Also, good to see that Grabby is alive and well. I think everyone was starting to get worried.
 

Hornby is the man. Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy, Long Way Down, Polyphonic Spree...all gold. The only book I didn't love was How To be Good.
 

Sacamano:

It's ON. At least for next year.
 

There really ought to be some sort of physical monument to the BofA.

Done. It's called five Stanley Cup banners, and a statue of Wayne Gretzky outside Rexall. We could maybe cut off the left shoulder of #30's jersey, too, and call it the Shroud of Vernon.
 

The only book I didn't love was How To be Good.

So I take it the title was something of a misnomer?
 

Indeed.

I was going to make a prediction about the Oil lulling us back into a false sense of security. Turns out I was right, although I wasn't expecting Roloson to suck ass until the next game. I'd like to declare my off the Roli bandwagon status, effective immediately..
 

Well, Swabbabubba should be happy. Laperierre just got served by Winchester. Wow.
 

Warning: Rod Phillips just said both teams are going for the juggler. With all the festivals around town, I'll bet our juggler per capita count is way up there.
 

Graby, I'm going to have to say that you are by far the most manic Oil fan I've ever seen (read?).

You obviously have missed out on Mudcrutch dropping the f*bomb in about 20 comments, then coming back and deleting them all because he's a "professional".

Cosh will tell you that I've bitched about Roloson since we acquired him. So my jumping off the bandwagon isn't as new, or fickle, as it may seem. I just think he's creeping towards the one-two bad goals a game mark that we came to expect from Conkannen last season.

See? Tie game.
 

How come no one is bitching about Roloson, anyway? Take a look at his SV% since the Anaheim game. It's only been over .900 three times.
 

Rollover's save percentage is a little closer to .800 tonight. It could be worse -- you could have Cloutier. Wow. That first Flames goal was scored from, as Harry Neale would say, 72 feet out. The second one from around the 58 feet.

I hope my Flames do a better job with their early 2 goal lead than your Oilers are doing.

Go Flames.
 

Did Brophy just say that the Oilers penalty kill isn't that good, it just looks that good because they take alot of penalties? Is that what I just heard? Please, someone verify this for me.

I've got nothing. I think he just annihilated my mind.
 

How come no one is bitching about Roloson, anyway?

Loyalty to past performances, I guess. I'm not watching the game, but 5 goals on 26 shots isn't exactly stellar. Have any of them been quality chances, or have they all been stinkers?

Judging from the NHL.com report, I'd say you should be focusing your wrath towards the undisciplined play of Tjarnqvist, Stoll, and Hemsky.
 

The last two were definitely not his fault. 1 and 3 were soft, in my mind, and he totally quit on 2.
 

You obviously have missed out on Mudcrutch dropping the f*bomb in about 20 comments, then coming back and deleting them all because he's a "professional".

If you think this is manic, manic doesn't mean what you think it means.
 

5-4 Avholes. I'm cautiously optimistic - Budaj sucks and the PP is due.
 

If you think this is manic, manic doesn't mean what you think it means.

Huh? Was that in English?

I know what manic means, and you, my friend, can be manic.

Fuck. Now we are buzzing. I'm going to have to start meditating when...

Ooh. 6-4. Missed call, or solid on the body? The fans are going nuts.
 

6-6. Ladies and gentlemen, yooooouurrr Eastern Conference!
 

The Vaunt is in the house...
Lupul scored...
Roloson having a bad game...
Cats marrying dogs.

End days people, end days.

Man am I glad I was like "Fuck it, I'm just going to go to the office and do some things and listen to it on the internet."
 

Well ... this is quite the game. it's sure not boring anyway.

And there goes another one through Rolly's pie hole. Maybe Cloutier is available?
 

Fuck me. Two goals from behind the back line tonight. MacT's look was priceless, but um, could you pull him?
 

That was some awful refereeing in the 3rd. That hold on Lupul's stick in the last minute was a brutal no-call.

Game over. Thank God. 4 shots from the Avalance in the 3rd. Way to hold the fort once we tied it up, Roli.
 

To be fair, Roli had no chance on the 6th goal.

The 7th however...
 

On the bright side, at least that fat fuck Tyler Arnason didn't score tonight.

Sigh....
 

Cmon, Dennis. Where is the Paris Hilton reference?

the last time I felt this bad about a home loss was the time Salo and the Oilers gave up two goals in the last 70 odd seconds that night vs the kings on HNIC

Shudder. I remember that one.

So, we all expect Edmonton's mighty sportswriters to call the Oil out tomorrow, right? Roli for the soft goals? MacT for not pulling him? The entire team for soft defensive play? The PK unit? The PP unit? Craig Simpson? It's coming, right?
 

Dennis, you of all people should remember that Salo allowed 1.99 fucking ugly goals per game in his prime. Atleast so far Roloson has contained his shit the bed antics to a handful of games (three now just against Colorado). But still there were some responsible teams in front of Salo, much like there was in front of Crackannen last year. There isn't a very solid team playing in front of Roloson.

The suck has been masked by a lull in the schedule as of late, but beleive me, the suck is there. Tonight is another perfect example where the Oilers look competent offensively, but the reality is that they were fortunate on some bounces, Budaj sucks, and Colorado was making terrible mistakes with the puck. The PK finally tanks because Roli can't continue to bail out his defenders an astronomical ammount of times. The Oiler forwards think is an event that just happens to you and not something you work toward and it shows on the PP. Even when one group of guys start clicking, another couple of guys nose dive. There was a time when I debated on whether to crest my third jersey with Jason Smith or Shawn Horcoff, because I admired their true blue hardcore styles. I eventually went with number ten and got Gator's face tatted on my calf, but from their play as of late I've come damn close to chopping my leg off at the knee and lighting myself on fire with my third jersey on.

I ask, why the fuck is Horcoff, a dude who made a name for himself in his early career playing tight, nowadays not getting his nose dirty in his own end? Instead he's the sad sap you see at the end of the opposing team's goal replay cruising in after the fact with his stick on his knees. I know why: because he's cheating to the potential breakout, and in effect, leaving wide open ice all over his own zone. It's great to know some of these guy can create chances, but when you don't equalize on any of them for long stretches of time, you make your living in your own end. With selfish and lazy plays like that, how can anyone expect this D (whether they be rooks, slightly leaning toward old guys, or midgets) to secure and breakout the puck?
 

I haven't had a lot of faith in Roli for awhile now.

Yet I get called manic for saying the same thing.

And I agree about Lupul, and Hemsky. That 5th goal was mind-blowingly awesome.

I really don't get this team. They confuse me so much it hurts. On top of it all, the filthy Flames moved into first. And for real, not just based on Matt's wishful thinking. Can I start my Christmas drinking yet?
 

Hemsky may have tweaked his shoulder again, after a hit against the AVs in the 4 min mark left in the 3rd period. Because he never played after that.
 

Hemsky may have tweaked his shoulder again, after a hit against the AVs in the 4 min mark left in the 3rd period. Because he never played after that.

No way. With the gong-show, I didn't even notice. I don't see anything in the AP story, but I suppose nothing will come out til morning. There's no way he could have been benched, as we needed all the scoring we could get. He better not have been benched.

Are you sure, Anonymous? Looking at the shift chart, he was on the ice in the last two minutes.
 

Was watching Edmonton Global highlights and the had a shot of him receiving a hit and falling to the ice and not looking comfortable. Kevin mentioned (not playing the last 4 minutes, but seems not to be true based upon the shift chart) this in his story of the game. So I guess we will see. I was not listening to the radio, so maybe they made mention of this. We will see...
 

Do we suddenly only own one goalie now? Or is Conklin still in the minors? Oh wait we don't have him anymore. Those Blue Jackets are so effin lucky.
 

I noticed you dumped the Roli pic, Jordi. And Alana hasn't been around. What's the deal with your boy?
 

Not too sure about Alana, I haven't checked her window lately since the cops caught me last time.

Um, I dumped Roli because it attracts animosity from non-Oiler fans. And I was just in it for the hype anyway. Unless you're talking about Sammy - well um... that's a longer story.