[UPDATED] One of the big things I miss about Edmonton is That Day. You know, That Magical Day when it seems that the whole city collectively recognizes that Winter has ended. Oh sure, there will still be a few more big snowfalls in May and June, but they don't matter -- it isn't so much a shift in the weather as it is a shift in mindset. You are just trudging along your usual commute, when you look around and suddenly everyone is out. People are jogging, riding bikes, walking dogs. They are wearing shorts, sitting on patios, smiling. It is always a tough day to explain to people who don't live in highly seasonal environments, but it is one of those yearly events that can almost make a guy believe in the notion of a psychic unity of humankind.
In any case, I was reminded of That Day this morning when I read the comment thread from yesterday's post. It cracked me up. Oh sure, it wasn't one of the all time greats, but it seemed to mark a collective shift in mindset -- there was banter, ribaldry, jocularity, verve. It seems like Spring has sprung in Oilerville.
Of course, the Canucks could bring a blizzard into town tonight, but I'm thinking not. I'm predicting that the Plausible Prognostication prevails. In the best case scenario, the Oil end up within 3 points of both the 7th and 8th place teams. In the worst case scenario, they end up 6 points back of 8th and 7 points back of 7th. In other words, it is nut-cuttin' time.
Happy Spring, and don't forget to punch a Flames fan today.
Andy's Prediction: 5-0, Oilers. Garon outduels Bobby-Lou McGreasyhair in a lopsided affair. Gagner, Hemsky (2), Reasoner and Pisani with the goals. "Francis" Kesler goes after Oilers assistant coach Billy Moores, then claims that Moores started the fight with him. Craig MacTavish comes on the ice to take the last draw for the Oilers--ensuring a win for the
Matt's Prediction:
Flames > Avalanche
Canucks > Oilers
Deb Matejicka > Gene Principe
Ray Ferraro >>> Charlie Simmer
Go Flames.
With that flower, no doubt the Oilers will get all the good fortune the Teletubbies can bring them.
ReplyDeleteI "accidentially" ran over a Flames fan with my Mazda on the way to work this morning. Does that count as a punch?
ReplyDeletemy brother in law is a flames fan and dutifully dresses up my beautiful nieces in flames gear just to get to me. last time this happened, my five year old niece actually said "i'm going to go change my flames shirt, it makes uncle chad sad." bless her little soul.
ReplyDeleteps i'm in calgary next weekend. i'm going to go that extra mile and punch an actual flame.
I "accidentially" ran over a Flames fan with my Mazda on the way to work this morning.
ReplyDeleteThat's gross. Don't drive Mazdas.
Hey-oh!
The row with the Canuck fans on the last post brings to mind some interesting dynamics:
ReplyDeleteIt is plausible
- The fact that CGY has 3games against VAN makes the "who to cheer for" pretty interesting.
So -- for tonight:
GOIL!!!!!
Go Flames! (I feel dirty)
Go Wings!
Go Kings!
And on a related topic
ReplyDeleteGo Bears!
What's a Flames fan?
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you Albertans feel even better, here in Ontario we found out this morning that we are going to get an additional 6 weeks of winter...
ReplyDeleteGroundhogs suck...
Where's global warming when you need it...
Some jackass ran me over this morning on the way to work. He kept yelling "GO OILERS"...I think he was driving a Mazda.
ReplyDeleteSome jackass ran me over this morning on the way to work. He kept yelling "GO OILERS"...I think he was driving a Mazda.
ReplyDeleteHee hee. Well played.
awildermode:
ReplyDeleteOh MAN! I almost spat tea all over my laptop at work. You made my day.
Now now Andy, there are some good clubs in that area.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm moving to Vancouver in June.
But I think it's cheaper to watch the games there, so hey, I can still get out to the Oil games easier than I can here.
I predict a stunning Oilers win so that I can be huddled around a radio on my Wedding night in May trying to find out what the score is.
Fuckers.
Some jackass ran me over this morning on the way to work. He kept yelling "GO OILERS"...I think he was driving a Mazda.
ReplyDeleteHey, at least I didn't drag you for 300m down a gravel road. That treatment is reserved for Canuck fans.
That's gross. Don't drive Mazdas.
ReplyDeleteThe Mazda 3 is an excellent choice of automobile, and don't you forget it!
But I think it's cheaper to watch the games there, so hey, I can still get out to the Oil games easier than I can here.
ReplyDeleteNot so.
Not so.
ReplyDeleteWay to crush my hopes and dreams...
"I predict a stunning Oilers win so that I can be huddled around a radio on my Wedding night in May trying to find out what the score is."
ReplyDeleteThis was Game6 SCF for me. Best man was right beside me at the time swearing loud enough that we could probably be heard in the hall where the first dance was going on. No word of a lie, they stopped dinner to announce the score twice.
^^^
ReplyDeleteI should also mention that it wasn't my wedding night, but a cousin's. I'm not whipped yet.
That's why you need to follow the 9 Rules for Planning a Sports-Friendly Wedding. Cmon, guys, get it together.
ReplyDeleteI should add that JJ has a good post up on the Canucks end.
ReplyDeleteI have tonight off, so I can enjoy the game the way it was meant to be enjoyed. I already have my life-size portrait of San Fernando out, surrounded by candles and incense. My cell phone shall be turned off and buried in a concrete bunker for the duration of the game. And I have provided myself with an empty whiskey bottle, so, when the Oilers lose, I can hurl it through the television with the strength of the Incredible Hulk.
ReplyDeleteI also have another whiskey bottle, but that's for drinkin'.
Oh, god, the Oilers are going to lose this game so bad. All the pessimism of the last few years is roaring over me like it was HBomb's Mazda and I had accidentally said that Kiprusoff was a pretty good goaltender. I just hope we keep it within single digits.
(And if we do win, I'm tying my record for "most drunk calls with fans of rival team", previously set when every Roughriders fan I knew called me after the Grey Cup while I was half in the bag.)
I think someone (and not me, since I'm at "work") needs to Photoshop the harpoon from the New England Whalers' logo onto that stupid fucking whale the Canucks have. Then Grabia can print it out and hang it over his desk after the OILERS WIN tonight.
ReplyDeleteAndy:
ReplyDeleteDid you guys completely miss the Olympics? I think so. And as if you wouldn't take a hot chick with the first overall pick, that's a given.
Oh, god, the Oilers are going to lose this game so bad. All the pessimism of the last few years is roaring over me like it was HBomb's Mazda and I had accidentally said that Kiprusoff was a pretty good goaltender.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, brother. I am in a glass case of emotion right now. I'm overwhelmed by a handful of contradictory pangs and pleasures. Do I hope? Do I hide? WHAT DO I DO!!???!!!
Did you guys completely miss the Olympics? I think so.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I know Abboud and I talked about it at some point. He might have had some reasoning for leaving them off. I'll have to ask.
Bob:
ReplyDeleteNice to see another fan of the Blue and Gold around. I thought I was the only one.
We doused a Riders bandana in gasoline and burned it on the end of a hockey stick to pray to the footbal gods for justice after the loss. Looks like it's turing out pretty damn good if you look at that gutted roster and coaching staff.
Nice to see another fan of the Blue and Gold around. I thought I was the only one.
ReplyDeleteYou are. I'm an Eskimos fan, but I'm an Eskimos fan who knows a lot of Roughriders fans, including my dad and his wife. And who, because I'm my usual charming Lord Bobian self even in person, was a natural target for gloating Roughriders fans when they finally achieved something.
"You are."
ReplyDeleteDamn. My search, continues.
LT brought the Weir out again today. I'm being tutored on the lore that is Stan today.
I'm being tutored on the lore that is Stan today.
ReplyDeleteDon't let them trick you. The Beard Mojo did all the heavy lifting.
Sidenote: Gus Johnson just gave me a boner. YES!!!
ReplyDeleteWho is Gus and what are you doing with his Johnson?
ReplyDeleteYawn. I presume you're talking about basketball.
i'm hoping the "tough" guys vancouver has decided to insert into the lineup are the type of fourth line guys that make are fourth line look like world beaters.
ReplyDeleteI think someone (and not me, since I'm at "work") needs to Photoshop the harpoon from the New England Whalers' logo onto that stupid fucking whale the Canucks have.
ReplyDeletecouldn't find a harpoon - how 'bout a shrimp fork?:
http://tinyurl.com/22h27h
damn, you guys haven't even given us vcr fans a chance to get out of bed.
ReplyDeletelittle bit of trivia: going by birthplace, 4 albertans will start for the canucks tonight, including 2 edmontonians. it would've been 5 if not for that bastard keith ballard kneeing raymond. 3 for the oilers, including only 1 edmontonian, the saint himself.
so, in the cosmic scheme of things, we're the ones playing at home tonight. that's what should really worry you...
Don't forget Robert Nilson....born in Calgary:o)
ReplyDeleteLooks like Roli is starting tonight. I thought for sure they'd go back to Garon!
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of "sticking a fork in 'em", but I suspect that might be a bit more hubris than I'm comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteThis harpoon: http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=5440
I was nervous about this game already. Roli makes me more nervous.
ReplyDelete"that stupid fucking whale the Canucks have"
ReplyDeleteWhale? That's not a Penguin jumping over a keyboard?
Looks like Roli is starting tonight. I thought for sure they'd go back to Garon!
ReplyDeleteNow I know what Napoleon's soldiers must have felt when somebody said "looks like we're invading Russia!"
It's gotta be a feint.
ReplyDeleteI was also at a wedding for G6 of the SCF. It was one of my best friends but he didn't include me in his wedding party so I told him that I would only join the festivities once the game was in hand.
ReplyDeleteNote: I honestly expected the Oilers to own the Canes because Raffi had knocked the shit out of half the roster.
Anyway, I went to the suppers, cabbed back home for the first period and then went back to the hall to watch the second. It happened to be the local K of C so they had a big screen TV there and I got to enjoy it in style.
It's gotta be a feint.
ReplyDeleteI really, really wish I could believe MacTavish was that smart.
damn, you guys haven't even given us vcr fans a chance to get out of bed.
ReplyDeleteVCR???
Blu-Ray, man. At least go with DVD...keep up with that changes.
damn, you guys haven't even given us vcr fans a chance to get out of bed.
ReplyDeleteVCR???
Blu-Ray, man. At least go with DVD...keep up with that changes.
you guys just don't have answers to the cosmic imbalance, do you? or is it so troubling for a fan base that is feeding off hopes and prayers to the saintly pisani, that no answer can be uttered?
"It happened to be the local K of C so they had a big screen TV there and I got to enjoy it in style."
ReplyDeleteI don't know much for acronyms, but that better be Knights of Columbus, and not Kentucky fried Chicken.
dennis's story reminds me of a wedding I went to at the Kingsway Legion hall. The Oilers were playing the Canucks that year during a late season playoff drive (they were destined to bow out to Dallas, I forget which time). Anyway, I ducked out of the ghetto wedding to catch the OT. The 'nucks scored early, which elicited a hearty "Fuck!" from yours truly, which shook more than a few of the veterans in attendance out of their draft beer reverie.
ReplyDeleteI expect to make some similar exclamations this evening.
am i the only one who finds it ironic that both vancouver and calgary lead the oilers by 5 overtime losses in the standings? clearly we didn't take it to overtime near enough this year.
ReplyDeleteps let's all ignore the fact that the oilers handed vancouver 3 of those points.
Looks like Roli is starting tonight.
ReplyDeleteOh, no. Poor lateral movement=game Over. This is going to be one of those MacT gaffes along the lines of, "oh, we won't have our second-best goalie dressed in the playoffs, we're going to rotate between the second and third guys out of a sense of decency." That worked out well for us.
@doritogrande: The only reference to the olympics is found under Rule 2. It reads:
ReplyDeleteOnce every four years, the Winter Olympics take place, but unless someone close to you is competing in the games, that's no reason to delay your wedding.
I don't remember if there was a reason why the Olympics were omitted for the most part. This is a good catch on your part. The rules should probably be amended to note that you should try to avoid the most popular events, but it's a judgment call as to whether or not you eschew the Olympics all together.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteProblem is the Olympics don't exactly run on a set schedule as well, like rule #9. I'd say the Summer Olympics are the one that is toughest to work around, as it's long and usually runs in a spot where there appear to be no other major events (no football, baseball, hockey or basketball playoffs; I'm not sure when Cricket Internationals are played). Damn funny read however. Good stuff.
Gene Principe is an obnoxious fuck.
ReplyDeleteanonymouse:
ReplyDeleteOh come on, he was puttin' on the foil.
I think Principe was sporting wood there. 110 posts between here and LT's site so far and the puck hasn't even dropped.
ReplyDeletelooking pretty grim for the COIL so far... its going to be freak nasty
ReplyDeletenuckles 4, coil 1
sedens a goal each, naslund and burrows the rest
reasoner for the coilers
Nice fucking dive, McGreasyhair.
ReplyDeletewell its official: coils pp is downright disfunctional!!
ReplyDeletemeanwhile flames are dominating the avs early.
Unfreakin believable. Bell has the game in HD for Sportsnet Pacific only, not sportsnet west, even though it is available in standard def on both channels. BRUTAL.
ReplyDeleteGood first period. Lots of good chances on the PP. McGreasyhair looks on point, so getting traffic in front of the net is going to be important.
ReplyDeleteRoad whites? That is so wrong.
I am really, really hoping for some Pisani magic pretty quick now.
ReplyDeleteGo Gauchos!
ReplyDeleteI said it on Lowetide, but I'm going to say it here too.
ReplyDeleteFuckin' Staios.
OK. What moron thought starting Roloson was a good idea.
ReplyDeleteOh...right.
Meh. Win some, lose some.
ReplyDeletei told you, the oilers need some more alberta boys on the team...
ReplyDeleteyeah, not roloson's best game.
The other day I let myself think a bit foolishly about the Oilers actually making the playoffs. I was wondering how they'd do sorta thing.
ReplyDeleteQuestion answered I think. Stoopid me.
Crosby!
Best part of the game not counting my Nucks winnin was...
ReplyDeleteWait for it...
Laddy Smid throwin the mitts against Rypien :) That made me a Smid fan til he proves me wrong. I mean, what the heck :) Rypien had a great toe-to-toe with Carcillo the other night, and Smid actually wanted to go.
Anyways, I know that reality has been the order for the Oil and there playoff aspirations on this site, but its pretty much officially now over. Colorado is a sleepin giant and well, its fully over.
However, as a hockey fan and hopefully somewhat of a knowledgable man,I have to say that your Oilers DO have a good future. I have heard the "wait til next year" for years, but truthfully, with maybe a top 6 forward, and solid stay at home dman and someone to share with Garon the net protection. You might have a real contender for at least the playoffs next year.
So yeah, cheers.
Man, did I ever get lucky. I fell asleep on the couch, and missed the last two periods in their entirety.
ReplyDeleteIt pains me to say it, but we can not beat this team when it matters. And it looks like the decision to play Roli did little to aid our chances. Too bad.
Vancouver has taken 21 of the last 24 points VS the Oil. Pretty dominant any way you slice it.
ReplyDeleteYou have to admit, guys. It was a hell of a run while it lasted. I doubt we're going to experience something like [i]that[/i] again anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteTrevor Linden.
ReplyDelete*Squeeeeeeeee*
Relax Oil fans. The Preds are going nowhere, the Avs are going to tank, and you'll be handed the 8th seed.