My nephew made my day recently.

Nephew #2 is named Tim and he is a Department Manager for a sporting goods store in Edmonton. Nephew #1, his brother Brad, lives in Edmonton, and both join me once per season for our annual Oilers game ruckus. I shouldn't say "ruckus" because we're all actually all extremely lame...no drinking, we don't fight in the stands...mostly, the worst we do is heckle. Back when Mike Comrie was an Oiler the first time, Tim and I kept yelling to the press (we were real high up in the stands that night) that the official nickname for Mike should be The Curmudgeon, because that's how he plays. That was back in Mike's 30 goal days he was sort of fiesty like another smaller player known as Theo Fleury. If anyone was a curmudgeon, it was Theo.

Nephew #2 is an even bigger Oiler fan than I am. He also plays a mean guitar, and has appeared on stage with Green Day and Weezer. One time, when he was on stage with Green Day, he concluded his performance by launching into what could be described as the most dysfunctional stage dive in history, jumping feet first. He almost decapitated the first row. Sorry, I am off topic. I just have really cool nephews.

Tim provided me with an unexpected thrill the other day, when he informed me that someone had made a Maxbone Sucks website. I have no idea where it is, who writes on, and why I anger them so much...but wow, talk about an ego trip. Someone dislikes me enough to bash me on the web. I feel like Howard Berger illegitimate son.

Apparently the person heckling me thinks I am a terrible reporter from an Edmonton-area newspaper. And seriously, if I were a journalist, it would be fair to say I stink. I am not a professional writer, and have no education or experience in covering sporting events. I am just some random guy, from a small random Alberta town, who loves hockey and loves to ramble. Nobody, except for the writer named Zombie on this web page, seems to take me seriously, and that's a positive. I love it when Zombie bashes me too. More often than not, I agree with what he says. He's clearly a bright lad.

At the end of the day, hockey is just a sport. It was invented and survived because the people playing it had fun. Do you know when I stop watching Oilers hockey? When it isn't fun, like it has been the last couple of weeks. I can remember one Oiler team...I forget the year, but it was after Mess and Gretz were traded for magic beans...The talent level on the team stunk, but the players played hard and with passion, and watching them lose seemed enjoyable. But now? The Oilers, if they were healthy, would have the horses to be a pretty good team. Watching them lose games like the 7 - 3 defeat to the overrated Canucks is painful and hard to swallow.

It isn't just the games themselves that provide entertainment. Think about things like this website, for example. Have you ever noticed people log in here to complain about Eklund every single day? It's cool and I am sure Eklund laughs his ass off at it. I mean, why do people come here just to complain about Eklund, or Berger, or even me? They do it because they love hockey, they do it because they recognize that hockey is fun, and they do it because they need something to bring joy to their meaningless and empty lives. See, I can dish it out and take it with a smile! Like The Rock said once to Y2J, "just bring it!"

Oiler fans have a right to be frustrated this year, but the focus I think (and I think most fans will agree with it) is that Pat Quinn and crew need to assemble a group of players who compete hard every game, and doing so will take time. If there has been a cancer in Oilerville it has been that not everyone seems motivated. This has everything to do with the fun factor.

Watch Gilbert Brule play right now if you need an example. Scoring, he's happy. Hitting, he's happy. Here's a guy who loves playin' in the NHL, has paid some dues, and is wanting to compete. Lowe, Tambi and Quinn, bring us more of those guys! In the words of Don Cherry, players who, "hit, or fight, or do something."

Don't abandon the Oilers, my friends, and don't forget to have fun this season. The Oilers are gonna get better, I promise. They might be out of the playoffs this year, but great things are close to occurring.

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