It's Wednesday. It's also the day I get to participate in the noon-hour "Welcome the Sports Teams" thingy at Portage College, the place of my employment. It seems like only yesterday Portage College got a hockey team, the Voyageurs, to call their own. They have zippy jerseys too...kinda remind me of the old Hartford Whalers green 'n' blue with the whale tail. Somewhere, Peter Griffin is going, "hahahaha...whale tail."
Hey, do any of you remember the time Gretzky and Kurri were injured, and the Oilers played against Hartford, who were terrible at the time, and lost 11 - 0? I loved that game. Rod Phillips call of it should be at the Hall of Fame.
I'm going to enjoy going to Voyageur games this year. Back when I was a little kid...we're talking late 1970's...I use to go watch the Lac La Biche senior men's hockey team called the Clippers. All I can remember about the games is my Uncle Bert, who cheered for the hated rival team from Plamondon, walking up and down the isles screaming his head off at, well, everyone. The players on his team, the opposing players, the refs, the fans. I seem to remember him being hauled out of the rink by my parents a few times, so he wouldn't get beaten by the rest of the crowd. Going way back, I can also remember the first time I saw the movie Slapshot, and my first comment about it was, "geez, this looks like a Plamondon/Lac La Biche game!" Was hockey more idiotic, yet more entertaining back then, or is it just me?
Anyway, the Voyageurs are going to tear up the college league this year. I can feel it. Hey, maybe we could get Souray to come play here? Justa thought.
Moving on - The Baby Oilers beat the Baby Flames on Tuesday, and they did it without the Rookie 3 (still trying to find a collective name for Eberle/Hall/Paajarvi). Tyler Bunz kicked ass in net for the Oilers, making 34 saves. How sick is that guy going to be of hearing butt jokes during his career? The player who really impressed for the second game in a row was defenseman Alex Plante. Let's talk about him for a second.
Back when he was drafted 15th overall, a few picks after that Gagner guy, I remember TSN showing video highlights of Plante playing. And what did the video show? Some huge guy tripping over his own feet along the boards while running over an unfortunate 16 year-old. The Oilers pride themselves on being perhaps the quickest skating team in the league...been that way for many years too...so Plante seemed like a bit of an odd choice. After he was drafted 15th overall in 2007, the next few years seemed like a bit of a blur in respect to Alex's development. One serious injury in particular slowed things down, and many of us Oilers fans...I know I kinda did...wrote this kid off as a bad draft pick.
Plante, now 21, suddenly looks like a front-runner for the somewhat vacant 6th defenseman position in Edmonton. He's a big body (6' 4", 225); his injury woes are behind him, he's improved his skating, and he has a big shot from the point. What's not to like? He can hit, fight, move the puck, take out the trash and your sister. He's been impressive at the Young Stars tourny, and I can't wait to see how he holds up once "real" camp begins in a few days. Sure would be nice to see another rookie rightfully crack the Oilers line-up this season.
Next up - Couldn't help but notice all the grumbling and complaints about my trade suggestions involving Souray. What's the matter with you people, anyway? You're obviously testy about the season not starting yet. It's okay; I am unhappy it hasn't started too. I watched an interesting interview with journalist Mark Spector tonight, and he seems to think Souray will end up playing in Oklahoma City until the Oilers can find a deal for him. Make sense, I guess. Much of the arguments I've been having with the usual suspects on my blog have been in relation to the suggestion that the Oilers MUST deal Souray immediately for a horrifying return. I can't see it happening, and I'll tell you why: Oilers GM Steve Tambellini would rather get nothing than bring someone in who could harm the team in any way. Case-in-point: He'd rather pay Souray a boatload of money to sit on his ass than to be in the Oilers locker-room, where he could, potentially, bad mouth the team to the stack of impressionable youngsters. And besides that, Tambi is sending a message right now, that the Oilers are sick of being the league's joke, and the players that use to run the show in Edmonton for far too long must now fall back in line.
All of this being said, I am still not convinced Souray won't get traded soon. Why? Because some GM's still believe he might be able to improve their hockey club if he is healthy. The return for Souray in trade will be small if he goes alone, but the Oilers won't accept a massive contract headache like Wade Redden or a headcase like Sean Avery in a deal. Like I said, the Oilers are done being the league's joke.
And to all of you who continue to point out no one took Souray when he was placed on waivers: Look at the calendar. The new season is quickly approaching, and some teams will be more desperate to fill holes in their roster once training camp begins. During the summer when Souray was made available, most teams were still assessing their needs. Taking on a contract the size of Souray's is a commitment, and teams weren't prepared to make it at that time. A few teams...especially the better ones who still have cap space...will think about giving Souray a chance if they see a hole on their blueline before the season begins. Watch and see.
Final note - Call me a homer fellow readers, but there is something in the air in Edmonton this season. Everyone is saying how bad Edmonton's defense is, but those who do aren't being objective. Hey, people bash the Oilers for no reason the way I make jokes about other teams. It's part of the whole hockey-bravado thing us die-hard fans like to participate in. Numerous people keep saying all the rookies and youngsters in Edmonton won't contribute significantly because of their lack of experience, but watch the Rookie 3 on the ice for a while and ask yourself if there is a difference between being young and being good. The biggest question mark for me right now is goaltending, but Nikolai Khabibulin...and let's be honest about this...is a pretty good goaltender. He certainly will provide better 'tending than Deslauriers and Dubnyk did last season.
This team...and I'm being serious here...is going to challenge for a playoff spot; perhaps at the expense of a team like Calgary that should, on paper, be better than Edmonton. I will certainly enjoy watching the Oilers pre-season games against the Flames to see how the youngsters in particular perform against the Calgary D which is suppose to be much better than Edmonton's.
Grab a beer and enjoy the show, folks. Hockey is about to get fun again at Rexall Place.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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