I’ve been fired. I’ve been dumped. I paid $9.50 to see The Simpsons Movie. Each of us experiences disappointment during our lives, and everyone deals with it differently. Some might look to friends or family to help ease the pain, sharing their trials with people who can relate. Others might turn to a big old carton of Haagen-Dazs, gorging themselves on the guilt-ridden goodness of ice cream. For me, the best coping mechanism has always been Jon Secada.
I first discovered Secada when I was 12 years old. We had nothing in common—he being a Cuban-born Grammy-winning latin pop singer, me being a Canadian-born adolescent who had once won a poetry competition—but his music spoke to me. It was smooth and soulful, and it gave voice to feelings I had yet to experience in my young life. I don’t listen to Secada often, but whenever life gets stormy I turn to his self-titled debut album and the pain melts away.
Stormy doesn’t even begin to describe the Edmonton Oilers’ current plight. Right now the Oilers are facing a magnitude 9.2 earthquake, rumbling underneath an F4 tornado, in the midst of a category 5 hurricane. It’s a full-blown disaster, and the Heartland of Hockey is a state of emergency. The Oilers have allowed 22 goals in four games, losing all four, and the 2014-15 season is already in shambles. At this rate, how many jerseys hit the ice Friday against Vancouver?
There are too many problem areas to address them all, and I don’t want to relive what just happened, so let’s simply focus on goaltending. Wednesday night’s 7-4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes was the second game of the season that can be thrown at Ben Scrivens’ feet. It also happened to be his second start of the season, and with Viktor Fasth out of the lineup due to a groin injury there’s nobody else to turn to for relief. Richard Bachman isn’t going to be an upgrade.
Of course, Scrivens isn’t the only one to blame. The Oilers’ defensive coverage is a circus, falling apart whenever the opposition decides to stop taking shifts off, but the goaltender has to make saves to bail the team out. We saw it last season when the wheels came off Devan Dubnyk. If the goaltender can’t be trusted as the last line of defence it puts everyone on edge, destroying any system the coach has attempted to put into place. You can’t fix horrible goaltending.
What happens next? Looking at Craig MacTavish’s previous netminding solutions (Bryzgalov, Fasth, Scrivens), I have zero confidence in his ability to fix things by bringing in an actual NHL starting goaltender. Instead of securing the position long-term he went the el-cheapo route, dealing third-round draft picks for career backups who were deemed expendable by division rivals. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Or, in this case, refuse to pay for.
It’s obvious that Obliterated For McDavid is in full swing, and the Oilers are still searching for their first victory of the season. If you’re frustrated, just do what I do and crank up Secada. Pick any song from Secada’s self-titled debut and just let the anxiety subside, floating in a sea of tranquility. Hits like “Just Another Day” and “Do You Believe In Us” are sure to lighten your mood and brighten your day, but if those don’t do the trick turn to the last resort: “I’m Free.”
For the uninitiated, “I’m Free” is the ultimate song to lead you through your darkest day. Give it a shot Oiler fans, following these pitch-perfect lyrics that coincide with the team’s ongoing debacle, lending some much-needed perspective. Go ahead, try it out and see for yourself. But don’t thank me, thank Secada.
Do you see what I see
A rainbow shining over us
In the middle of a hopeless storm
Sometimes I'm blinded by my feelings
And I can't see beyond my troubled mind
Afraid of what I'll find
The story of our lives
But there's tomorrow.
[Chorus]
Cause I'm free, I'm free
And things are only as important
As I want them to be
We'll have a breath of sunshine
When the rain goes away
I pray, I pray.
Do you need a friend right now
In the road that you're going to
If you get lost just call me I'll be there
Yes I'll be right there
Cause though I may not have the answer
At least I know what I'm looking for.
Yes I can do without sorrow
There's a day after tomorrow
So I'm leaving behind.
[Chorus]
I'm free, I'm free
And things are only as important
As I want them to be
We'll have a breath of sunshine
When the rain goes away
I pray, I pray.
And if you want to share my dreams
Well all you have to do is say it, say it
Let me hear you loud and clear
Cause I need you if you wanna be, if you wanna be.
Do you see what I see
A rainbow shining over us
In the middle of a hopeless storm
We'll be safe and warm.
[Repeat chorus]
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Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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