Welcome to Friday’s Burning Questions, a weekly feature answering queries submitted by actual readers. The world is packed with stupid people. Walk out your front door, throw a stone in any direction and you’re bound to hit one. However, there are no stupid questions, so get them in by Twitter to @rygarner or e-mail at [email protected].
Can the underlying issue with the goalies be the coaching by Freddie Chabot?
Kevin B.
At this point, Chabot’s front yard has to be packed with RE/MAX and Century 21 signs, right? After each Oilers loss, a growing number of disgruntled fans dial up Edmonton sports talk radio shows to call for Chabot’s head, complaining that his tutelage is to blame for the team’s goaltending woes. They’ve got it all wrong. Chabot is a convenient scapegoat, but I would argue that he’s being asked to turn chicken turds into chicken salad, and that’s been his mandate ever since he arrived in the City of Champions.
I’m not saying a goalie coach can’t have a positive impact, because netminders around the league credit them for increased mental focus, instilling practical techniques and improving positioning. However, Viktor Fasth and Ben Scrivens aren’t prized pupils, they’re middling backups. That’s what they were before they came in Edmonton and, unsurprisingly, that’s what they’ve been since they arrived. It’s hard to argue that any goalie coach could turn Fasth or Scrivens into anything more, so ease up on Chabot.
What were Tambellini's top 5 moves, not counting 1st round draft picks?
Ian C.
You might be wondering why Friday’s Burning Questions is being posted on a Saturday. The answer is simple. I got to this question and just stared at the screen for 45 minutes, frozen in a state of catatonic despair, before getting upset and quitting. Steve Tambellini tainted the Oilers organization so thoroughly, I have a difficult time watching Rambo movies because they remind me of Tambo’s nearly constant stream of failures from 2008 to 2013. However, looking back, here are his top five moves.
5) April 2010, Fired Kevin Prendergast – Prendergast was an unmitigated disaster as head scout, VP of hockey operations, and assistant GM. I’m tempted to compare his career arc to Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now, but the character portrayed by Marlon Brando was respected and competent before misplacing his marbles.
4) July 2009, Signed Nikolai Khabibulin – Khabibulin had performance, injury, and off-ice issues during his time in Edmonton, but at least Tambellini had the right idea bringing in the enigmatic Russian goaltender. Khabibiulin had won a Stanley Cup, was playing well at the time, and had plenty of experience as a starting netminder.
3) July 2012, Signed Justin Schultz – Today, the Oilers find themselves married to a 24-year-old defenceman who looks light years from having the composure or confidence of fellow 24-year-old defencemen Drew Doughty or Erik Karlsson. However, regardless of how things look today, the Schultz signing was impressive at the time.
2) June 2011, Traded for Ryan Smyth – You can’t give Tambellini much credit for bringing the most beloved Oiler of the last 20 years back to the fold, because the mulleted wonder was demanding to be dealt back to Edmonton. However, he could have found a way to screw things up, and almost did by sending the Los Angeles Kings damaged goods.
1) August 2012, Taylor Hall Signs Seven-Year Contract Extension – Hall is signed for $6 million per season through 2019-20. The deal is already considered one of the best in the entire NHL, and there’s another five-plus seasons remaining until the elite left winger’s sentence (oops, I mean contract) expires. It’s the best thing Tambellini ever did, hands down.
Ference looks better by eye this year. What's been the difference?
Aaron B.
I agree that the optics on Ference are better this season, and I think there are two reasons for it. First, he’s stepped up his physical game. Last season, he averaged 1.9 hits per game, and had the second-most among Oilers defencemen. This season, he’s averaging 2.4 hits per game, leading the team’s blueliners, and you can see him making an effort to rub people out along the wall and eliminate the attack. Plus, he’s not doing as much dancing around in open ice, keeping things simple and staying in his lane.
Second, it looks like he’s having a greater impact because he’s the only Oilers defenceman (minus Keith Aulie) who’s bringing consistent physicality. Jeff Petry is coasting. After a team-high 181 hits last season, averaging 2.26 per game, Petry is averaging 1.56 per game this year. Even Schultz is hitting less (0.4 last year vs. 0.29). Anton Belov and Nick Schultz were hitters, but comparatively non-contact defencemen like Nikita Nikitin and Mark Fayne put more of a spotlight on Ference when he decides to dish it out.
We don’t know much about you except that you live in Jamaica and hate Eberle. Fill us in.
1) What’s your favorite sandwich?
2) Do you like reality TV shows?
3) Do you have any weird fears or phobias?
4) What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
5) Seen any good movies lately?
Tommy F.
I don’t hate Jordan Eberle at all. I think he’s a fantastically skilled player who decides to take shifts off, piggybacks off better linemates, and always has an excuse. Nobody complains about hitting posts or being snakebitten more than Eberle, but if he brought it every shift, every night, we wouldn’t hear nearly as much griping, from either the talented winger or the fans who know he can deliver more.
1) From the cheesesteak to the hoagie, I love sandwiches. They taste great, and they’re one of the few things I can make without fear of poisoning myself or burning the house down. This is a tough call, but I have to go with a heaping hot pastrami with swiss cheese on a soft roll. Damn, now I’m starving.
2) I’m not a fan of reality TV. I think Pawn Stars is the only thing I watch that could be called a reality show. Most of them are depressing, and I have a theory that every couple that appears in a reality show ends up getting divorced—Hogan, Gosselin, Lachey—heck, even that dwarf couple broke up!
3) I have an irrational fear of really tall women. I don’t know why, they just freak me out. When I was working in California, I was cornered in the break room one day by a woman who had to have been at least 6-foot-3. She towered over me and started asking me questions, like how my day was going. I couldn’t even respond, I just made a break for the door and never looked back.
4) When I was in college, I had a job selling print advertising for the University of Utah school newspaper, cold-calling restaurants. The job sucked and I sucked at it. My boss once told me I couldn’t sell ice cream to middle-aged women. I figured it would be a good way to make some contacts and eventually shift over to the editorial side, but I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my entire life.
5) I saw an outstanding movie a couple weeks back called Defending Your Life. Trust me on this one folks, it’s worth the time. I give it two thumbs up, both wishing that I had bigger thumbs and more of them. Funny, heartwarming and thought-provoking, it’s one of those movies that you could recommend without fear of losing a friendship or the trust of those close to you.
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