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A Blog About That Blog

August 1, 2018, 5:46 PM ET [148 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


Some of you might be aware of a recent blog written by a disgruntled Oilers fan Brett Barrett that has gone around the interwebs over the past few days. For those who aren't, in short Mr. Barrett describes the fact that his love of the Oilers had diminished over the years and which has resulted in him choosing to no longer cheer for the team he has idolized his entire life.

Mr. Barrett wrote a letter to the Oilers organization detailing his many gripes and after a couple of months he did receive a letter from Bob Nicholson. The letter may simply have been a pre-prepared document that switched out the name in question but it was a respond. Nicholson speaks of patience as well as "The Plan" that will certainly return the team to the playoffs. The best part of the entire letter was this passage;

I'm confident we've got some good young players coming up and I think Peter's commitment to bringing further depth to the team was showcased with the recent signing of Finnish goalie Mikko Koskinen and the signing of forward Patrick Russell, who represented Denmark at the 2018 World Hockey Championship last month.


The "depth showcased" is a 30 year old goaltender who has played a total of 4 NHL games 8 years ago, and an AHL forward who had 27 points last season. It's hard not to laugh when these are the names brought up to detail the great depth that has been acquired. Reading this it is hard to not grow disillusioned with the franchise.

This gentleman joins the growing group of people who are sick and tired of listening to management preach patience while other teams around the league get to have their cake and eat it too. Sports and being a fan is something that should be enjoyed and quite frankly the Oilers organization has made that a difficult thing to accomplish over the past decade.

Now some of you are already rolling your eyes and prepared to berate me for writing "another Chiarelli hate blog." You are more than welcome to do so. I'm not going to try and tell anyone how they should support or cheer for their team. This situation made me want to better explain why I am so tough on this organization at times and will analyze many moves with skepticism.

This isn't about Chiarelli, or Hall, or Katz or any specific individual. It's about you guys because quite frankly you all deserve so much better from the team many of you have cheered for long before I was born.

Writers, bloggers, those who work in mainstream media, I believe it is all of our duty to look at the decisions made by the respective franchises we cover with scrutiny. Not because we are looking for fault, but because it is no longer acceptable to simply trust people because they are in charge. The Oilers for one have more than enough yes-men that work for them. Whether in sports, politics, or the corporate world I am a firm believer that media exists to voice the opinions of the masses and ensure those in charge see that others may not agree with the way they are doing things.

Some of you might think myself and those who share my beliefs enjoy beating this dead horse again and again. We don't. Nothing would make any of us more happy than to write about what should be an exciting beginning to the season, who we think will surprise in the playoffs, or what deadline acquisition will push us from playoff contender to Cup Contender.

Stories like Brett's are growing increasingly more common and that isn't something that should go unnoticed. By no means am I suggesting others to do the same, burn jerseys or boycott games. This whole internet thing doesn't seem to be going away any time soon and it has created a place where everyone can find a platform to voice their opinions. Write your comments in these boards, send the team an @ on Twitter, call in to a radio station. Be heard.

I will continue to write both the good and the bad about this team. Not everyone will agree with everything I write but there will always be conversation and sometimes you would be surprised how far a little conversation can go.

As always, thanks for reading.
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