Champions of Mediocrity
In 1979 Edmonton welcomed its first professional hockey team, and the city’s sporting culture was forever changed. Hockey is widely regarded as an immense contribution to the sense of Canadian pride and culture. In Edmonton, Canada’s northernmost major city, the NHL season provides many dedicated fans with a diversion during its harsh and frigid winters. From October to April the city streets are decked with copper and blue paraphernalia as fans prove intense passion for their Edmonton Oilers. Games at Rexall Place sell out on a nightly basis and season tickets are almost impossible to purchase. Considering this strong level of devotion on behalf of the fans, would one not expect the same on behalf of the organization?
During the 1980s this was indeed the case. The Oilers organization provided dedication to its fans through its acquisition of superstars like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, and Paul Coffey. The fans were treated to a winning and passionate team and hardworking management. During this era Edmonton was dubbed the “City of Champions” and citizens could proudly boast of its sporting franchises’ successes, especially those of the Oilers. They could talk about the effort both on the ice and in the management offices. However, the successes did not hold out forever and the 1990s proved to be an abysmal time for the hockey club. Things did not look up until after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, when the Oilers were finally able to procure superstar talent in the form of Chris Pronger, who was backed up by the likes of Jaroslav Spacek, Michael Peca and Sergei Samsonov. During the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs the team succeeded in wining the Western Conference only to lose in the finals. This Cinderella run proved to be unsustainable and in the summer of that year, the team was forced to trade away nearly all of its newly acquired talent. Things worsened in the spring of 2007 when Ryan Smyth was traded at the deadline and the team proceeded to win only 2 of its 19 remaining games. The 2007-2008 season also ended badly, as the team failed to reach the playoffs for the second straight year.
This season, the organization was expected to drastically improve. Yet thus far little has changed. Indeed the team has posted some of its worst losses in the club’s history, losing to Chicago 9-2 and to Buffalo 10-2, even though both games were played on home ice. The team is seemingly unable to remain consistent and is therefore constantly in and out of a playoff berth. Worse yet is the team’s lack of desire on the ice, Dustin Penner in particular has been called out by coach Craig McTavish in the media for being lazy on the ice. For the over inflated salary he received in the summer of 2007 ($4.25M per season), he hardly provides any effort. Penner’s lack of competitiveness and drive clearly demonstrates an absence of commitment to the fans. The recent trade of goalie Mathieu Garon for Danny Sabourin also points to the Oilers management’s inability to alleviate the team’s goaltending situation. This was evident in the 10-2 loss, when Jeff Drouin-Delauriers was clearly incapable of relieving Dwayne Roloson after three goals. The situation is worsened when Roloson’s age is taken into account - he will turn 40 next October.
Another problem with the team is lack of secondary scoring. While Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff are playing well this season, the team should not be required to depend on them entirely. Thus far the Oilers have been relying on defencemen to contribute offensively, but if the team wants to push through the post-season, Erik Cole, Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano will have to improve drastically.
At the halfway point of the 2008-2009 run, the Oilers have managed to put a mediocre team on the ice, which may or may not make the post season. Edmontonians deserve more than mediocre and inconsistent. They deserve a winning team. For the second half of the season it would be nice to see a more complete effort given to Oilers supporters.