Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
There isn't really any conspiracy. Oilers are unashamedly embarrassing at patting themselves on their backs. They never stopped patting themselves on their backs even through them being the most embarrassing team in all of professional sports. That's who they are. I don't want the Flames to be like this.
|
Definitely not a conspiracy. There is nothing about Edmonton or their tacky franchise that is so special, it warrants special treatment. If the same historical scenario played out anywhere, the effect would be the same.
I hate the saying, but it applies here. It is what it is. Generational players and dynasties build feedback loops that continue for generations. The Habs are still benefiting from a legacy that isn't even in living memory for most fans these days. Dead players from those teams have almost the same marketability as the ones living today. Franchises can live off of that for a long time and creates its own gravity both for retaining fans and players. I doubt McDavid was at all thrilled about going to Edmonton, but there probably was a silver lining about going to a franchise with some lore around it.
Greyshep has it right. It's the front runner mentality of casual fans that really drives the media narrative. The Oilers built a brand in the 1980s and once a brand is built, it is hard to dismantle it. The fandom gets passed down to the next generation of fans. It was a huge factor in how the media and casual NHL fans were able to look past a decade of futility and still have them on a pedestal.
As Flames fans, we have a separate impression of what the brand means, but for people not so close to ground zero, it's easy to look past how the Oilers got there and exclude that from the brand. The Flames tried to build a brand by having a never say die attitude and taking pride in doing things the hard way. While these are nice qualities and something to be proud about, nobody outside of die hard fans care about those things. It doesn't sell advertising space on TSN, CBC, or Sportsnet.