Quote:
Originally Posted by Groot
It's pretty ironic to try and use either team as an example.
There are dozens of articles about the culture changing in Florida over the past few years. Tkachuk is a player credited with changing the culture. They drafted 1st and 2nd overall and then continued to suck for 7 years, until they made a conscious effort to change the culture.
Winning didn't overcome the loser culture in Edmonton and turn the team around, drafting a player in the conversation with Gretzky and Lemieux did. The difference in what culture the teams have created was clearly evident in last night's game.
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Tkachuk is/was an elite player. That's the point. They didn't overpay some veteran to instill a culture into the team, they cast off their ineffective talent for an effective talent.
The Oilers will always have a loser culture but they have 2 guys elite enough to almost overcome it.
Good players win.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
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