Edmonton is No Good Episode 4: New Rink, Same Stink

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by AlbertaOiler72

opinion, not fact



kinda sad you have to put a city down to make you feel better about yourself.

It's kinda sad you have to seek validation from your rivals to feel better about yourself.

[wired]

I moved back from Calgary last January due to lack of work for my wife. She landed a sweet gig at the U of A.
I don't mind living in either city. It is true that Edmonton is far more industrial than Calgary.
Both places have good things to offer.
Some forum members have their opinion, and seem to feel the need to shout it out loud as often as possible.

[AlbertaOiler72]

Originally Posted by 2macinnis2

I never was focusing on bashing Edmonton as a city. I was simply making the point I think McDavid never really had any interest in playing there. I can't imagine that has changed.

Also, don't think for one second it isn't lost on the league that they have their potentially crown jewel playing at 1030 pm EST in a small market. For a sport that is in a constant state of urgency to grow in North America, getting McDavid into a better market with good EST game times would be a boon.

McDavid won't spend his career in Edmonton. I'd put the chances of him playing for another team by age 28 at like 75%.

first you say its "he's gone in 4 years"

now its " I'd put the chances of him playing for another team by age 28 at like 75%"

make up your mind lol

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Okay, old-guy question here.

Does anyone recall there being this many Oilers supporters in the city when the Battle of Alberta was still a thing in the 80s and 90s?

What the f*** happened to this city? How can Oilers fans openly cheer for their team in bars here?

Ultimately, the Battle of Alberta now is a lot less than what it was in the 80's and early 90's. The number of fans is about the same, but the level of hatred for your arch rival just isn't there.

Back in the mid 80's to 90's - wearing Oiler colors in Calgary (and vs vs) was like walking into Crips gang turf wearing Bloods colors. It could be a sweet old lady crossing the street wearing a Tikkanen jersey and you'd be planning ways to splash her with your car. The hate was real, and intense between our two cities.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Well in that case then, plan the parade. 7 wins in one playoff! Woooo

30 other teams would call that 9 wins short of a parade. The Oilers are putting up plaques and banners and throwing "Fellate Connor!" parties with streamers.

[oldschoolcalgary]

i hate the Oilers as much as anyone here...

However, didn't mind the City of Edmonton when I lived there for a brief 6 month period (granted i was lucky enough to miss winter)... it was quite nice and there are definitely nice areas...

The people whom I've dealt with are great, salt of the earth folks... really lovely people.

I just make sure never to talk too much hockey with any of them, just to ensure not getting into an argument!

[redforever]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Okay, old-guy question here.

Does anyone recall there being this many Oilers supporters in the city when the Battle of Alberta was still a thing in the 80s and 90s?

Because some of my co-workers went out to watch the game last night, and apparently only one cheered against the Oilers. The others were either Oilers fans, or they just went along with it. Apparently the entire bar was full of Oilers supporters.

Same with my kids' school. Half their classmates cheer for the Oilers.

In 1990, you would never see a full bar of people in Calgary cheering for the Oilers. In fact, it was almost unheard for anyone to openly cheer for the Oilers in this city at all, unless they were prepared for relentless chirping from every other bystander.

I don't even recall there being many transplanted Edmontonians in this city in the 80s and 90s. Was there a massive influx in the 2000s or something?

What the f*** happened to this city? How can Oilers fans openly cheer for their team in bars here?

Always been Oiler fans in Calgary...at the games and other venues. I don't think they were as brightly attired in orange and never had orange pompoms but Oiler fans were always present in Calgary. I think that was due to the fact that they had an NHL team before Calgary and they had Gretzky.

We pretty well got tickets as soon as the Flames came to town and I could not believe how many Oiler fans were present at Flames games. You could hardly distinguish cheering when the Flames scored compared to cheering for when the Oilers scored.

[2macinnis2]

Originally Posted by AlbertaOiler72

first you say its "he's gone in 4 years"

now its " I'd put the chances of him playing for another team by age 28 at like 75%"

make up your mind lol

Actually, I said if I were an Oilers fan I'd be terrified he's he will leave, and obviously the earliest that happens is when he's 25. That's probably closer to 50-50. A 50% chance my team will return to being perennial lottery ballers in just a few years would scare me.

I think odds are significantly better than not that he plays much of his prime elsewhere. The chances he plays his whole career in Edmonton are probably closer to single digits.

If he was a kid from Western Canada I'd feel differently. But he's not. and it won't help the Oilers that the league and PA will probably ultimately do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable and not traitorous (and certainly not villify him) about a move.

[amazing_oilers]

I agree it's doubtful that McDavid plays his entire career in Edmonton. Players rarely do. He will likely play his prime years with the Oilers and that's good enough for me.

[amazing_oilers]

Originally Posted by 2macinnis2

Actually, I said if I were an Oilers fan I'd be terrified he's he will leave, and obviously the earliest that happens is when he's 25. That's probably closer to 50-50. A 50% chance my team will return to being perennial lottery ballers in just a few years would scare me.

I think odds are significantly better than not that he plays much of his prime elsewhere. The chances he plays his whole career in Edmonton are probably closer to single digits.

If he was a kid from Western Canada I'd feel differently. But he's not. and it won't help the Oilers that the league and PA will probably ultimately do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable and not traitorous (and certainly not villify him) about a move.

Haha come on. Players don't like playing at home it comes with way too much baggage and extra distractions. As for being fearful of him leaving not a chance. Edmonton has a rich owner, the nicest building in the league, and is a budding contender. Him and Draisaitl will both get long term deals. No advantage to him leaving until the team goes into the next rebuild cycle. (In a decade)

[Dion]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Pittsburgh is decidedly nicer than Edmonton, but it's the Edmonton of American NHL cities (Cleveland would be the best comparable but)

A former Liberal PM (can't remember) said Edmonton isn't the end of the world but you sure can see it from there

[Dion]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

Haha come on. Players don't like playing at home it comes with way too much baggage and extra distractions. As for being fearful of him leaving not a chance. Edmonton has a rich owner, the nicest building in the league, and is a budding contender. Him and Draisaitl will both get long term deals. No advantage to him leaving until the team goes into the next rebuild cycle. (In a decade)

They get one more chance next year before the Oilers descend into Cap hell. Dri is going to get a hefty raise in the off season and McDavid will get his the following summer. Those 2 contracts plus the Lucic will make it very hard for the Oilers to keep their team intact. Some good players will have to be traded in order for the team to fit within the Cap in 2 years.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

... Edmonton has a rich owner, the nicest building in the league, and is a budding contender...

No. No, they are not. The Oilers won a playoff round and were soundly outplayed in the second round.

As for Katz's astonishing wealth, what does that matter to a NHL player? The salary cap limits how much the Oilers are able to spend on their roster, and Katz's net worth does not make any difference between offers for comparable value and what the Oilers will be able to pay McDavid.

[amazing_oilers]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

No. No, they are not. The Oilers won a playoff round and were soundly outplayed in the second round.

As for Katz's astonishing wealth, what does that matter to a NHL player? The salary cap limits how much the Oilers are able to spend on their roster, and Katz's net worth does not make any difference between offers for comparable value and what the Oilers will be able to pay McDavid.

1 win away from the final 4 and very young core ok.

Rich owner matters because of the gap between the cap floor and the cap ceiling. He won't get paid more in Edmonton but his team will be spending the max possible on ice and off ice to help the team win.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

Rich owner matters because of the gap between the cap floor and the cap ceiling. He won't get paid more in Edmonton but his team will be spending the max possible on ice and off ice to help the team win.

How is this any different from 20 other teams in the NHL?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

No. No, they are not. The Oilers won a playoff round and were soundly outplayed in the second round.

As for Katz's astonishing wealth, what does that matter to a NHL player? The salary cap limits how much the Oilers are able to spend on their roster, and Katz's net worth does not make any difference between offers for comparable value and what the Oilers will be able to pay McDavid.

Darryl Katz is worth 2.7 billion which is impressive until you look at the Flames ownership groups combined wealth

Murray Edwards is worth about 2.1 billion, Clay Riddell is worth over 3 billion Allan Markin is worth just under a billion and the others are in the 5 to 600 million area.

The other thing is that they don't dress like a cheap bono knockoff and run a casting couch that goes public.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by amazing_oilers

1 win away from the final 4 and very young core ok.

Rich owner matters because of the gap between the cap floor and the cap ceiling. He won't get paid more in Edmonton but his team will be spending the max possible on ice and off ice to help the team win.

You feel good about your team, understandable. I'm sure some of us felt the same way couple seasons ago, same with Colorado few years ago, Toronto this year.

Point is nothing is guaranteed, so the argument is pretty much pointless. We've seen teams in the past regress after a successful season. The Oilers still have to get better to become a legit Stanley cup contender, can they do that? Remains to be seen. It will start getting a lot more trickier with entry level contracts expiring and dead salary needing to be moved, all while trying to add to your team. The team isn't good enough right now.

Hopefully for our sake it doesn't happen and we can take signs as to why we don't believe it will happen. You can do the opposite, both aren't right or wrong.

We'll see how it plays out.

[Mister Yamoto]

Ya know those Gaskal out of town reports that we all love so much? This thread is becoming a 24/7 version of that for Oilers fans.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

Ya know those Gaskal out of town reports that we all love so much? This thread is becoming a 24/7 version of that for Oilers fans.

Does that make you sad?

[AlbertaOiler72]

Originally Posted by 2macinnis2

Actually, I said if I were an Oilers fan I'd be terrified he's he will leave, and obviously the earliest that happens is when he's 25. That's probably closer to 50-50. A 50% chance my team will return to being perennial lottery ballers in just a few years would scare me.

I think odds are significantly better than not that he plays much of his prime elsewhere. The chances he plays his whole career in Edmonton are probably closer to single digits.

If he was a kid from Western Canada I'd feel differently. But he's not. and it won't help the Oilers that the league and PA will probably ultimately do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable and not traitorous (and certainly not villify him) about a move.

other than baseless speculation, what are you basing it on? that sweet picture?