Edmonton Oilers Favourites: Where Have You Gone?

With Christmas over, my wish list is transferred over to my birthday, which is just three short months away. I was thinking of what I could possibly ask for, after getting so spoiled for Christmas. The Edmonton Oilers retro jersey came to mind; however, thinking about it, I could not think of a player whose name I would want on the back.

This got me thinking…why don’t I have a favourite anymore? The fan favourites have been replaced with newcomers and those who are supposed to be leaders, such as Ethan Moreau and Shaun Horcoff, are constantly on the injured list, and therefore forgotten about.

All the players make me mad at times, with the exception of Moreau when he is actually playing and not watching from the seats. The Oilers, who are supposed to make a splash, are barely making a ripple.

How is it that Hemsky and Souray are tied for goals at 10? That is pretty pitiful nearing the halfway point of the season. How does a defenseman have the same amount of goals as the top forward? Really? Really??

On that note, I have wanted to strangle Hemsky for the last few games now. I have coined him the “King of Turnovers,” and he doesn’t seem willing to relinquish that title. In the rare event that he actually gets the puck, he doesn't seem to notice the approaching opponent and is left bewildered when he looks down to see the puck he thought he had, gone.

Their last game against Vancouver was ridiculous. Well, the third period was ridiculous. How we managed to win that game is beyond me.

The last two minutes of play in the third had me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, and peaking through my eyelashes. Whose genius idea was it to put “the king” on the ice for these final seconds? Oh right…the genius that is MacT, the “King of Bad Plays.”

I don’t even want to get started on MacTavish…

During these last minutes, Hemsky seemed to forget how to skate. Instead of going at the player with the puck, trying to get it and send it out of the Oil zone, he opted to skate into the boards, do some sort of version of a figure skating double axle, skate to another area, and repeat. You’re being really useful out there Hemsky…way to go.

So, all in all…I miss the old Oilers. I miss having that one player that gives you chills when he steps out onto the ice.

For me, that player used to be Doug Weight, with Bill Guerin close behind. Since they left, the void they left for me just hasn’t been filled. We got dashes of hope with Peca and Pronger, but they insulted our city at the end.

Ryan Smyth was the go-to guy for years, and with his departure, we lost a valued veteran Oiler and someone that was faithfully adored by all Oiler fans.

Souray seems to be carrying the fan favorite torch for now, but truthfully, I do not see him sticking it out on the Oilers long enough to elicit a solid following.

So, instead of asking for a new jersey, I will stick with my Doug Weight Jersey. And I will wear it proudly, fondly remembering the days when putting on that jersey brought a surge of electricity through me, at the thought of seeing my No. 1 guy in action. 

Hopefully one day soon I can have a favourite home town player once again.