My Favourite Oiler of the year: Ryan Jones

This year it really wasn't that hard to choose my favourite Oiler. There were only a couple in the running and Jonesy blew them away by much much more than a hair's width.

Some of the reasons Jonesy gets my vote:

• He put up some very impressive stats. At the time of this writing (1 game to go) he has 18 goals and 7 assists on the season. I definitely did not expect those kinds of numbers coming into the season.
• Not only does Jonesy score, he "gives'er" every night. Jonesy is a fantastic energy player. Going hard every shift and finishing all his hits. Showin' the kids how it's done.
• The guy is hilarious on twitter (@jonesry28) and shows some real class (or maturity rather) compared to some other NHL players and most of his tweets are either good for a laugh or some inspiration.
• Oh and he spends a lot of time on twitter talking about how much he loves Edmonton. It's so refreshing to hear an Oilers player genuinely mentioning how much he appreciates the city and the people. There's no question, he MUST be re-signed.
• And of course there's the hair. I had no idea someone (who's not a hair model) could be so obsessed with their hair. I would say 50% of Jonesy's tweets are either about his hair, somebody else's hair or him replying to comments about his hair. Head & Shoulders please give this guy a contract!!

My hair has unintentionally become a tribute to Ryan Jones' hair. I was just growing it out for no real reason and then put on my hockey helmet the other day and realized I've got hockey hair! Sweet!

• Speaking of contracts, there's been a lot of talk about re-signing Jones this summer and the Oilogosphere is trying to determine what he's worth. Does it really matter what we're paying him, guys? The Oilers must be well enough below the cap, they're not looking to sign any big name free agents in the next year and the young guys (i.e. H.O.P.E.) won't get any raises for another 3 years. So give him $2M a season if that's what it takes. Just make sure you sign him. This is not a guy we want to have leave town.

Thanks for the season Jonesy, hope to see you in the Copper and Blue next year!

Game On: Oilers season starts today!!

Tonight the Oilers Era of Hope begins. Probably the most exciting time in Oil Country since the 2006 Cup run (which, being in Europe, I missed most of) :( and apart from that it's really the most excitement since 1990. In all my years of real fandom I have never been so stoked! And it's not even about wins or even a chance to make the playoffs let alone win the Cup. This season is just going to be sheer shock and awe. Shock followed by awe followed by more awe. Can't wait to see these kids play!

But, seeing as the Oilogosphere is overwhelmed by super-keen, stats-loving, hockey gurus I will not get into any predictions here. Instead I will keep it short and simple. I offer only one tip to help you throughout this season:

Magnus Pääjärvi is a name that will come up often this season (seeing as he's totally on the verge of winning the Calder trophy for rookie of the year). So this season, whenever you really want to show that you're in the loop and be the most accurate tweeter/facebooker/blogger you gotta get those umlauts on there!

Here's how you do it:
Windows --> hold down 'alt' and type in '0228'
Mac --> hold down 'option+u' then let go and type the letter 'a' to make 'ä'
Linux --> ???!!?!?

GO OILERS!!!!!!!

Oilers' Problems: Scouting or player development?

I'm sure this has been talked about elsewhere, but I'd like to put it in a nice succinct form for all to gawk at in wonder. I've been thinking lately about the patheticness of the Oilers and why through so many years of failure the Oilers have still not managed to put together a good team through the draft. At first I thought it was just poor drafting. Looking at the Oilers drafting history leaves a lot to be desired. I've listed below the Oilers first draft pick of every season since 1993 and one other player who was available at the time.

Edmonton Oilers: The new Mickey Mouse Organisation

Wayne Gretzky's second most famous quote from his days on the ice was when he referred to the New Jersey Devils as a "Mickey Mouse Organization" after the Oilers pummelled the Devils 13-4 in a game during the 1983-84 season. (Note: I consider his best quote to be "I told Mess I wouldn't do this." while crying during the press conference after being sold out of Edmonton) Oh, how the times have changed. Fear not New Jersey Devils, nobody can say that you are a Mickey Mouse organization any longer. The Devils have built up a strong franchise in New Jersey, taking home the Stanley Cup 3 times since 1995 (1995, 2000, 2003) and continuing to put together strong teams in front of future Hall of Famer Marty Brodeur.