May 19, 2006

Edmonton has gone hockey crazy ... and it's been a long time coming. The atmosphere is similar to Calgary in 2004 when the Flames made their unexpected run to the Finals. Can Edmonton do it? Can Edmonton bring the Cup home after 16 years? Amidst all the hype I've been looking through some of the old stats and realized that the Oilers in their heyday may have been a lot better than what is generally realized. Yes they didn't win the cup in '86 and '89 - which if they did would have given them 7 consecutive Cups and perhaps the undeniable distinction of being the greatest team ever - but that's not how things panned out. Still 5 Cups in 7 years is nothing to sneeze at. Additionally - and this is what caught my attention - within a 10 year span they made it to the Conference final 8 times - winning 6 of them. I don't think the NY Islanders or the Montreal Canadiens even hit that number. Whatever the case is I have certainly dated myself over the last 2 weeks while discussing this with other people. When I brought up some obscure stat from 1990 the guy I work with asked 'You actually remeber that far back?!' - OUCH! I felt even older when I told someone that I had paid $14 to take in game 2 of the '88 Stanley Cup Final! - $14 can't buy you a hotdog and drink today! Anyways - Edmonton and Anaheim duke it out in the Western Conference Final starting today. Will Edmonton take this series? Hard to say, but then again that's what was being said in '90 when they took on the Chicago Blackhawks in the Conference Final - and we know how that season ended - Cup #5! As much as I and everyone else want to see them go all the way - I think expectations are ... reserved - and that's what makes it all the more impressive when they win.

Best piece I've read so far concerning this run came from espn.com's Damien Cox: "If you've seen the Oilers block shots in these playoffs, you'll know what I'm talking about. So far, we've seen Shawn Horcoff dive headfirst into a shot in a key game in the first round against the Detroit Red Wings. Ethan Moreau saw that and, in the spirit of one-upmanship, dropped his stick and blocked a Nicklas Lidstrom slap shot with his wrists. Against the Sharks, Oilers assistant captain Ryan Smyth absorbed a tape-to-teeth pass from Pronger, spent a few hours in the dentist's chair and was the team's best player the next night. Steve Staios, finally, raised the stakes even more against the Sharks in Game 5, when he took a shot off the forehead, went to the bench to clear the cobwebs and resumed competition without missing a shift. Get the picture here? This is like Monty Python's Black Knight scene, except the Black Knight is winning despite having lost both arms and legs." No new pictures today ... this month it's all about hockey! Manoj

May 3, 2006 LET THE BATTLE BEGIN...or maybe not. For the first time in 15 years, Alberta's 2 NHL teams were on the verge of going head to head in the playoffs. Now that scenario has been tossed out following the 7th game of the quarter-final series between Calgary and Anaheim. Calgary like the other 3 top seeds in the Western Conference, has been kicked out in the first round. Most people in both cities would have said that they would rather not have had to face the other team, however the excitement and energy that was brewing had everyone admitting that this would have been a series to remember. Leave it to Calgary to blow a 3-2 series lead! The Battle of Alberta will have to wait for another year - but you know what? I don't care - cause the Oilers are headed to the second round against San Jose. You never know ... they could even make a run to the final like Calgary did 2 years ago. If that happens, let's hope the outcome is different from Calgary's run! Stanley Cup #6? You never know. Anyways, picture wise, something a little different in terms of presentation. For some recent pictures you can click on the individual pictures or click on 'View Album' to go directly to the site. GO OILERS GO!