While watching the Edmonton Oilers game tonight I couldn't help but ask myself how a team can be so dependant on 3 players under the age of 22 and what about getting offense from other sources.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (18) is second in points on the club and this is only his first season in the NHL. Out with a left shoulder injury, the Oilers desperately need him to get healthy and back in the lineup so he can quarterback the power play. (A lot to ask of a "kid" playing against men who, for some, have been in the "show" longer than he has been alive).
Jordan Eberle (21) is the highest point getter on the active Oilers squad. Again, they need him healthy and back in the lineup as soon as possible to quarterback, well, everything! He puts pucks in the net and dishes the puck so others can score, which Edmonton desperately needs.
Taylor Hall (19) has been the saving grace lately purely based on the fact that he is on the ice and doing what he can to help keep them in the game. Watching the game vs. the New Jersey Devils tonight, he is by far and away been the best Oiler on the ice. Creating chances with his speed and his dangling ability has had me on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion.
The management have to notice that all the years of "rebuilding" are working, but they are only working when all 3 of these guys are healthy and playing hockey night in and night out. The rest of the Oilers have got to be better or they will be consistently in the running for the first overall draft pick.
I heard a stat tonight that Eric Belanger only has 1 goal and 10 points in 41 games. I'm sorry, but your 3rd line centre needs to produce more than 0.24 points a game.
Magnus Paajarvi is having an identity crisis. He isn't sure if he is a playmaker or a scorer. I would wager that if he is paired with some other guys that already have their roles figured out, he would be much more productive.
Ales Hemsky. I find it hard to watch him play hockey. It appears that he couldn't care less if he got another shot on net, another goal, assist or shift for that matter. I'm sure that he has the "A" on his sweater because he is a good teammate and maybe a good leader in the dressing room, but if they base any of it on the play on the ice, then he should get an "F".
I was so frustrated by the lack of offensive production that I went on the Oklahoma City Barons website and searched for Linus Omark. Surely he would be able to provide some offensive production. Nope! Broken ankle. Coupled on top of the fact that he isn`t happy being in the minors and threatens to opt out of his contract and head back to Europe where he can play professional hockey in the Swedish Elite League or KHL.
Do the Oilers have a hate on for Omark because of the celebrity brought on by his shootout creativity or do they just not see that he can be an NHLer? They obviously know more than I do about the ins and outs, but when he gets healthy they should at least give him a shot.
Hell, they only had 23 tonight!
DH
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Randomness
So, as I mentioned before I am a huge New Orleans Saints fan and the world pretty much stops whenever there is a Saints game on. Yesterday was no different.
Up early and waited patiently all day for the game to start. It was like I was getting ready to play the game myself when obviously, I have nothing to do with the outcome of the game.
Krista couldn't have been any more supportive with this. The game started and she knew that disrupting me wouldn't have been good for anyone.
We had a really nice saturday also.
Krista and I are heading to the sand and sun in about 2 and a half weeks and there were some things that we still needed before we left so we headed to dollarama for little presents for the maids. She/ we like to do this because the maids don't have much and they work for next to nothing. It's a nice way of saying thanks for all that they do for us while we are there. If you've ever been on vacation in the D.R. you know how poor these people are and you can appreciate the finer things that we as Canadians are afforded, so spending the money on little items that we take for granted but mean the world to them is no big deal and we are more than happy to do it.
Then some groceries were needed as Connor was due home from Florida today so we needed to get a few things to make sure we could feed him. And we got some more little things for our trip. For us this time.
A couple more stops and then we were headed home. We headed into Zellers for literally, 12 mins, and when we went into the store the roads were clear and dry the air was not warm but it was warmer than it has been lately. After our little stop we walked out and were shocked to see that it was blizzard like conditions. We were in awe of it all but we were close to home so it didn't really matter.
The game was only a few hours away and I had some time to kill so I did what any normal, fan would do; laundry. Oh yes, what a magical evening of laundry. I felt like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. Saturday evening was spent pre-sorting and pre-soaking.
Then, finally, the game started. 8:07pm EST. The first half was pretty forgettable and I was upset about the play selection and execution but that's my problem as a fan. It wasn't like I could call Sean Payton and tell them to throw the ball because that is what their strengths are. Drew Brees didn't set all those records this year by handing the ball off. Just sayin'.
Then the second half was more like Saints football. 6 possessions and 5 touchdowns. the only reason they didn't go 6 for 6 was because they called Drew Brees' favourite play on the Detroit 2 yd line; QB Kneel. I was more than happy to see that they were classy enough not to run up the score on the Lions.
Give credit where credit is due, Matthew Stafford and Lions will be a force to reckon with in the years to come. Especially if they can keep Stafford and Megatron together and get a more efficient run game going. They will be the class of the NFC North.
I mean, the only thing I was really concerned with yesterday was if Calvin Johnson was going to score on every pass from Stafford. He ended up with 200+ yds in a losing effort. Say what you want, but that's a good day.
Now it's off to the West Coast and prepare for the SF 49ers. Should be a good game. I'll be watching that's for sure.
Who Dat!!!
Up early and waited patiently all day for the game to start. It was like I was getting ready to play the game myself when obviously, I have nothing to do with the outcome of the game.
Krista couldn't have been any more supportive with this. The game started and she knew that disrupting me wouldn't have been good for anyone.
We had a really nice saturday also.
Krista and I are heading to the sand and sun in about 2 and a half weeks and there were some things that we still needed before we left so we headed to dollarama for little presents for the maids. She/ we like to do this because the maids don't have much and they work for next to nothing. It's a nice way of saying thanks for all that they do for us while we are there. If you've ever been on vacation in the D.R. you know how poor these people are and you can appreciate the finer things that we as Canadians are afforded, so spending the money on little items that we take for granted but mean the world to them is no big deal and we are more than happy to do it.
Then some groceries were needed as Connor was due home from Florida today so we needed to get a few things to make sure we could feed him. And we got some more little things for our trip. For us this time.
A couple more stops and then we were headed home. We headed into Zellers for literally, 12 mins, and when we went into the store the roads were clear and dry the air was not warm but it was warmer than it has been lately. After our little stop we walked out and were shocked to see that it was blizzard like conditions. We were in awe of it all but we were close to home so it didn't really matter.
The game was only a few hours away and I had some time to kill so I did what any normal, fan would do; laundry. Oh yes, what a magical evening of laundry. I felt like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. Saturday evening was spent pre-sorting and pre-soaking.
Then, finally, the game started. 8:07pm EST. The first half was pretty forgettable and I was upset about the play selection and execution but that's my problem as a fan. It wasn't like I could call Sean Payton and tell them to throw the ball because that is what their strengths are. Drew Brees didn't set all those records this year by handing the ball off. Just sayin'.
Then the second half was more like Saints football. 6 possessions and 5 touchdowns. the only reason they didn't go 6 for 6 was because they called Drew Brees' favourite play on the Detroit 2 yd line; QB Kneel. I was more than happy to see that they were classy enough not to run up the score on the Lions.
Give credit where credit is due, Matthew Stafford and Lions will be a force to reckon with in the years to come. Especially if they can keep Stafford and Megatron together and get a more efficient run game going. They will be the class of the NFC North.
I mean, the only thing I was really concerned with yesterday was if Calvin Johnson was going to score on every pass from Stafford. He ended up with 200+ yds in a losing effort. Say what you want, but that's a good day.
Now it's off to the West Coast and prepare for the SF 49ers. Should be a good game. I'll be watching that's for sure.
Who Dat!!!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Genesis
Happy New Year!
And it should be a good one.
Many big things happening for me and my family this year; we will have 2 new "Nifty 50" year olds joining us this year as well a baby and a wedding.
So as you can imagine, big plans for some big parties for the Hathways this year.
Our first 50'er will be my Aunt in April. If I know her, and I do, this will be a booze fest at which no one will be safe. (Thank goodness that there is no 'bitch slap' initiations for this achievement).
Next up on the schedule should be the welcoming of the newest Hathway in Illinois. My older brother and his wide are expecting their third child this year and as much as we love the 2 girls that they already have, we are hoping for a boy. Don't get me wrong, if I were to be blessed with another niece I would be extremely happy; but for the sake of my brothers sanity, he needs another boy in the house. Hell, even the dog is female!
Then, Uncle Rick turns 50. I have a personal goal of making his belly button talk this year whilst feeding him a steady diet of rye and ginger. I'm positive he won't mind!
Finally, the Wedding!
As some of you may know, I was engaged previously and before I made the biggest mistake one could make in marrying the wrong person, I found my match! The one who is absolutely "it" for me. The one I could not be without. My very best friend and the person that keeps me going day in and day out.
My Krista!
She had said to me on a number of occasions that if she wanted to get married that she would be the one to ask me, something that has become more common in recent years, women proposing to men. So on one evening after which I spent the majority of the day in meetings with my boss, I was none the wiser as to what was about to happen. She walks in the house and because I was in the office working, she had to make the journey, I'm sure she was nervous about it, up the stairs and come and see me. After a few meaningless words in which nothing was really said, she popped the question. Of course I said yes, because after all, I was planning on asking her to do the same.
Anyway, long story short, we have set the date to be married on December 12, 2012 (that's 12/12/12 for those of you following at home). Mont-Tremblant, QC will never be the same.
A few other things that must be said before we continue.
I am a huge New Orleans Saints and Edmonton Oilers fan. Hopefully that doesn't skew your view of me.
I love to cook and am always thinking of new things to make for me and my family.
And finally, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I trust that you'll be able to handle that.
Until next time,
DH
And it should be a good one.
Many big things happening for me and my family this year; we will have 2 new "Nifty 50" year olds joining us this year as well a baby and a wedding.
So as you can imagine, big plans for some big parties for the Hathways this year.
Our first 50'er will be my Aunt in April. If I know her, and I do, this will be a booze fest at which no one will be safe. (Thank goodness that there is no 'bitch slap' initiations for this achievement).
Next up on the schedule should be the welcoming of the newest Hathway in Illinois. My older brother and his wide are expecting their third child this year and as much as we love the 2 girls that they already have, we are hoping for a boy. Don't get me wrong, if I were to be blessed with another niece I would be extremely happy; but for the sake of my brothers sanity, he needs another boy in the house. Hell, even the dog is female!
Then, Uncle Rick turns 50. I have a personal goal of making his belly button talk this year whilst feeding him a steady diet of rye and ginger. I'm positive he won't mind!
Finally, the Wedding!
As some of you may know, I was engaged previously and before I made the biggest mistake one could make in marrying the wrong person, I found my match! The one who is absolutely "it" for me. The one I could not be without. My very best friend and the person that keeps me going day in and day out.
My Krista!
She had said to me on a number of occasions that if she wanted to get married that she would be the one to ask me, something that has become more common in recent years, women proposing to men. So on one evening after which I spent the majority of the day in meetings with my boss, I was none the wiser as to what was about to happen. She walks in the house and because I was in the office working, she had to make the journey, I'm sure she was nervous about it, up the stairs and come and see me. After a few meaningless words in which nothing was really said, she popped the question. Of course I said yes, because after all, I was planning on asking her to do the same.
Anyway, long story short, we have set the date to be married on December 12, 2012 (that's 12/12/12 for those of you following at home). Mont-Tremblant, QC will never be the same.
A few other things that must be said before we continue.
I am a huge New Orleans Saints and Edmonton Oilers fan. Hopefully that doesn't skew your view of me.
I love to cook and am always thinking of new things to make for me and my family.
And finally, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I trust that you'll be able to handle that.
Until next time,
DH
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