Saturday, May 18, 2013

Oilers History: 1988 Stanley Cup Final - Edmonton vs Boston (Game One)



Heading into the 1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there were those in the hockey world who felt the Edmonton Oilers had met their match. They were no longer the automatic favourite in the minds of many and for the first time in seven years, the Oilers did not win the Smythe Division crown. That honour now belonged to their provincial rival, the Calgary Flames.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Should the style of game the Oilers play ultimately matter?


Wednesday afternoon's announcement that an agreement had finally been reached between Edmonton Oilers owner Darryl Katz and the City of Edmonton to move forward with plans to build a state of the art Downtown Arena Complex, left Oilers fans ecstatic with the news. It was an agreement which took seven long years to reach but it eventually got done.

Canada crash and burn at the 2013 IIHF World Championship


It was Groundhog Day yet again for Team Canada at the 2013 IIHF World Championship. For the fourth straight year Canada were dismissed during the the quarterfinal stage of the competition, this one coming courtesy of Team Sweden. The 3-2 shootout loss was made that much harder to swallow, with the loss of captain Eric Staal during a first period knee-on-knee collision with Vancouver Canucks blueliner Alex Edler.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Oilers Dubnyk looks to be Canada's No.2



Heading into the 2013 IIHF World Championship, Edmonton Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk looked to have a realistic shot at earning the job as Team Canada's starter. He would definitely have some competition for the spot from Phoenix Coyotes starter Mike Smith but the opportunity was there to be taken. Unfortunately for the Oilers tender, he did not make the most of the opportunity and looks as though he will be headed for another turn as Canada's #2 at crunch time.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Winterhawks simply too much for the Oil Kings to handle


So much for that storybook ending. After earning a hard fought come from behind OT victory in Game Five of the Western Hockey League Championship Final, the Edmonton Oil Kings seemed destined to send this one to a seventh game for the second consecutive year. As good a team as the Portland Winterhawks are, there was no way they were beating the Oil Kings three consecutive times on Rexall Place ice.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Make it four straight, as Canada edge Czech Republic 2-1


Seldom used Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner played the role of hero for Team Canada on Sunday afternoon, scoring early in period three and propelling Canada to a crucial 2-1 over the Czech Republic at the 2013 IIHF World Championship. Netminder Mike Smith stopped thirty shots in earning his second victory and improving upon his tournament leading .952 SV%.