BX4Uv-iCUAAHPfzRemember when that line was sweet?!  I like to jump on trends a good year and a half after they have been beaten into the ground.  I would say that’s…wait for it…WINNING!  It’s 3:34 AM as I’m writing this, I may wake up to realize this is the worst opening I’ve ever written which would be saying something!

 

So last night I saw a lot of hate on twitter around 6:15 PM MST.  Saw some people lose their minds in a good way, but mostly just hate.  A lot of people talking about how the Oilers screwed up their other picks and they’ll screw McDavid up too.  A lot of how the fans and team didn’t deserve McDavid.  A lot how McDavid didn’t look happy.  Let me go through these.

 

“They’ll ruin McDavid just like they did Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle and Yakupov”.

 

I asked this yesterday to a buddy of mine on twitter, and I’ll ask it again…who did they ruin?  Taylor Hall was the highest scoring LW in the NHL in both the 2013 season (50 points in 45 games) and 2014 (80 points in 75 games).  I’m no math major, but I would say that’s a pretty good player.  Now granted, Hall’s overall game needs work.  But he’s a winger, and while that is no excuse for being poor in your own zone, most top 6 wingers aren’t that great defensively.  Needs to clean it up, but he’s 23 not 33.

 

Jordan Eberle?  One of the highest scoring players in the 2nd half of the season?  76 points in 78 games in 2012, 65 points in 80 games last season, 63 points in 81 games this season.  The 22nd overall pick in the 2008 draft was supposed to be better than a 60 point winger at a time where the top scorers in the league don’t even hit 90 points!?

 

Ah, but Nugent-Hopkins.  That’s where you got me, right?  Not really.  First thing you need to understand about Nugent-Hopkins is that when they drafted him he was expected to take time to reach his full potential.  He was as far from a finished product as you’ll see going 1st overall.  Maybe his rookie season (52 points in just 62 games) gave people much higher expectations?

 

But I’ll use this comparison so to speak: Sidney Crosby.  Not in ANY WAY suggesting Nugent-Hopkins is like Crosby or has that potential.  What I will say is that the lack of quality defensive center’s on the Pens hurts Crosby’s offensive game a bit.  Too much defensive responsibility hurts the offensive production, and the same can be said for RNH.

 

Back to back 56 point seasons matched up against the top lines in the West every night, and he’s 21.  Would he be putting up bigger numbers elsewhere?  Yeah, more than likely.  Ruined?  I’m sorry but he’s not.

 

As for Yakupov, well that’s your best case if you’re trying to tell everyone that the Oilers ruin everyone.  But Yakupov was the leading rookie scorer in 2013, and was back to that form when Todd Nelson stepped in as Oilers head coach.  So it really was only under Dallas Eakins where Yakupov underachieved, just like most of the Oilers did.

 

So I’m not really getting where that opinion is coming from.  They didn’t draft well and rushed players from 1995-2007.  That is what is hurting this franchise today, not the guys they’ve JUST drafted.  No supporting cast coupled with quality UFA’s not wanting to go to Edmonton and incompetent management who can’t make the right trades or coaching hires.  But they aren’t ruining the high picks that they’ve drafted and won’t “ruin” McDavid either.

 

Another thing that was said a lot, including by myself was that the Oilers fan base really deserved to win that lottery and have something good happen to them after so much absolute shit to put up with from June 19th, 2006 until April 18th, 2015.

 

But no, there were a few morons I came across on twitter trying to make the argument that they didn’t “deserve” to win it.  That nobody “deserves” anyone.  One guy in particular I seen making that argument I’m pretty certain has never bought a ticket to an NHL game in his life.

 

Had he ever bought one, or better yet had he ever bought season tickets, he would likely want to see a winner.  In Edmonton, you pretty much have to keep your season tickets.  There is a waiting list.  So if the team ever turns it around and becomes a great team again, good luck ever getting tickets let alone season tickets.

 

So these people were viewing season tickets as an investment.  Investing time and money in the team they love.  Those people DESERVED this.  You don’t pay the money, that’s your decision and that is fine.  I don’t pay the money and won’t as I’ve stated in the past until things start changing in some form.  But some people do and after 9 years of only coming close to the playoffs twice, they deserve to see one of the best prospects ever to come along live 41 times a season.

 

And finally, “McDavid didn’t look happy to go there”.  Do you really think the guy was going to be ecstatic about going to Buffalo?  Or Arizona?  Toronto?  Carolina?  None of these teams are good.  He hasn’t talked to anyone from any of these organizations, and while we know what’s going to happen with the pick, he wasn’t drafted last night.  That takes place on June 26th.

 

If he looks miserable that night, then ok you would definitely have something.  Last night though, had to be nothing short of awkward for him.  I thought it was a bit ridiculous that they brought him in for it, and was REALLY ridiculous that they had Hanifin and Strome there.  Why?  For what?

 

Basically what I’m saying with all of this, to quote what the kids say: “haters gon hate”.  If you don’t like the team, just say so!  Be honest!  Is it that difficult?  Its ok to dislike something for whatever your reason is.  I got a friend who doesn’t really dislike the Oilers but can’t stand overzealous Oiler fans (of whom there are naturally tons of in Northern Alberta) and that’s ok!  Quit looking to take some fabricated stance.  Canuck fans, Flames fans, or just people that don’t like the Oilers.  Just say so.  They got McDavid and you don’t like them so you’re pissed.

 

I’ll leave you with this: If you had these problems this year, than I’m sure you had the same issues last year with the always garbage Florida Panthers winning the lottery and getting Ekblad….Oh that’s right, none of you said a word.

 

Follow me on Twitter @TJ_Soups

3 thoughts on “You Mad Bro?

  1. Sou Ph.D. em ciências financeiras e atualmente estou estudando criptomoedas e seu artigo me deu uma boa ideia. Acho que sua forma de escrever é muito útil para minha tese criptomoedas, obrigado. No entanto, tenho algumas dúvidas e gostaria de saber se você pode me ajudar. Obrigado.

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