Week of January 17, 2007, Issue #587
FRONT
In the Box
David Young and TB Player / inthebox@vueweekly.com
Since your last Vue Weekly, the Oilers managed two wins and two losses. The team beat San Jose 3-2 on January 10 and beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 last Tuesday. But the wins were overshadowed by a pair of crucial divisional losses. The Oilers fell to (crap) Calgary in a 3-1 heartbreaker and lost 4-2 against the same Minnesota Wild. And every day on the talk shows and blogs, another Oiler is traded. TB and Dave get all Oily.
Jerseys redesigned; Flames uniforms still ugly Next season NHL teams will sport a new style of hockey jerseys. These creations should be unveiled very soon. I’m just a little afraid. The new style jerseys by RBK (we used to call them Reebok) have been rumoured to be tighter, looser, tucked-in, not tucked-in, unconventional and traditional. Yes, those adjectives do contradict one another. Reports vary wildly. Every team’s jersey has been either redesigned or slightly modified (with consultation from the teams) and the third jerseys will be gone. I’m curious if Ales Hemsky’s new Oiler jersey will have a big round target or bull’s-eye on it considering the way opposing players have been running the young Czech. And, like most Oiler fans right now, I’m even more curious which new-style jersey Ryan Smyth will be wearing on Feb 28th—one day after trade deadline. DY
Math makes me sad Okay, time for some numbers and the crunching thereof. If we look at last year, the Oilers barely squeaked into the playoffs with 95 points. That means that over 82 games, they managed to secure 1.16 points per game (PPG). With 48 points in 46 games so far this year, the Oil are only managing 1.04 PPG and, at their current rate, will end the season with 85 points—not enough to get into the playoffs. Assuming that 95 points is the cutoff again, they will need 47 points over the last 36 games (1.31 PPG). This is the equivalent of winning two out of every three games. Shit, now I’m depressed. TB
Fukufuji—And the horse you rode in on Jan 13 saw the NHL’s first-ever Japanese-born and trained player, goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji, appear in a regular season game. Fukufuji was dressed as a backup behind Barry Brust and entered the game in the third period. Interesting piece of trivia: Fukufuji was the third Japanese player ever drafted to an NHL team. He was picked by the Kings in the 2004 cattle call. The “first” was Taro Tsujimoto, selected by Buffalo Sabres GM Punch Imlach in the 11th round. The draft choice was accepted by the League after curious looks from reporters and competing general managers. The “Punch”-line? Imlach made Tsujimoto up—or at least his imaginary hockey pedigree. His name was pulled out of the Buffalo phone book just to um … Fukufuji with everyone. DY
Ooooh. Look at Mr Serious Oiler coach Craig MacTavish missed Tuesday’s win over Minnesota to attend to a serious family matter. Earlier in the season, Boston rookie Phil Kessel was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Wings veteran Chris Chelios took last week off hockey to attend to and support grieving staff members at one of his sports bars after a shocking double murder. Dallas blueliner Philippe Boucher is having a career year and was just named to the All Star team despite a heavy heart and frequent trips to visit his ailing father in Quebec. So the Oilers don’t win every game. It’s fun to watch. Wins feel great and losses hurt. But it is just a game. DY