An invitation to represent--

I knit. While watching hockey. I knit three sweaters during the Cup run in 2006.

I recently joined ravelry, which is free and has excellent resources for knitters, and I was of course searching the member groups to see if there was an Oilers group for me to join among the many NHL ones representing. To my horror, there was not an Oilers group, but there was a Falmes group.

Clearly I could not let this stand. So I started an Oilers group. I'm "marriedtotheoil" over there too.

So if any of you reading this happen to knit, and you'd like to join me as the playoff-berth suspense knitting ramps up, (or you know other Oilers knitters who would, tell them to) sign yourself up if you already have an account, or get an invite for a free account on Ravelry's homepage.

But we can't let just Calgary represent.

Trade Season

I was all set to write a post about the Oilers Tuesday. Then I was going to try again last night.

Yep.

Instead, with all the ample trade speculation in the media, I'll share a excerpt from a thought-provoking essay from retired MLB player Doug Glanville.

“This is John Hart,” relayed the Texas Rangers’ general manager. “I have some news you may have expected. I have traded you back to your old team.” When he said “old team” my heart stopped. I had signed with Texas in the off-season as a free agent since they were the only team that had assured me I would be a starter. One offer I declined was from the team with which I played for the previous five years, the Philadelphia Phillies. And being that my Rangers contract was worse than the one the Phillies had offered me, it seemed crazy that when all was said and done, I could be traded back to Philadelphia with a contract inferior to the one they originally offered me.

“As you know we have underperformed as a team,” Hart said. “It isn’t your fault; you are doing your job, but with the trade deadline upon us, we wanted to make some moves. So, I traded you back to Chicago.”

I was a Chicago Cub again. Back to where it all began.

Mr. Glanville now writes a regular column for the NY Times, on professional sports from a player's perspective. If you haven't checked it out already, I highly recommend it for a fresh perspective.

Get Well Soon, #46

Dear Zach,
Yes, I give you a hard time here, a lot. But in some strange, perverse way, you've become one of my favorite Oilers in a season that has been, shall we say, dispiriting. Seeing you writhe in agony on the ice a few minutes ago was truly upsetting, and seeing your knee bend a way that ultimately ended the career of my favorite baseball player made me distressed indeed.

So please, rest up, get well, and do everything the doctor says. We want you back healthy, asap.

Best,
marriedtotheoil

Video! Falcons 11/23/08 @ Lowell!

Below I'll share Oilers prospect Geoff Paukovich vs. Matt Corrente of the Lowell Devils, filmed by yours truly at the game I attended on a recent trip to Massachusetts. I'm sifting through the rest of the photos and video I took for future posts, but in the meanwhile, enjoy this spectacular fight-ending pratfall, truly worthy of Buster Keaton.



(Youtube has graciously fuzzed up my video quality--I'll seek a way of avoiding this if possible for future video content.)

NESN

I don't know what the feed is in Edmonton, but on Center Ice tonight it's NESN, my hometown station. NESN always acts a bit discombobulated, transitioning from baseball to other seasons, (the spot they just ran, "Red Sox baseball on NESN, is brought to you by..." would be a good case in point) but their hockey crew love hockey. So far tonight they're in delighted awe with the Rexall ice, and at the end of the 4:22 without stoppage of play, they went to the ad with "And we actually get PAID for this! AMAZING!"

And with a game like this one so far, it's hard not to love hockey.

The Oilers will never win any games ever again.

I think the only logical conclusion to draw from the last few days is that the Oilers, after their undefeated start, have in fact gotten in all their wins for the season at the beginning, and all we have to look forward to now is one unbroken death spiral downwards.

Which is why I'm terribly angry that so many Oilers games are blacked-out on Center Ice this year, because I want to witness this historic season in its epic entirety.

GOilers!

Oilers v. Blackhawks

Long ago, I used to live in Chicago. It's where I went to my first NHL game (in 2004). I asked my boyfriend (he was hoping the Blackhawks would somehow overpower the Ducks to improve Edmonton's playoff hopes) if the hockey players usually fell down so much while skating. Sadly for Edmonton's hopes, the answer was "not usually." The Blackhawks fans seemed to be (understandably) drowning their sorrows in beer, which led to the wonderful moment when the song from "That 70s Show" blaring from the loudspeakers prompted ragged shouting of "Hello Wisconsin!" from the section next to us.

The following season ('05-'06), I saw the Oilers live for the first time (though I'd heard many games called by Rod Phillips), hosted by the Blackhawks, who weren't much better than they had been. I don't really remember the game (Oilers lost, thanks to Conklin?) per se, but I do remember how many Oilers jerseys were in the seats, and in particular, whilst waiting in line for nachos, a woman in an Oilers jersey got down on one knee on the concourse and proposed to her Blackhawks-jersey-clad boyfriend. He accepted. I teared up a bit and decided I could get into this hockey community thing.

So GOilers, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the City of Chicago, where among many other wonderful experiences, I learned to love them and their fans.