The Edmonton Oilers and Their Second Efforts

On the Edmonton Oilers right now this far in the season, one must be satisfied with their place in the standings, but by no means should fans be satisfied with their play. My biggest annoyance with the Edmonton Oilers of the past two seasons were the games where they didn't show up to play. Now don't get me wrong, losing is a part of hockey—otherwise every team would go 82-0 and the hockey world logic would explode into nothingness. Losing after putting up a valiant fight—acceptable. Losing after disappearing for 50 minutes—not acceptable. Until the swath of injuries that hit the Oilers, I would categorize my satisfaction with the Oilers play in 2009-10 as being at its highest level since the cup run of '06. They were forechecking, playing strong defensively, and doing everything a team needs to do to compete. The fact that they were doing well in the standings didn't hurt either. But winning games doesn't make for entertaining hockey, at least not all the time. There are always cheesy ... (link)