Oilers Vs. Kings

HAHAHAHA!!

Oilers vs. Kings tonight!

Checkout this hilarous Meme I found.

Big Surprise!

Ales Hemsky gets his first career hat trick on March 20th agains the Nashville Predators, 9 years into his NHL career!
WOW!
Maybe he read my blog about effort?....
Still not my most favourite player but if he starts actually shooting the puck...
Maybe, just maybe.. I'll start saying some nicer things about him.

With a contract like his, he's got to be a 20+ goal scorer next season, But I think he'll pick it up.
Maybe this is what he needed, a ridiculously large contract for a little boost of incentive!?
Now he just has to get more comfortable with shooting, start being a more selfish player and just go for the goals! No more passes #83!
Check out the replay of his hat trick right HERE.


Pondwarrior

Flow

The Season is almost over... :(
So let's take a quick look at some of the amazing flow we've seen throughout the 2011-2012 NHL season!
I think Karlsson has my vote on the best, I feel slightly guilty voting for him against 2 Oilers but he is a pure beauty in that pic. Sorry Jonesy, you'll always be first in my heart but Karlsson's got you beat on the grease factor.


Everyone comment and give me your votes, I challenge you to find some better flow sported by an even bigger beaut, or plug.


Also feel free to follow my twitter, I'll keep you updated on new posts and just talk gibberish.
@ThePondWarrior


#28 Edmonton Oilers Ryan Jones

#65 Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson












#91 Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos











#19 Washington Capital Nicklas Backstrom









#94 Edmonton Oilers Ryan Smyth

Final Showdown.

Tomorrow is the last Oilers vs. Flames matchup of the season...
So far they've spanked us in the series as well. 
I get so much flack from Flames fans and living in the greater Calgary area.
Regardless, I'll be rocking the sweater on game-day tomorrow.
If you look at the overall records the Calgary Flames have only beat the Oilers a handful of extra times. 
And with a 100+ game history that's a pretty close ratio.


Every team has to go to the basement once and a while, and Edmonton has just been there for.... a while..
But that's what gives them the best fans! 
They've stuck through it and still filled Rexall place and still wear the colours and never give up faith in their team! 


I think we're going to win...
Pondwarrior

Hmm... Effort Guys..

Please tell me that he is referring to Hemsky in this video..
AGGHH!!!
I'm so mad that they re-signed Ales Hemsky!
Does Tambellini not see what everyone else can? 
More specifically, a 1080p view of a millionaire with no effort! 


Start skating!! You're not producing, you're not even THAT good! 
You are over rated, you have horrible attitude, you NEVER shoot the puck!! 
("Pass first player..." that's a bunch of B.S.)
You shouldn't be on the team next year.
Effff.


Sorry Oil Country, I don't like Hemsky..
Pondwarrior.

Referees?

WHAT IS UP WITH THIS BULLS#%@ REFFING!?!?!


Last year the Oilers had the worst power play in the entire league, and now exactly 1 year later we have the best!
Too bad we don't get any...
Anyone else notice the lack of calls in favour of the Oil recently? 
SO FRUSTRATING!!


"Maybe we should have [a] yard sale. Throw sticks, helmets, gloves, go down like we got shot [and] maybe [then] we'll get some PP's."


Those are the words of coach Tom Renney last night about the issue. He's just as frustrated as I am!


Maybe the refs don't want us to have a PP cause we're so good? 
Maybe they're just being A@&holes?! 
Maybe I should stop being so profane and keep this formal like my GEN ED teacher asked?!
(If you're reading this, hello Kirk. How are you? feel free to comment).


Regardless, there'd better be some calls tonight against the Sharks or else...  
(follow the link for a good idea)

Trade Acquisition

The trade deadline this season was a little bit boring to be honest.
I was expecting some big block buster/upsetter/game changer trades around the league, but nothing too crazy happened. Rick Nash stayed put. I heard a rumour that the will still be looking to be traded in the off-season. The simple mention of his name during the deadline turned the star player's contract into a public auction, not professional at all. Let's keep something big like that private till the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed ok Columbus?

Oilers traded there defence man Tom Gilbert to the Minnesota Wild for another blue-liner, Nick Schultz.
I'm pretty stoked about this trade, we needed another guy who's not afraid to throw his body around, and who's a stay-at-home, defensive d-man. Gilbert was trying to become too offensive and the emergence of Jeff Petry recently as offensive D has put him out of a job.

I'll be straight up honest with you..

I didn't like Tom Gilbert on the team, I'm sure he's a great guy to befriend and is great in the locker room. But on the blue line, he was just lacking. If you watch how many times he couldn't hold the line from a pass back to the point, or a puck leaking backwards... It's staggering!
Sorry Minnesota but I think you got ripped off in this trade.
Now we've got your Cam Barker AND your Nick Shultz, no more D for you!

I also heard a rumour about Ryan Jones getting a lot of attention and there was a few teams interested in him... YEAH RIGHT!!
Ryan Jones bleeds blue and copper! He loves this team and city, and the fans love him back 10 times over.
Don't make a mistake in the off-season Tambellini, Keep the flow!

Pondwarrior

Victory!!

OH MY GOD!
We did it!
And we didn't just do it, We KILLED it!
Oilers beat the Flames 6-1 last night in an incredibly 1-sided battle of Alberta.
I'm sorry Flames fans, but you guys got your show ran last night. Iggy didn't even have a half decent game. Oilers just skated around your red sweaters like a bunch of pylons.
If you check the overall record between the two teams, the W/L ratio is surprisingly close..
Over the 195 games against their provincial rival, the Oilers have won 85, lost 92 and tied 19, with 3 in ending in overtime/shootouts. The overall Win percentage is .475... So other than your "current" playoff spot, the Flames don't have that much to brag about. Besides, we've got the history!
Now I'll say something that you'll never catch a Flames fan saying, dead or alive.
"Good Game"
Thanks for coming out (that's more like it)
Pondwarrior

Getty Images. Feb. 21, 2012 Photo of the day. 2012. Photograph. http://oilers.nhl.com/, Calgary. Web. 22 Feb 2012. <http://oilers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=33530>.

P.S. Did I mention that it was Ryan Smyth's birthday? Here is #94 himself celebrating a B-Day goal with Gagner. Bingo!!!

Living the Dream!

I saw this commercial on the boob tube the other day and I thought it was so cool!!

First watch it!

Then I'll discuss it with you below :)

Flash Fans: 2012 Budweiser Official Big Game Commercial. Budweiser Canada, 2012. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/user/BudweiserCanada>.

How cool is that?! Playing in a beer league/Rec. league game and having a professional league experience! It's unreal the Budweiser was able to pull this off and give these beautys an unforgettable game regardless if the Amigos or Generals won. It's incredible how all of these people showed up and dressed as fans and mascots!

I'm so stoked!

If this commercial did not give you goosebumps for being a hockey lover, then you have no soul.

Share this with your friends and all other hockey lovers alike.

PondWarrior

Chinooks Kill Dreams..

I think of myself to be very fortunate to live in Canada. Even more specifically, Alberta!

The beautiful landscape, the great Canadian climate. We've got the rockies, and rolling hills, as well as city centres and farm towns!

And chinooks...

I can't believe I'm about to do this, but I am actually complaining about the weather!

It has been around 9 degrees Celsius for the past 2 weeks, THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY!

(for any readers from south of the border, that's about 48 Fahrenheit, get a relative system already...)

If you don't know, Chinook is a Native term for the warm wind that is unique to this part of the world, the word means "snow eater" and it does precisely that. If this was any other winter I would be loving this! T-shirt weather in January, no snow to shovel, it's just peachy! 

But it's not just any other winter...

This is the winter that a couple of friends and I decided to finally learn and play some ICE hockey.

It's been going so well so far, the odd trip out was more slushy than the other but at least it was skate-able. 

And now my rink looks like this...

(this isn't my rink specifically but the conditions are the same)

Michael J. Melted Rink. 2007. Photograph. Flickr - photo SharingWeb. 7 Feb 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/chealion/439414466/in/photostream/>.

I actually saw some people playing Street hockey on my street this weekend... 

You should not be playing STREET hockey in JANUARY! 

I don't want to hear people calling "CAR!!".

Mother nature is a terrible zamboni, and the weather man can't predict sh#%!

Cold winter for the record books my ass.

Pondwarrior

Awe-Struck!!!

SAM GANGER!?
Wow what a game last night! He Recorded 8 points consisting of 4 goals and 4 assists against Chicago and tied a franchise record set by The Great One himself!

If you didn't get a chance to watch the game, go check out the highlights of the Oilers' website. Sam Gagner was trending worldwide on Twitter last night and says that he "had 60 [congratulatory]texts last night, and 50 this morning [one of which] was from Gretzky and another from Coffey [(another 8-point game record holder from the Oilers)]" (@Nhl_Oilers, social media).

Although Sam was all 3 stars of the game, let's not forget that half of his points were to assists. Hall and Eberle each buried a shot and registered 3 assists each. D-man Ryan Whitney got a goal and Cam Barker also made a surprise return to the lineup after his injury and the blue-liner stepped into a "one-timer" and recorded his first goal in over 3 months!

I'm so stoked about this win, we're now tied with the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference for points, although the playoffs are still a dream at this point, I'm pretty proud that we're recording some wins again.
 PondWarrior

A. Delvin. Photo 72/73 - Oilers vs. Blackhawks. 2012. Photograph. Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club, Edmonton . Web. 3 Feb 2012. <http://oilers.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=27430&location=/photos&pg=1&navid=DL|EDM|home>.

Gettin' the gang back together!

After that embarrassing loss to the Calgary Flames on January 21st, I'm sure you can understand why I didn't feel like blogging. It sometimes isn't fun to have a favourite team to watch and cheer for. Once you get attached to a team, it's just frustrating when they lose or make a mistake on the ice.. But who am I to talk, I couldn't do any better!

So I decided to take a break from the Pond Warrior's blog, kind of like my own "All-star break".
And lo' and behold!! Coach Tom Renney has got them going again!
After a gruelling practice of skating end to end the Oilers have woken back up and have earned 5 points in the last 3 games! Beating San Jose in a shootout, Taking the Vancouver CANUCKS to a shootout! And defeating a division rival, the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Tuesday!

The Oilers celebrating a home win over the Colorado Avalanche

A. Delvin. Oilers vs Avalanche. 2012. Photograph. Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club, Edmonton . Web. 2 Feb 2012. <http://oilers.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=27378&location=/photos&pg=1>.

Finally some good news from Edmonton again! Recording some points and players are returning to the lineup! Cam Barker is returning to the desperate blue line in the next couple of days, and Tom Gilbert is on the road to recovery after taking a big hit from Dan Carcillo the last time the Oilers and 'Hawks squared off. They play again tonight so it'll definitely be an interesting game to watch!
7:30 MT on TSN
Pondwarrior

Slang Glossary!

Alright everyone!

I said it was coming and here it is! The Hockey Glossary, the bible of sports slang! Completely Alphabetized and everything! If you see anything you think should be changed please feel free to comment and I'll debate changing it. 

Pond Warrior

And as you can probably tell I've already had to update it, now version 2.3. A lot of these Updates I would like to give to one of the biggest beautys I know, @lennyhackman so toss him a follow.

Hockey Glossary V 2.3

Please take note that Hockey slang is constantly invented and used so it’s literally impossible to keep on top of it all. Feel free to add new terms you may come across in your travels.

Slang Terms

Apple: A slang word for Assist.


B-way: A breakaway chance.

Bandaid: A player who's currently injured.


Bar-down: To hit the cross bar and the puck deflects downward past the goal line.

Barn: The hockey rink or arena.

Barn Burner: A very high scoring game on both sides of the scoreboard


Beak: To trash talk.

Beauty: Anything can be a beauty, whether it’s a snipe, a dangle, or a specific player.

Benchwarmer: A player who gets no ice times and warms the bench for the rest of the beautys.


Bingo: A slang word for Goal.


Biscuit: Nickname for the puck.

Bread Basket: The goalie's chest.
Example, "He shot that one right at the goalie's bread basket".


Breezers: Hockey pants.

Bucket/Bucky: Helmet.

Bury: Sending the puck straight into the back of the net.

Cele: Short form for celebration, most likely after a goal .

Cheds: The team captain, or top corner of the net.


The Chell: The Chell refers to the NHL (if you don’t know what NHL is get out of my blog).

Cherry picker: Trying to sneak behind the defence-men and hanging around the opponent's  zone hoping for a break away. 


Chicklets: Teeth.

Chirp: See “Beak”.

Chisel: To steal something.

Example, “Tendy chiseled that goal from me”.

Clapper: A slapshot.


Clap Bomb: A slapshot.


Dangle: To “deke” another player to the extent of humiliation, Beaks would be soon to follow.

Dish: To pass.

The Dub: The Dub refers to the WHL (western hockey league).

Dump and Chase: Sending the puck into the offensive zone and racing after it .

Dummy: Turn an opposing player into a ragdoll.

Duster: To be “dusty”.

Dusty: Dusty is a tricky one, it can either be good or bad depending on the context that it is used.

Example #1 “That’s some dusty flow” this would be a compliment .

Example #2 “Number 12 is *$&@ing dusty” this would be negative.

Facewash: When a player rubs his glove over another player's face.


Fan: When a player misses the puck as they try to shoot or pass it.


Fishbowl: Full plastic face shield. 


Fisticuffs: Refer to Tilly.

Flow: Hair, with beautiful flowing locks. Not all hair is good flow but the greatest is “sick flow”. Most notably would be #28 Ryan Jones of the Edmonton Oilers.

Garbage Goal: A goal scored close to the net, usually on a rebound and not on a play.


Geno: Slang word for Goal.

Gongshow: A intense situation, as well as a high scoring game.

Goon: A specific player who’s role is to grind and fight.

Greasy: Anything dirty or cheap can be considered greasy.

Example, “That was a greasy goal, it just dribbled in”.

Hammered: A big hit.


Hoser: From before the Zamboni days, the losing team were called “Hosers” because they would have to flood the ice afterwards.

Howitzer: A hard slap shot.


Laser: A slapshot undetectable to the unaided eye.

Mits: Gloves.


Muzzy: A mustache, the dirtier the better.

The O: The Ontario Hockey League (OHL).


O.D.R.: Acronym for the Outdoor-Rink.

One-Timer: When the puck is passed from one player to another and the receiving player takes a slap-shot without stopping the puck.


Plug: A useless player on the team.


Pillows: The Goalie's Pads.


Pipes: The metal posts of the net.

Example, “The goalie sits between the pipes”.

Puck: In proper context is used as a nickname for the game of Ice Hockey.


Puck Bunny: A female creature that despite the fact that they essentially live at an arena, know nothing about hockey and are just trying to get into a star player’s “breezers”-refer to Breezers.

Pylon: A player who doesn’t move and is as easy to skate around as an orange parking cone.

Roadie: Road Trip!

Robbed: A big save by the goalie, usually a glove save.


Rocked: A big hit.


Ringer: When a shot hits the post and makes a distinctive ring.

Rink Rat: The old guy who runs and takes care of the rink, usually greasy with long hair and a beard. Most of the time he is in a bad mood.


Sauce: A beauty pass, usually a saucer pass.

Scratch: A player who is not in the lineup for the night is a scratch. Players who are not injured but are not on the lineup for a certain reason are called "healthy scratches".

Shelf: Shooting the puck at the top corner.


Snakebit: A goal scorer who is going consecutive games without scoring.


Snipe: Giving the puck a 1-way ticket to the back of the net.

Soft: If you’re soft you can’t take a hit, you’re a baby. The extreme form would be “soft as butter”. You do not want to be soft.

Stoned: A solid save by a goalie.

Stripes: The referee.


Sweater: Jersey.


Tendy: Goaltender/Goalie.

Tilly: A fight or a scrap.

Tripod: A player who ABSOLUTELY NEEDS his stick to balance or lean on in order to skate.

Twig: Nickname for a a hockey stick.

W: A “W”in.

Wheel: To wheel is to skate with impressive speed and puck control. 

Example, “look at him wheel!” or “Man that guy’s got wheel’s”.

Wheels: Slang word for skates.


Yardie: The act of performing a yardsale.

Yardsale: When a player equipment is spread around the surface of the ice as a result of being dummied.


Zebra: Referee.

Battle of Alberta! Pre-Game Blog

Taylor Hall is back in the lineup!

Despite the fact that he looks like an extra from AMC's "The Walking Dead" #4 Hallsy is fired up and ready to go for the game tonight! 

Taylor Hall Update. 2012. Photograph. Edmontonoilers.comWeb. 21 Jan 2012. <http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=612528>.

I'm so tired of losing to the Calgary Flames, The Flames fans don't even care about the battle of Alberta anymore. They have a bigger rivalry with the Canucks now.. It seems that this rivalry has kind of died as of late because the Oilers aren't perceived as much of a threat to the C of red. 

AND THAT'S why I hate Flames fans! 

If you're a Flames fan and reading this... I have nothing against you personally, it just seems that when you guys get in a group, it turns into a gongshow.

Pond Warrior

(P.S. Hockey slang glossary is in the works)

Introduction

Hello Everyone!
First of all, I would like to let you all know that I have NEVER! In the history of my short life played on a competitive hockey team. In fact I've only learned to start playing this most recent winter.
But that doesn't matter, it doesn't change my opinion or love of the sport.
I'm an Oiler's fan, I was born into being an Oiler's fan so I didn't have much of a choice on the matter, however I wouldn't want it any other way. You can expect to hear a lot about the Edmonton Oilers, goofing off at the ODR (for those who don't know it's the Out-Door Rink) and just anything that I find interesting at the time, hockey related of course. So feel free to post or comment on my blog and share it with other fellow Oilers and Hockey enthusiasts.
Most sincerely,
Pond Warrior