Comments on Black Dog Hates Skunks: My Aching Back

Make it Camels, and unfiltered just for the kick.U...

2008-11-15T12:58:00.000-05:00

Make it Camels, and unfiltered just for the kick.

Used to love the taste of loose tobacco floating around in my mouth.

Mmm mmm good.

All of us who smoked have quit. (Damn I miss havin...

2008-11-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

All of us who smoked have quit. (Damn I miss having a cigarette with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine!)

Since I'm still a man, and haven't quit, I'll have one for you. Maybe even two, if you're lucky.

william - agreed on the 'cute' point - david touch...

2008-11-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

william - agreed on the 'cute' point - david touched on it too

while this team has more talent then any Oilers team of recent vintage a little more of the old OIlers' hard skating, forechecking, give no quarter game would go a long way

too much of the Brodziak play that PDO referenced - guys blowing simple plays

Bruce - I'm inclined to think that that may be the case

I'm beginning to wonder if Fernando is playing "hu...

2008-11-15T01:14:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if Fernando is playing "hurt". He is a WAY better player than he's shown lately, regardless of position.

The PK looks to me to be standing still most of th...

2008-11-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

The PK looks to me to be standing still most of the time in box formation. In years past, even though they never struck me as world beating PKers then (despite being ranked so high), at least they seemed to be more aggressive at challenging the puckholder and get into passing and shooting lanes with sticks and bodies. Something like "take away space and time". This year, they seem to just sit back and let the play come to them. Moreau especially to me looks like a pylon out there.

And I have no idea if the numbers bear it out, but they seem to be blocking fewer shots (at least successfully). Lots of passes and shots getting through to my eye.

Pisani used to be the embodiment of smart and committed efforts to get the puck out of danger. Maybe it's his playing out of position but he hasn't been great lately at making those little extra plays, and the rest of the team has been that way all year - whiffing and/or too cute on back passing and little chips. This team still strikes me as trying to be too cute most of the time. Souray, of all people, has looked pretty good at breaking up the play.

BDHS - That he's young, dumb, and filling too many...

2008-11-14T17:49:00.000-05:00

BDHS - That he's young, dumb, and filling too many girls up with.... you know where I'm going ;).

He didn't really have one. Horcoff chipped it out of the corner onto Brodziaks tape around the top of the circle, and he just plain whiffed on it. Oilers did clear the zone twice, but they couldn't get a change because they never got a chance to get it deep again and it was the long change in the second period.

Horc and Penner seem to me to be the problem right...

2008-11-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

Horc and Penner seem to me to be the problem right now. I was at the TO game and it was plainly obvious that Horc is NOT game sharp nor fit. Penner? I duuno what's with that guy, but he's clearly not at the top of his game yet either.

The biggest piss-off other than those damn Leaf fans in the stands, was the fact that the Leafs played like we used to - hard-nosed and never gave up. We have to play a three-period game because if we don't, the other guys will bury us nine times outta ten.

Yup a lot of change in roster over the last little...

2008-11-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

Yup a lot of change in roster over the last little while. Well who has been a constant force on the PK through the last three seasons? At least two solid defensive centers. When Horc went down last yr it was Stoll and Reasoner who carried... and the year before w/o Stoll it was Horc and Reasoner who moved boulders. Before that, Horc, Peca, Stoll.

Who do we have this yr? Horc is the only vet center... with Brodziak doing the rest of the work. Might be too much too soon for the guy. Does anyone know who is usually on the ice when the PK is scored on?

I think its safe to say that the Oil miss the second pk vet center, and his name isn't Jarret.

Sing it now, "...and the Reasoner is yoooooou, and the Reasoner iiis yooooou"

pdo - I only saw the third - what was Brodziak's e...

2008-11-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

pdo - I only saw the third - what was Brodziak's excuse?

This team just is a little too loosey goosey for my liking, easy on the puck, soft passes, weak puck support, bad pinches, sometimes a little too soft.

Failure to execute.

They're young, sure, but this team has been getting younger for three seasons now.

Maybe just a plain lack of attention to detail?Fir...

2008-11-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

Maybe just a plain lack of attention to detail?

First PP goal sees Moreau get locked in on the puck and has his stick watching for a backdoor pass that simply isn't there instead of tipping that pass into the crowd.

Second PP goal Horcoff chips the puck neatly to Brodziak... and he whiffs on the clearing attempt. 45 long seconds later, it's 2-1.

Easy mistakes to make, and guys like 51 at least have an excuse, but they have to be better...

Besides Kyle, look at the players they have lost e...

2008-11-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

Besides Kyle, look at the players they have lost each year. Pronger, Spacek, Peca, Dvorak plus Moreau Stoll and Staios to injuries and Smyth to trade in 06/07

Then Smith and Hejda gone and injuries and illness for Pisani, Moreau, Horcoff, Souray and Greene last season

I mean we're talking about the unit being decimated each year and still getting the job done.

Ah, forgot about Marty. That's fixed.Although I wo...

2008-11-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ah, forgot about Marty. That's fixed.

Although I would say that neither is a better defensive centre then Horcoff.

You can't take out your top two defensive centers ...

2008-11-14T12:48:00.000-05:00

You can't take out your top two defensive centers without there being repercussions of some kind. You just can't.