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Boiling Oil

March 13, 2012, 12:48 AM ET [260 Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tonight won't be remembered as another Oilers loss to the San Jose Sharks. Nope.

Instead, tonight will be remembered as the point where the pot boiled over. The Coach, the players...THE TEAM...has finally figured out there is something seriously wrong.

A few quotes from the post-game, via Twitter:

Tom Renney: "Doesn't take many for wrong approach, the wrong attitude, wrong give a sh*t to go through your room. Suck it up play hockey. You're millonaires."

Yikes. Or how about...

"We have a few people who need to look in the mirror."

Jordan Eberle via 630 CHED's Dan Tencer: Jordan Eberle talked about the frustration building because of the losing. Too many guys being individuals and not part of a team.

Shawn Horcoff's thoughts, also via Tencer: Flat out, Horcoff said the group is playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Says that needs to change, some way, somehow.


So what does this all mean?

1. Tom Renney is done as Oilers Coach. They won't fire him. His contract runs out in 13 games, so there is no point in firing him. Oilers management would have to be idiotic not to see what has happened here. The players aren't listening to Renney at all.

Players absolutely can get a coach fired. See Oilers history with Jason Arnott vs. George Burnett. Or perhaps a more recent Oilers example is when the players all quit on MacT.

2. I'd love to know who Renney is referring to when he says some players need to suck it up and play hockey. I have a guess Ryan Smyth and Ales Hemsky are two. I've also heard rumblings that Ryan Jones has been an unhappy camper for some time.

With respect to Smyth, his attitude could be sucking because of the Oilers unwillingness to offer him a new contract (see the lovely blog on the Oilers Nation on this subject for more information). With respect to Hemsky, he's been pouting all season because he's lost the job as #1 RW to Jordan Eberle. With respect to Jones, I think he's still steamed he was sat half way through the season.

3. What could happen to those three? Smyth could go unsigned by the Oilers going into free agency, Hemsky could be dealt (if the Oilers find a buyer) and there certainly would be a market for Jones.

I have had a theory for some time, based on observing how this team is playing. The locker room is fragmented and has been for some time.

On one side of the equation is the kids - Hall, Eberle and Gagner in particular. On the other side is the vets - Smyth, Jones and Hemsky in particular. Eric Belanger could also be involved in this mess, and I've heard he has had attitude issues on other teams. From what I've heard, Hall, Eberle and Gagner (along with other kids) are actually Renney supporters.

This isn't that much different than what the Oilers had to go through when they moved Smith, Moreau and Souray. Management is going to pick a side and go with it. Obviously, Renney's job with the team is over, but management needs to do what's in the best interest of their star younger players, and not what the vets think should happen.

Somewhere in the middle of all this Oilers Captain Shawn Horcoff. From what I know about Horcs, he's likely more on the side of the kids than the vets. Horcoff might own Horcoff Hands, and they keep him from being a great player...but his compete level is high and he wants to win every game he plays. I don't think Horcoff is the issue here at all.

All of a sudden, life in Oilerville is very interesting again. Could we see a major shake-up of the entire team this summer? We're talking new coaches, and deals galore?

This is a 29th place team that would be last in the league if it wasn't for a good string at the beginning of the season. A team that has looked like a last-place team for three seasons. If Oilers GM Steve Tambellini likes his job, he better be setting explosives.

It's time to blow the Oilers up.

Again.
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