"In professional sports, winning is the bottom line … This isn't about winning one game or one season. We're going to bring this organization back so that we're in the mix to win every single year."
Of all the quotes that made their way through the Edmonton Oilers organization this summer, that was the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Uttered by Dallas Eakins during his introductory press conference as Oilers head coach, it should be a reminder to every fan who makes excuses for failure and every player who dodges accountability on and off the ice. In Edmonton, winning should be the only thing that matters.
Eakins faces a difficult task this season. He's being asked to pull all the right strings and push all the right buttons, trying to bring a dismal franchise back to the postseason for the first time since since Rem Murray laced them up for the copper and blue. The captaincy has changed hands, veterans have been shipped out or welcomed in, gameplans have been established, experiments are underway, and the Oilers appear to be inching closer to an elusive playoff berth.
We can debate whether general manager Craig MacTavish has improved this roster all day long, but patience has worn thin in the heartland of hockey. Loyal fans have been teased year after year, and every time their hopes for playoff contention rise they’re dashed by another failure. It’s always a new call for patience, another reminder that good times are right around the corner. You can understand reluctance to believe this season will end any differently than the last seven, and fans have just been burned too many times before.
This season, it doesn’t matter if Taylor Hall is a point-per-game player or Devan Dubnyk cements the starting job permanently. If the Oilers don't make the playoffs it’s going to mark another failed opportunity, as another year of entry-level contracts burns away and the future shifts from grandiose to grim. Several pundits are predicting an Oilers championship three years from now, but many who root for the Oilers would simply settle for a playoff appearance this year. The future will sort itself out, just win today.
Of course, the excuses for failure are already built in. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will not play tonight, and isn't expected to return until November. Sam Gagner is still eating his meals through juicers and strainers, and won't be back in action until at least the first week of November. Steve MacIntyre opens the season with a knee injury, meaning the Oilers' young stars will be prone to vicious attacks from the opposition without any deterrent. The IR list could fill up just as quickly as the loss column.
I don't think this is a playoff team, and I sincerely hope the Oilers prove me wrong. I hope Eakins can rally the troops and motivate this group to compete each night, earning some early victories on nights when they'll be outmanned and outgunned. This is going to be a season-long playoff race, and it the Oilers find themselves in the thick of things by the end of November there might be hope once the reinforcements return. Whatever happens, enjoy the ride and pull for the league's sexiest underdog.
Enjoy this calm before the storm, the anticipation that comes with a new season. Enjoy the string of zeroes on each scoresheet and stat line for the next few hours, when each team is on equal footing and the race is dead even between 30 teams. The Oilers will not look great every night, and will not inspire confidence from start to finish. We’re going to see ups and downs, peaks and lulls. There will be injuries, hardships, struggles and turmoil. Through it all, just remember the quote by Eakins, which should be painted and plastered on every wall of Rexall Place.
"In professional sports, winning is the bottom line … This isn't about winning one game or one season. We're going to bring this organization back so that we're in the mix to win every single year."
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