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Why I 'Hate' Edmonton, Wing Things |
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Some feuds are hereditary. Look around at many of the conflicts around the world today; they go back decades or even centuries. The sentiments are passed down so much that each new generation can feel just same as their ancestors, even if the initial conflict was far removed from their own lifespan. This is the case with me and Edmonton.
In the early 90s, when I was in my hockey-card-collecting prime, there were a few players coveted most by Canadian kids. Eric Lindros was just starting his career and his reign as the Captain of the “Legion of Doom” line. Mario Lemieux was coming off winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and despite injury problems, putting up insane points per game. Toronto fans worshipped Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour and every goalie had a replica of Martin Brodeur’s mask. Of all those players, however, there was still one player who was everyone’s undisputed favorite: Wayne Gretzky.
Like any little boy, my list of favorite hockey players would probably look pretty similar. I vaguely knew my dad, NHL defenseman Brad Marsh, played against all of these guys but I never considered he might have a personal opinion of any of them. As I started to grow older and talk about hockey with my Dad it became apparent things were different any time Gretzky or the mighty Oilers of the 80s came up.
Dad played on a young but talented Flyers team from 1982-1988. They had gritty scorers like Tim Kerr, future hall of fame defenseman Mark Howe, great goaltending from the late Pelle Lindbergh and after that Ron Hextall. They were talented, tough and in the mid-eighties they were a force to be reckoned with. In 1985, the young Flyers battled their way to the Stanley Cup finals against the reigning Champions, the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers were a dynasty in the making, Gretzky, Kurri, Anderson, Messier, Coffey, and Grant Fuhr all would eventually end up in the Hall of Fame. The Flyers lost the series in 5 games. In 1987, the two teams met once again in the finals. Both teams had essentially the same rosters, the only major difference being the rookie Ron Hextall, in nets for the Flyers. The Flyers had a long road to the finals playing 26 of a possible 28 games and injuries to key players were taking its toll. The Flyers battled their way to game 7 in Edmonton.
Each game had been tight and going into game 7 it was anybody’s series to win. Despite another hard effort and an incredible game by Ron Hextall, the Flyers couldn’t finish off the Oilers dynasty. Though they had come so close to hockey’s Holy Grail they left Edmonton empty handed. Dad lost two Stanley Cups at the hands of the Oilers and after that he never had another shot at the Cup.
The more I learned about the Stanley Cup, the dynasties and the history; the more I learned about winning and losing, the more I came to realize what that must have meant. Millions of kids around the world play hockey on the street or on the outdoor rink dreaming of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. Twice my Dad was actually playing for the prize, and twice came up just short or fulfilling that childhood dream so many of us have. Now I don’t bring it up too much.
Just like the family of a war veteran doesn’t ask what happened during the war, I don’t ask about the Finals. Call it stubborn or being a sore loser but this is why I’ll never cheer for the Edmonton Oilers. This is why I have mixed feelings going to Edmonton. The “City of Champions” earned that name at my Dad’s expense. I wasn’t there personally and I’ve only experienced that loss as its been told to me but you better believe when I have a son he won’t be an Oilers fan either.
To this day, Dad won’t watch the Cup presentation each spring when a team wins the championship and I don’t blame him one bit. It hurts. It hurts in a very deep, personal way.
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WING THINGS
The Winged Wheel continued their Western Canada road trip last night in Edmonton. After coming off of two strong wins against Vancouver and Calgary, the Wings steamrolled the Oilers, holding them to just 14 shots. The Wings have shaken the monkey off their back that had been plaguing them for a 4 game winless stretch prior to heading up to the great white north.
Darren Helm made his season debut last night and didn’t waste any time getting back into the swing of things. Just over five minutes into the first he was sprung on a breakaway from a Daniel Alfredsson pass that seemed to elude everyone. Helm buried a shot, five hole on Jason LaBarbera.
Big Bert Getting it Done
Veteran Todd Bertuzzi has been a presence to be reckoned with this season even if the results don’t always appear along the stat line. Big Bert seems to be in on every play, is strong on the puck, and is a rock in front of the opposing team’s goalie.
While some may be suggesting that age and injury is starting to catch up to the 38 year old, Bertuzzi is looking right at home on the top line with Datsyuk and Zetterberg. While his 6 points over 14 games may not be leading anyone to victory in their office hockey pool, his presence is certainly contributing in a big way to keeping the Wings in the win column.
Bertuzzi’s two assists against the Flames and his power play goal last night are perfect examples of what he brings to the team.
On his first assist against the Flames, Bertuzzi caused chaos in front of the net and drew both Flames defenders to him allowing Datsyuk to pick up the puck and take his time firing into the open net.
On the second helper, Bertuzzi fed a slick backhand, no-look pass to the captain for a quick shot that MacDonald didn’t have a chance on.
Last night Big Bert got into position while Henrik Zetterberg baited every Oiler defender out of position. By the time the Oilers figured out Bertuzzi was open the puck was already in the back of the net.
By working hard and playing tough in the difficult areas of the offensive zone, Bertuzzi is often responsible for creating or optimizing scoring chances whether he touches the puck or not. When he does have the puck, Bertuzzi is a very real scoring threat. While his point-per-game days are long behind him, the veteran can certainly still score.
Bertuzzi may only have four goals so far this year but expect more to come. He has taken the fourth most shots on the team this year (31) and leads the team in power play goals (3).
Spreading the Scoring
Scoring is finally starting to spread throughout the lineup, last night 12 different players notched a point.
The Red Wings’ third line of Tatar – Andersson - Abdelkader is on a roll: Tatar has put up four points in his last three games, Justin Abdelkader found the score sheet in Calgary (1G, 1A) and had a solid overall game, and Joakim Andersson has four points in his last four games as well.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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