The Battle of Alberta

The battle of Alberta is a rivalry that has evolved over the years and continues to grow today. This rivalry started many years ago but really came to light as one of the best rivalry’s in the league during the eight year span from 1982-1990. “In the eight National Hockey League (NHL) seasons from 1982-1990, each Stanley Cup final featured an Alberta-based team. The Oilers represented the Campbell Conference six times, while the Calgary Flames went to the final twice. The two teams accounted for six Cup wins (Edmonton five, Calgary one) and there was a general feeling among the Oilers that Calgary, and not the champions of the Eastern-based Wales Conference, represented their biggest threat to the Stanley Cup.” That is fairly impressive as both these teams back then were young and not expected to make it to the final year after year.

Because the cities of Edmonton and Calgary are so close it creates more than just sports rivalries actual economic and political rivalries can arise as well. The Oilers and Flames rivalry not only stems from the people of the respected cities hating the players of the opposing team, but disliking people from the opposite city for doing other things. The cities minor sports teams play against each other and can create animosity from a young age.

We will see this year who will come out on top of the series between the two rivals. “Calgary won all six meetings last season between these Northwest Division rivals, the first time in the 29-year history of the Battle of Alberta that one team swept the series.” That will not be the case this year as Edmonton won the first meeting of the season, and Calgary was able to come out on top the second time around.

http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/transformation_events_battle_alberta.html

sports.ca.msn.com Retrieved October, 2010

manovrboard.wordpress.com Retrieved October, 2010

Development -The Key To Company Success.

The development of young players is key to a successful team and business. The future of any company lies in the people who will be operating it in the years to come.

Training in hockey is especially important, and can take upward of 5 to even 10 years, compare that to a one week training session for someone working at a retail job and you begin to understand why hockey players make so much money and why it is such a hard business to be in.

Here is a list of Edmonton’s top prospects, and getting a chance to look at them before they enter the NHL can be very beneficial to not only the coaching staff but to the fans as well.

-Olivier Roy, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) (5gp, 1.94 .933)

-Martin Marincin, Prince George (WHL) (10gp, 4-6-10 +7) 

-Tyler Pitlick, Medicine Hat (WHL) (7gp, 3-5-8 -2)

-Teemu Hartikainen, OKC (AHL) (4gp, 2-0-2 -5) 

-Chris Vande Velde OKC (AHL) (4gp, 0-0-0 -7)

- Linus Omark OKC (AHL) (4gp, 1-0-1 E)

- Liam Reddox OKC (AHL) (4gp, 0-1-1 E)

These numbers are still early indications, but give you a good idea on who has the drive to make it to the NHL next season and who feels like they should be there right now, or possibly never will. Good starts by players and goalies, does not always translate to a good season or career by any means. However it is always encouraging to see them have some level of success early. 

                   

From beginning left to right, Oliver Roy, Martin Marincin, Tyler Pitlick, Teemu Hartikainen, Chris Vande Velde, Linus Omark, Liam Reddox.

http://oilersnation.com/2010/10/17/slip-kid (Retrieved Oct 2010)

Photos- Retrieved October 2010.

oilers.nhl.com- Marincin

coppernblue.com- Roy

thepipelineshow.blogspot.com- Pitlick

lowetide.blogspot.com- Hartikainen

edmontonsun.com- Vande Velde

edmontonsun.com- Omark

puttingonthefoil.com- Reddox

Technologically Advanced.

The sport of hockey is growing; sports in general are becoming more technical and are ever evolving. Technology is playing a larger role now more than ever and is creating many jobs in the market. Physiotherapy for example is a regular part of any NHL team, Edmonton’s physical therapy trainer is T.D. Forss who has extensive background in the athletic and medical field but has only been a part of the Oilers since 2010. This really brings to light how new this technology really is. Twenty years ago there might have been one or two members of the Oilers training staff where as now there are seven. Dr. Denis Boucher has brought up the use of technology in on ice activity as well as off ice. This is a ground breaking new idea that could change the way athletes compete. “Variables such as power output, aerobic capacity, speed, acceleration, deceleration, fatigue profile, heart rate, heat storage, energy depletion, biomechanical efficiency, breathing frequency and body motion.” As described by Dr. Boucher can be monitored and therefore targeted in training. He also went on to say “We’re now in an era where data rules. The more you know about your physical capacities the more you will be able to improve your skills and abilities. Furthermore, no matter what sport you practice, a fraction of a second often means the difference between winning and losing. What adds this fraction of a second is all that matters and not knowing leaves you behind.” Dr. Boucher is right, sports have become so competitive and a fraction of a second could cause an athlete to keep or lose his job.

www.elitetrack.com (retrieved oct 2010)

http://oilers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=33058

Boucher, D. (2010), The development of on ice testing. Retrieved from

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/35534-Denis-Bouchers-Blog-The-development-of-onice-testing.html

Leading the way!

Every successful business requires a great leader. That leader should have experience, be someone that puts his co-workers and  company ahead of his personal goals. A great leader not only tells others what to do but instead will lead by his own example. Shawn Horcoff fit that description according to Oilers head coach Tom Renney. "Were talking about a man that brings himself to work as hard as anyone possibly can" (Renney, T, 2010 www.edmontonoilers.com). A good work ethic is essential to any organization for many reasons, and with the rest of the team taking its lead from the captain, a hard worker is necessary.

                                                     (Goldsmith, T. 2008)

Trusting your teammates is very important for a team to gel and be successful. "Probably my pick for captain" said rookie Taylor Hall in an interview endorsement like that and others like Sam Gagner's "Guys call him the GM because of how organized he is, and how he has everything taken care of. That's really something you can look up to" (Gagner, S. 2010). As much as fans might think they know what is the best for the Oilers they don't see thing's the same way as those closer to the team. Players and coaching staff know what is best for the team and coaching to make the Oilers a successful business.

"I want to be a guy that lead's both on and off the ice" (Horcoff, S. 2010.) Shawn is entering his tenth season with the Oilers, being named it's lucky number thirteenth captain it's the start of a new era for Shawn as a player and for the Oilers as a team.

(oilers.nhl.com. 2008)

Renney, T. (2010) Retrieved from http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocentre Oct 8, 2010.
Hall, T. (2010) Retrieved from http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocentre Oct 8, 2010.
Gagner, S. (2010)  Retrieved from http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocentre Oct 8, 2010.
Horcoff, S. (2010) Retrieved from http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocentre Oct 8, 2010.
Goldsmith, T. (2008) Retrieved from http://onlyoil.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html Oct 8, 2010.
"This or That"(2008) Retrieved from http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=430585 Oct 8, 2010

Who's Getting The Job.

As the highly anticipated NHL season starts its 2010/2011 year a new crop of employee's starts its fight for a job. "Yesterday, the Oilers continued their preparation for the start of the 2010-2011 regular season by assigning four players (Taylor Chorney, Jeff Petry, Alex Plante & Colin McDonald) to Oklahoma City of the AHL and by placing two veteran players on waivers." (Tencer. D, 2010 paragraph #1), (oilers.nhl.com). The "interviewing" process for most of these players is the longest and most grueling process of any job. It can sometimes last years of an athlete's life. An NHL franchise comes with a lot of financial liability, so the owners, management and coaches of the club do everything in their power to make the team, and franchise as a whole successful. However it is ultimately up to the player's to get the job done.


With the salary cap in the National Hockey League being at 59.4 million (www.nhlnumbers.com). The people behind the scene's, negotiating contracts and recruiting player's have a huge part in the team's success. In Edmonton's case the total cap hit sits at 52.895 million, which means that the Oilers have roughly 6 and a half million dollars worth of cap space left to sign players with.


With those numbers the decision makers can now decide what they want to do with the space they have left. It is crucial for the Oilers to utilize this cap space and put forward the best team possible.


One of the two veteran player's placed on waivers was defenseman Sheldon Souray. That means that if he clears and get's picked up by another team the Oilers will be left to pay half of his nine million dollar salary over the next two seasons. Those numbers can very well affect the decisions the Oilers organization might make, It is possible that this experience might scare the organization from trying to bring another local, high paid, all-star to the team.


Even though there is a lot going on off the ice in the boardroom's, the player's and fans have to focus on what is happening on the ice. A positive outlook and hard work will provide excitement for what is to come this year!