History of an Oilers Fan – Part 5
As the 2009/2010 season has already begun, I wrap up my History of an Oilers fan series. I am looking forward to the season and can’t wait to get back into my regular routine here on Off the Post. Thanks for reading!
Many faces still remain from the ‘06 cup run including current captain Ethan Moreau, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Steve Staios, and Fernando Pisani. Joined by many new acquisitions like Sheldon Souray, Patrick O’Sulivan, and youngsters like Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson this team certainly has a different look, but has some nice looking elements to it. Good, or bad remains to be seen.
The summer of 2009 won’t go down in history as the most exciting for the Oilers. The Danny Heatley saga filled the news for the most part, while the signing of veteran goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was met with mixed views, and the return of Mike Comrie raising eyebrows all around the league. Not the changes most of us Oilers fans expected, but none the less we enter a new season filled with hope.
What does it mean to be an Oilers fan? Is it all about the glory years and the past championships? Is it about the gloomy years of the 90’s or is it about the 2006 run and what could have been? I think being a fan, a true fan of any sports team comes with highs and lows. You need to feel the lows in order to be able to fully enjoy and appreciate the highs. As modern day Oilers fans we have definitely shared in many low points over the last 15 years. We’ve had glimpses of what could be only to be followed up by major let downs. This teams biggest flaw ever since the mid 90’s has been inconsistency. Inconsistency with the players, the coaches, the management and even ownership. With a new owner now, and a secure place in Edmonton is this team ready to turn the corner and become playoff contenders every year? Will this team be fighting for the division title once again on a yearly basis rather than fighting for 7th or 8th spot year after year? I don’t know. I hope so.
I read forums, blogs, and news about the Oilers on a near daily basis. I will tune into Ched online to hear the post game sometimes, and often watch Sportsnet West, as apposed to Pacific for my highlights. After spending the better part of 2 years outside of Canada, and now back in a rival city, (Vancouver) I find that I get a less saturated view of the Oilers. I have to work a little harder to get information, and sometimes even just to see games. I think I have a unique view of this team, being born in Edmonton, yet living elsewhere for the majority of my life.
I haven’t been to an Oilers game live, in Edmonton, since the mid 90’s, a home opener vs Detroit in which Jason Arnott was hit with a puck in the face off of a Jiri Slegr arrant point shot. The Oilers lost the game. I have made it a mission in life to see many more Oilers games in Edmonton and other cities. I would love to plan a hockey road trip, following the Oilers around to places like Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. That would be the ultimate trip for me. Maybe hit the west coast and follow them through L.A., Anaheim, San Jose and Phoenix. That would be damn cool too!
Whatever the future of this team holds one thing is for certain, I will be an Oilers fan until the day I die and even still I’m pretty sure I’ll be cheering them on in the afterlife. Oilers fans are like none other. We don’t just like our team and enjoy the game, we feel the game, we bleed our team.