Top 3 Scariest Halloween Masks 
#3
#2
#1
#3 #2#1Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Oilers win !
2 Stars Ovechkin and Smyth !
Hemsky in on Johnson
Lupul scores !Oilers 4, Capitals 0
AP, Oct 29, 2006 EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)
Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist and Dwayne Roloson stopped 19 shots as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night. Fernando Pisani, Joffrey Lupul and Marty Reasoner also scored for the Oilers.
Friday, October 27, 2006
~Jokes~
A woman visited a psychic of some local repute. In a dark and gloomy room, gazing at the Tarot cards laid out before her, the Tarot reader delivered the bad news.
"There is no easy way to say this so I'll just be blunt. Prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and horrible death this year."
Visibly shaken, the woman stared at the psychic's lined face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She simply had to know. She met the Tarot reader's gaze, steadied her voice, and asked, "Will I get away with it?"
*
My wife and I are watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"while we are in bed.
I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex ?"
"No." she answered
"Is there a 50 % chance ?"
"No." she answered
"Is that your final answer ?"
"Yes." she replied
then I said "I'd like to call a friend !"
and that's the last thing I remember !
*
Uncharacteristic
This goal got by Jussi Markkanen and the game got by the Oilers as they lost their 2nd straight by a score of 6-2. Phoenix has been widely critisized for their poor play, but last night the "light bulb" came on. Congrats to Wayne, he may not have to put in his resignation just yet !Thursday, October 26, 2006
Oilers vrs. Coyotes round #2
They lost last night to the Ducks but have a chance to redeem themselves tonite in Phoenix
8:00 p.m. mst
pp
*
Minnesota 9-8-1-0-16
Minnesota 9-8-1-0-16
Vancouver 11-6-4-1-13
Edmonton 9-6-3-0-12
Colorado 10-4-4-2-10
Calgary 8-3-4-1-7
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Oilers Bio - #16 Jarret Stoll
Click name for link to Oilers home !
*
One helluva hockey player, did you see the hit he took from Danny Markov in the Detroit game ! No biggie, he got up as if he were made of rubber (curse those suicide passes) He scored his first goal of the season on a laser beam, and added an assist. The guy is a machine. I knew we had a gem when we got him cause he's a winner. Last year he was a monster in the face off circle, and you can tell he's very formitable and only getting better. The '06 play-offs had its ups and downs for Jarret. Though his play was decent, it was a bit inconsistant. I'm sure he would tell you game 7 wasn't his best effort. But with that said he learned alot from the Stanley Cup Final and will glean important experience for the rest of his career
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Poor Bobby !
Monday, October 23, 2006
Oilers 5-2
3rd star Patrick Thoresen (3 assists)*
Ed Jovonovski 6 pim, -1
*
The Oilers hammered the Coyotes 5-2, and the line of Hemsky, Thoresen, and Sykora accounted for 10 points. Jarret Stoll scored his first, and the Oilers clicked on the power-play 2-10. The Coyotes were heavily out-shot in the 3rd period 16-8, but Curtis Joseph probbably saved them from further embarrasment. Gretzkys team looks sick, and as my buddy Keith said, "Wayne will resign before he gets fired! " Looks like resignation time to me! Sykora had 4 points, and Hemsky added 3 points to his total.
Ed Jovonovski 6 pim, -1*
The Oilers hammered the Coyotes 5-2, and the line of Hemsky, Thoresen, and Sykora accounted for 10 points. Jarret Stoll scored his first, and the Oilers clicked on the power-play 2-10. The Coyotes were heavily out-shot in the 3rd period 16-8, but Curtis Joseph probbably saved them from further embarrasment. Gretzkys team looks sick, and as my buddy Keith said, "Wayne will resign before he gets fired! " Looks like resignation time to me! Sykora had 4 points, and Hemsky added 3 points to his total.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Nice to see Oilers ranked high !
Sykora in on HasekCheck this out,the Oilers' players are getting some due respect !
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you can check positional ranking too at the top of the link
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The team is ranked fairly too !
~
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"eat crow" nay-sayers !
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Oilers 3 ~ Wings 1
The Oilers' most brilliant and inspired play of the early season paid dividends as they shut the door on the RedWings.~High lites~
Winchester crushes Chelios
Staios scores on point shot
Hemsky dances with the puck
Stoll gets rocked by Markov
Datsyuk scores on breakaway
Thoresen works his magic
Sykora scores on breakaway
Lupul scores on breakaway
Roloson shuts the door in the 3rd
Game over
Oilers 3 ~ Wings 1
Datsyuk scores on breakaway
Thoresen works his magic
Sykora scores on breakaway
Lupul scores on breakaway
Roloson shuts the door in the 3rd
Game over
Oilers 3 ~ Wings 1
Tear Jerker
An Inspiring Poem:
*
A drunk man in an Oldsmobile
*
A drunk man in an Oldsmobile
They said had run the light
That caused the six-car pileup
On 109 that night.
*
When broken bodies lay about
And blood was everywhere,
The sirens screamed out eulogies,
For death was in the air.
*
Mother, trapped inside her car,
Was heard above the noise;
Her plaintive plea near split the air:
Oh, God, please spare my boys!"
*
She fought to loose her pinned hands;
She struggled to get free,
But mangled metal held her fast
In grim captivity.
*
Her frightened eyes then focused
On where the back seat once had been,
all she saw was broken glass
children's seats crushed in.
*
Her twins were nowhere to be seen;
She did not hear them cry,
And then she prayed they'd been thrown free,
Oh, God, don't let them die!"
*
Then firemen came and cut her loose,
But when they searched the back,
They found therein no little boys,
But the seat belts were intact.
*
They thought the woman had gone mad
And was travelling alone,
But when they turned to question her,
They discovered she was gone.
*
Policemen saw her running wild
And screaming above the noise
In beseeching supplication,
Please help me find my boys!
*
They're four years old and wear blue shirts;
Their jeans are blue to match.
"One cop spoke up, "They're in my car,
And they don't have a scratch.
*
They said their daddy put them there
And gave them each a cone,
Then told them both to wait for Mom
To come and take them home.
*
"I've searched the area high and low,
But I can't find their dad.
He must have fled the scene,
I guess, and that is very bad."
*
The mother hugged the twins and said,
While wiping at a tear,
"He could not flee the scene, you see,
For he's been dead a year."
*
The cop just looked confused and asked,
Now, how can that be true?"
The boys said, "Mommy, Daddy came
And left a kiss for you."
*
He told us not to worry
And that you would be all right,
And then he put us in this car with
The pretty, flashing light.
*
We wanted him to stay with us,
Because we miss him so,
But Mommy, he just hugged us tight
And said he had to go.
*
He said someday we'd understand
And told us not to fuss,
And he said to tell you,
Mommy, He's watching over us.
*
The mother knew without a doubt
That what they spoke was true,
For she recalled their dad's last words,
"I will watch over you."
*
The firemen's notes could not explain
The twisted, mangled car,
And how the three of them escaped
Without a single scar.
*
But on the cop's report was scribed,
In print so very fine,
An angel walked the beat tonight
OnHighway 109.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Wow !
The Plan to Replace the Dollar With the 'Amero'
by Jerome R. CorsiPosted May 22, 2006
Mexico's Lawless Border Threatens U.S.
The Barbarians Are Past the Gate
The Campaign to Third-Worldize the U.S.
300 Million and Immigration: Separating the Issues
Bush's Immigration Message Undermines His Message on Terrorism
The idea to form the North American Union as a super-NAFTA knitting together Canada, the United States and Mexico into a super-regional political and economic entity was a key agreement resulting from the March 2005 meeting held at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., between President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin.A joint statement published by the three presidents following their Baylor University summit announced the formation of an initial entity called, “The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP). The joint statement termed the SPP a “trilateral partnership” that was aimed at producing a North American security plan as well as providing free market movement of people, capital, and trade across the borders between the three NAFTA partners:
We will establish a common approach to security to protect North America from external threats, prevent and respond to threats within North America, and further streamline the secure and efficient movement of legitimate, low-risk traffic across our borders.
A working agenda was established:
We will establish working parties led by our ministers and secretaries that will consult with stakeholders in our respective countries. These working parties will respond to the priorities of our people and our businesses, and will set specific, measurable, and achievable goals.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has produced a SPP website, which documents how the U.S. has implemented the SPP directive into an extensive working agenda.Following the March 2005 meeting in Waco, Tex., the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) published in May 2005 a task force report titled “Building a North American Community.” We have already documented that this CFR task force report calls for a plan to create by 2010 a redefinition of boundaries such that the primary immigration control will be around the three countries of the North American Union, not between the three countries. We have argued that a likely reason President Bush has not secured our border with Mexico is that the administration is pushing for the establishment of the North American Union. The North American Union is envisioned to create a super-regional political authority that could override the sovereignty of the United States on immigration policy and trade issues. In his June 2005 testimony to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Pastor, the Director of the Center for North American Studies at American University, stated clearly the view that the North American Union would need a super-regional governance board to make sure the United States does not dominate the proposed North American Union once it is formed:
NAFTA has failed to create a partnership because North American governments have not changed the way they deal with one another. Dual bilateralism, driven by U.S. power, continue to govern and irritate. Adding a third party to bilateral disputes vastly increases the chance that rules, not power, will resolve problems.This trilateral approach should be institutionalized in a new North American Advisory Council. Unlike the sprawling and intrusive European Commission, the Commission or Council should be lean, independent, and advisory, composed of 15 distinguished individuals, 5 from each nation. Its principal purpose should be to prepare a North American agenda for leaders to consider at biannual summits and to monitor the implementation of the resulting agreements.
Pastor was a vice chairman of the CFR task force that produced the report “Building a North American Union.”Pastor also proposed the creation of a Permanent Tribunal on Trade and Investment with the view that “a permanent court would permit the accumulation of precedent and lay the groundwork for North American business law.” The intent is for this North American Union Tribunal would have supremacy over the U.S. Supreme Court on issues affecting the North American Union, to prevent U.S. power from “irritating” and retarding the progress of uniting Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. into a new 21st century super-regional governing body. Robert Pastor also advises the creation of a North American Parliamentary Group to make sure the U.S. Congress does not impede progress in the envisioned North American Union. He has also called for the creation of a North American Customs and Immigration Service which would have authority over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security.Pastor’s 2001 book “Toward a North American Community” called for the creation of a North American Union that would perfect the defects Pastor believes limit the progress of the European Union. Much of Pastor’s thinking appears aimed at limiting the power and sovereignty of the United States as we enter this new super-regional entity. Pastor has also called for the creation of a new currency which he has coined the “Amero,” a currency that is proposed to replace the U.S. dollar, the Canadian dollar, and the Mexican peso.If President Bush had run openly in 2004 on the proposition that a prime objective of his second term was to form the North American Union and to supplant the dollar with the “Amero,” we doubt very much that President Bush would have carried Ohio, let alone half of the Red State majority he needed to win re-election. Pursuing any plan that would legalize the conservatively estimated 12 million illegal aliens now in the United States could well spell election disaster for the Republican Party in 2006, especially for the House of Representative where every seat is up for grabs.
Mr. Corsi is the author of several books, including "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry" (along with John O'Neill), "Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil" (along with Craig R. Smith), and "Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," and most recently, "Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders." He is a frequent guest on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show. He will soon co-author a new book with Jim Gilchrist on the Minuteman Project.
by Jerome R. CorsiPosted May 22, 2006
Mexico's Lawless Border Threatens U.S.
The Barbarians Are Past the Gate
The Campaign to Third-Worldize the U.S.
300 Million and Immigration: Separating the Issues
Bush's Immigration Message Undermines His Message on Terrorism
The idea to form the North American Union as a super-NAFTA knitting together Canada, the United States and Mexico into a super-regional political and economic entity was a key agreement resulting from the March 2005 meeting held at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., between President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin.A joint statement published by the three presidents following their Baylor University summit announced the formation of an initial entity called, “The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP). The joint statement termed the SPP a “trilateral partnership” that was aimed at producing a North American security plan as well as providing free market movement of people, capital, and trade across the borders between the three NAFTA partners:
We will establish a common approach to security to protect North America from external threats, prevent and respond to threats within North America, and further streamline the secure and efficient movement of legitimate, low-risk traffic across our borders.
A working agenda was established:
We will establish working parties led by our ministers and secretaries that will consult with stakeholders in our respective countries. These working parties will respond to the priorities of our people and our businesses, and will set specific, measurable, and achievable goals.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has produced a SPP website, which documents how the U.S. has implemented the SPP directive into an extensive working agenda.Following the March 2005 meeting in Waco, Tex., the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) published in May 2005 a task force report titled “Building a North American Community.” We have already documented that this CFR task force report calls for a plan to create by 2010 a redefinition of boundaries such that the primary immigration control will be around the three countries of the North American Union, not between the three countries. We have argued that a likely reason President Bush has not secured our border with Mexico is that the administration is pushing for the establishment of the North American Union. The North American Union is envisioned to create a super-regional political authority that could override the sovereignty of the United States on immigration policy and trade issues. In his June 2005 testimony to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Pastor, the Director of the Center for North American Studies at American University, stated clearly the view that the North American Union would need a super-regional governance board to make sure the United States does not dominate the proposed North American Union once it is formed:
NAFTA has failed to create a partnership because North American governments have not changed the way they deal with one another. Dual bilateralism, driven by U.S. power, continue to govern and irritate. Adding a third party to bilateral disputes vastly increases the chance that rules, not power, will resolve problems.This trilateral approach should be institutionalized in a new North American Advisory Council. Unlike the sprawling and intrusive European Commission, the Commission or Council should be lean, independent, and advisory, composed of 15 distinguished individuals, 5 from each nation. Its principal purpose should be to prepare a North American agenda for leaders to consider at biannual summits and to monitor the implementation of the resulting agreements.
Pastor was a vice chairman of the CFR task force that produced the report “Building a North American Union.”Pastor also proposed the creation of a Permanent Tribunal on Trade and Investment with the view that “a permanent court would permit the accumulation of precedent and lay the groundwork for North American business law.” The intent is for this North American Union Tribunal would have supremacy over the U.S. Supreme Court on issues affecting the North American Union, to prevent U.S. power from “irritating” and retarding the progress of uniting Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. into a new 21st century super-regional governing body. Robert Pastor also advises the creation of a North American Parliamentary Group to make sure the U.S. Congress does not impede progress in the envisioned North American Union. He has also called for the creation of a North American Customs and Immigration Service which would have authority over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security.Pastor’s 2001 book “Toward a North American Community” called for the creation of a North American Union that would perfect the defects Pastor believes limit the progress of the European Union. Much of Pastor’s thinking appears aimed at limiting the power and sovereignty of the United States as we enter this new super-regional entity. Pastor has also called for the creation of a new currency which he has coined the “Amero,” a currency that is proposed to replace the U.S. dollar, the Canadian dollar, and the Mexican peso.If President Bush had run openly in 2004 on the proposition that a prime objective of his second term was to form the North American Union and to supplant the dollar with the “Amero,” we doubt very much that President Bush would have carried Ohio, let alone half of the Red State majority he needed to win re-election. Pursuing any plan that would legalize the conservatively estimated 12 million illegal aliens now in the United States could well spell election disaster for the Republican Party in 2006, especially for the House of Representative where every seat is up for grabs.
Mr. Corsi is the author of several books, including "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry" (along with John O'Neill), "Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil" (along with Craig R. Smith), and "Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," and most recently, "Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders." He is a frequent guest on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show. He will soon co-author a new book with Jim Gilchrist on the Minuteman Project.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Oilers split series... identical scores !
Thoresen moved up to the top line after his goal !The final score 2-1
Sorry Keith we can't be greedy !
Round # 2 !
2-1 loss Okay so we lost one...no need to fret ! It was in their barn, and now we're in ours ! Dwayne Roloson stood on his head for the second game in a row, the goal scoring is the soft spot. Look for us to bring out the guns, it aint gonna be pretty...Oilers by 4 !
Monday, October 16, 2006
Home and home starts tonite in Van.
Mon., October 16, 8:00 PM MST TV: Sportsnetteam gp. w. l. ot. points
Minnesota 5 5 0 0 10
Edmonton 4 3 1 0 6
Vancouver 5 2 2 1 5
Calgary 5 2 2 1 5
Colorado 4 1 1 2 4
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
oil vrs. 'lanche
Ryan Smyth click for link to bio
Ryan Smyth was "the Bomb" against the Sharks, lets watch him add to his impressive totals tonight !
Sat., October 14, 8:00 p.m. mst: CBC
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Smyths' ralley nets Sharks !
3 straight goals in the 3rd period !
Oilers win 6-4
2 important points ! 
goofey sharks anyway !
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Oilers Bio - #28 Patrick Thoresen
A great pre-season, a super prospect !Patrick Thoresen
click name for link to Oilers home
*
I like this guy because he's an enigma, he basically came out of no-where and made the team. Thoresen is from Oslo Norway. Patrick actually beat Robbie Schremp out of a position and I thought Rob was a lock on the 4th line. He's young shifty, and not many now his style, so maybe he'll surprise everyone (but me) and score 15-20 goals ! Let's nick-name this guy, leave some ideas if you wish ! The Nordic Nova ?
Monday, October 09, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving !
Fall Colors Means Turkey Time !
Grandma McLaughlin, and Ross joined my little family for dinner this week-end which turned out nice ! We enjoyed a tradional dinner with turkey, potatoes, corn, buns, brussle sprouts, pickles, and of course stove-top stuffing...Mmmmmm ! Dessert was pumpkin pie and cool-whip. We played lots of Scrabble and even had a 700 game Grandma had 370ish points ! A good time was had by all despite the briefness of the visit. Thanks for coming !Saturday, October 07, 2006
Round #2 Tonight !
Tee Hee !
We're ready for it, so bring on those Flamers. The Oil are gonna teach 'em a lesson, "don't come back for seconds !"Sat., October 7, 8:00pm CBC
Friday, October 06, 2006
My New Blog !
"Yippee ...I have a new template from Blogger Bata !"
I'm looking for comments on my new blog, feel free to post one !
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sykora Shines !
Banner Night !
Oilers 3 Flames 1
*
1st Period
Sykora (1) Torres / Hemsky (es) 14:43
Sykora (2) Horcoff / Stoll (pp) 17:49
2nd period
3rd period
Tjarnqvist (1) Hemsky / Sykora (pp) 10:35
Iginla (1) Langkow (es) 14:25
*
Roloson (W) - Kiprusoff (L)
Shots Edm 22 - Cal 32
P.P. Edm 2/8 - Cal 0/9
*
3 stars
1st - Sykora
2nd - Roloson
3rd - Iginla
Round #1 Tonite !
By ANDY LEFKOWITZ, STATS Editor
Behind Chris Pronger, Michael Peca, Sergei Samsonov, Dwayne Roloson and Fernando Pisani, the Edmonton Oilers had an improbable playoff run and came within a game of winning the Stanley Cup.
With three of those players gone, it may be tougher for the Oilers to represent the West again.
The new-look Oilers begin the 2006-07 season Thursday against the Calgary Flames at Rexall Place in the start a home-and-home series between the provincial rivals.
In one the first major deals made following the lockout, Edmonton acquired Pronger from St. Louis and signed him to a five-year, $31.25 million contract. The lightly regarded Oilers entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, and went on their deepest Cup run since the 1989-90 championship season.
They stunned the Presidents' Trophy-winning Red Wings in six games in the first round. In the conference semifinals, Edmonton rallied from two games down to beat a San Jose team led by the high-scoring duo of Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo.
Edmonton then defeated Anaheim in five games of the West finals. Roloson suffered a postseason-ending knee injury in Game 1 of the finals against Carolina, but the Oilers nearly became the first team since the 1942 Maple Leafs to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win the finals before losing a decisive Game 7.
Surprising as Pronger's arrival was, his sudden departure was equally shocking. His wife reportedly disliked living in Edmonton, and the Oilers granted the former Hart and Norris Trophy winner's trade request, dealing him to Anaheim in a package that included right wing and suburban Edmonton native Joffrey Lupul.
"I grew up watching this team, I probably still have an Oilers jersey in my closet somewhere," Lupul said. "It's exciting. For an offensive player, it's a great place to be."
The 22-year-old Lupul set career highs with 28 goals and 25 assists in 81 games, and nearly half those points came on the power play.
"We're happy with what we got back," Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe said. "We didn't want this weighing on the team and the fans for an extended period and we feel we got a decent return."
Peca left via free agency to Toronto, and Samsonov picked up from Boston in a midseason trade departed for Montreal.
Now healthy, Roloson gives Edmonton its best starting goalie since Curtis Joseph left nearly a decade earlier. Acquired from Minnesota in March for a first-round draft pick, the Oilers rewarded Roloson with a three-year, $11 million deal after his playoff heroics.
Pisani also will try to build off his postseason success. The right wing and Edmonton native had 18 goals in 80 games during the regular season, but tallied a league-high 14 goals -- including five game-winners -- during the playoffs. He was re-signed to a four-year, $10 million deal.
In just two seasons, Miikka Kiprusoff has established himself at one of the best goaltenders in Flames history. In 2004, he brought the team within a win of its second Stanley Cup. Last year, he led the league with 10 shutouts and a 2.03 goals-against average to win his first Vezina Trophy.
The Flames playoff hopes ended with a seven-game series loss in the first round to Anaheim, but captain Jarome Iginla said the team could be competing again for a championship soon.
"I think we have a shot at it," he said. "We've been through a lot of lean years here. The last couple have been a lot better. I think we're going up."
Heading into the offseason, Calgary's biggest need was to acquire a second-line scorer behind Iginla, whose 163 goals over the last four seasons are the most in the NHL.
The Flames finished atop the Northwest Division last season, but their 218 goals scored were third-fewest in the West, ahead of only woeful Chicago and St. Louis.
Alex Tanguay, acquired from Colorado for defenseman Jordan Leopold, should be that option. Tanguay was second on the Avalanche with a career-high 29 goals and 78 points last season in only 71 games.
Entering his seventh season, the 26-year-old left wing scored two goals in Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup finals against New Jersey to help the Avalanche clinch their second championship.
After two successful seasons behind the bench, Darryl Sutter relinquished coaching duties to longtime assistant Jim Playfair to concentrate solely on his responsibilities as general manager.
"I tell you what, I think we've got a great team and now we've got a great coach," Sutter said.
The Flames took five of eight meetings from Edmonton last season, limiting the Oilers to three goals or less in six games. The "Battle of Alberta" continues Saturday at Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Oilers Bio - #14 Raffe Torres
Click name for link to Oilers web site
He's one of the best, and there are a lot of gifted forwards on the team. Raffi posesses a wicked shot, and a tenacious attitude. He had 4 goals 7 assists and 11 points in 22 playoff games last spring. One goal being a game winner when he wired a cannon, streaking in on the left boards. He's in the final year of his current contract, and will be looking for big production this season. He'll likely play the left side on a line with Sykora and Hemsky, so look for Torres to contribute lots. Raffe makes less than a million a season, and I'm guessing this is his show-case year (30-35 goals) ! He scored 27 last season (2nd to Ryan Smyth 36). He's a young gun and a keeper, good luck buddy, all the best in '06-'07 !
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
"Like we'll actually miss the play-offs !"
Hockeycentral preview Expert predictions
Video:Oiler offence
Sportsnet.ca News
EDMONTON (CP)
They don't have Stanley and they don't have Pronger. And it seems the Edmonton Oilers also aren't getting a whole lot of respect.
The NHL's Western Conference champions are being touted by some prognosticators as longshots to repeat last spring's fairy-tale run to the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup final. But the Oilers, who begin their season at home Thursday against the Calgary Flames, say their retooled lineup that emphasizes big guns up front is going to surprise."You have a taste of what it's like to go far in the playoffs. Now that we've had that taste, we kind of want to get there again," said forward Fernando Pisani. Pisani, the hometown hero who had a stellar post-season with 14 goals in 24 games, is part of an offence that can spread the scoring over three lines. Forwards Shawn Horcoff, Jarret Stoll and Raffi Torres had breakout seasons and are expected to again complement stars Ryan Smyth and Ales Hemsky. Joining them is free agent Petr Sykora. The Czech has looked solid at centre in the pre-season, though he struggled in the face-off circle. Winger Joffrey Lupul a native of nearby Fort Saskatchewan has generated the biggest buzz in the Alberta capital. He scored 28 goals last season with the Anaheim Ducks, then came north in the blockbuster trade that sent defenceman Chris Pronger to southern California. Smyth says the best defence may well be a strong offence. "Defence first is the old saying, but if they can't get it out of their own end, then we're not going to be playing defence," he said.
The blue-line is the big question mark and the main reason the Oilers are being picked to struggle. The Hockey News has them pegged to finish 12th in the Western Conference and one Las Vegas oddsmaker has them at 25-1 to claim their sixth Stanley Cup. No one expects the Oilers to replace Pronger. The six-foot-six 220-pound rearguard did it all last year. He played 28 minutes a night, anchored the special teams, shut down the opponent's top offensive threat and led the team in playoff points. Citing family reasons, he asked for a trade just days after the Cup final to begin what became a summer of transition. A third of the playoff roster eventually walked out the door, including defenceman Jaroslav Spacek, forwards Mike Peca and Sergei Samsonov and tough guy Georges Laraque. The defence will be led by veterans Jason Smith and Steve Staios. Matt Greene and Marc-Andre Bergeron are also back. Ladislav Smid came to Edmonton in the Pronger deal and free agent Daniel Tjarnqvist signed with the Oilers after spending last season in Minnesota. Besides Bergeron, the blue-line lacks an offensive threat and will miss Pronger's ability to fire deadly accurate passes to lead the breakout. "There may be growing pains, but at the same time the defence is anchored by two proven veterans," said Greene.Smyth added if the Oilers have to win every game 6-5, so be it."It's probably the coaches' and goalies' worst nightmare, but as long as you win.
The goaltending will rest on the skill and savvy not to mention the rebuilt right knee of Dwayne Roloson. The 36-year-old re-upped with the Oil after a standout performance in the playoffs. He suffered the knee injury late in Game 1 of the Cup final but said it has healed. Jussi Markkanen will handle backup duties. Horcoff said the team that had known hard times for more than a decade will now face the pressure of being a measuring stick for other squads. Their opponents will be that much more tenacious in the corners. Every night they'll see the No. 1 goalie.He said if the Oilers struggle, general manager Kevin Lowe will plug the holes, much like he did at the trade deadline last March to get Roloson. "Kevin has pretty much shown that he's going to start the season with some younger guys (on the blue-line)," Horcoff said. "They're going to get more minutes and they're going to have to run with it."That's a prediction you can take to the bank.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Another banner game !
Another game another top 3 finsh !
612 players
5,010,000 chips
21 % hands won
2nd place in $ 30 free role
$ 4.25 in prize money !
2 day total is up to $12.05
