When the “Meet The Blogger” opportunity arose. I jumped on the opportunity to cover my friend Alex Thomas, or as we call him here “The Machine”. This is one of many names he’s been deemed by other bloggers. Isn’t that right “Bette?” He continues to write seven blogs an hour while making each piece he writes better. An excellent writer to say the least. Just incredible for only twenty years old.
Alex is one of the creators of theOilersrig. That alone gets him, mad props. It takes a lot of work, hours, tears and blood(especially being an Oilers fan) to do what he does. He writes immaculate pieces, hosts theOilersrig podcast and help organize the site. He is also a regular guest on the Lowtide show, on TSN1260. All while studying sports journalism and communication. A career he no doubt is working hard towards.
But enough of the introduction, let’s get to the man himself!
Tell me a little bit about yourself Alex.
“Well I won’t give you my uneventful life story hahaha, but I’m 20 years old and currently in my junior year of college at Springfield College in Western Massachusetts. I’m from Woburn Mass, which is right outside of the city of Boston. I grew up an Oilers fans but no one can figure out why because my no one else in my family like them.”
What moment, or person, peaked your interest in hockey?
“I think it was my dad and my grandfather. One year, in the early 2000’s, my Dad got a 10 game package for the Bruins with my grandfather and myself. It was a lot of fun, and I really began to love the game as I started to pay attention to it more and more. I’m sure they both would have loved me to be Bruins fans, but hey, what are you going to do?”
No offense pal, but your American. How did you end up an Oilers fan?
“Oh Jeez, that’s a good question. I loved the old gear third jerseys, and it was my second ever hockey jersey (my first was that hilarious looking old Bruins third jersey that was yellow with the bear on it). I remember the first game of that ten game package was an Oilers game, and I really liked the jerseys they wore and the style they played, really started following them then. I remember watching an Oilers/Stars series the year before and they started to catch my eye.”
When did you start writing about hockey?
“I actually started writing immediately after the 2009-10 season. I had some many ideas in my head about hockey and the Oilers that I had to put the pen to paper. it was a lot of fun, but it didn’t last at first, and I quit a few months after. I really began picking it up again once I went to college, I’d say August of 2012 is when I really took off. It’s my passion, sports journalism, it’s what I’m in school for, so I might as well write about what I love.”
Are there any writers you look up to? Maybe, who you model yourself after?
“Absolutely, I try to model my writing style a bit after Lowetide, who I really enjoy reading. He was so polite when I reached out to him back in June of 2013 about how to set up a website. He’s certainly the big one I look up, but I also really enjoy Jon Willis’ stuff and Ryan Batty too. Really though, are there any bad Oiler bloggers? I read just about all of them.”
Let’s go off topic, who’s your favorite player?
“My favorite player was Ryan Smyth. In the early 2000’s I loved his style of play, that hard-nosed and blue-collar style. Loved it, and always respected it. It was like a an ordinary guy living the dream. Currently, it’s Jordan Eberle. Like the way he plays and I’ve followed him since juniors.”
What style of writing do you consider your specialty?
“A favorite? Not really, but a memorable one I wrote was a piece after the Oil got blasted by the Wings on HNIC this past October, I think like five or six nothing. It was a piece that basically just ripped the team at every level for incompetence. It was pure emotion and everything I’ve ever felt about the team these last few years. It ended up on Grantland and was the first piece I wrote that got big exposure.”
Which sites do you write for? What teams other than the Oilers do you cheer for?
“The Oilers Rig is my baby if you will. Started it in June of 2013 and have watched it grow. I recently joined up at Hooked on Hockey as well, which is an online and independent magazine based out of Massachusetts. My only real favorite team is the Oilers, but I’ve got a soft spot for the Stars now solely because of Hemsky.”
BAM, another twist. Which NON-OILER do you most enjoy watching?
“Obviously Hemsky, but he’s newly non-Oiler so I’ll go with someone who has never played here before. I’d probably say John Tavares. He’s so talented and does it with very little around him. The way he plays is so impressive and the way he handles himself is just as impressive. He’s beyond talented.”
How can people get a hold of you?
” @Alex_Thomas14 is my twitter account. Always talking sports there!”
Alex is an excellent writer, who I am glad to call my friend. Give him a follow on twitter and you won’t be disappointed. Knowing Alex, he will probably have a post up right before this one, or after this one. Make sure you give his work a read. He will also be hosting theOilersrig.com podcast once again this year. Make sure to catch Alex while you can. If he keeps producing masterpieces, he’ll be working in sports in no time.
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