Toilet Paper SOFT

Okay, there is something that has been bothering me about this Oilers team, not just this year but for the last I don’t know how many seasons. This team is soft! Ok well that’s no insane revelation and I’m sure you’ve been sitting next to your buddies watching the game and said the same.
Well this is now officially ridiculous. When someone hits one of the stars who steps up to give the offending hitter the lumber, a stinky mitt, or even a few choice words? NO ONE THAT’S WHO! For far too long this team hasn’t done what is needed when it comes to repercussions when the other team gets out of line. Now I’m not saying that the team needs another bruising fourth line player because quite frankly they don’t.

Case in point; last night versus the Dallas Stars, Garbutt was running all over the place taking liberties with Oilers players and of course he’s also the player responsible for knocking Ilya Bryzgalov out of the line-up. And what happened you ask? Nothing absolutely nothing, there wasn’t one player on the Oilers that could have been bothered to do anything. No facewash, not stick to the back of the legs, no anything.

What this team needs is a bruiser that can skate in the top six, play big minutes and add the odd bit of production. It is time for MacT to get on the horn and get the player that I described above (I like to think that the GM is and has been all over this), It is no small task for the rookie GM but hell he has to do something, until this team is hard to play against and other teams respect that the Oilers will not carry forward and sustained success.
The team has many pieces of the puzzle missing, but this is a big piece, you know the piece in the corner that you seem to have lost. Time to get it back, that piece of the puzzle has been hiding in the seams of the Oilers proverbial couch since the 90’s.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdeXBdVxB44] Mike Grier did it, Jason Smith did it, Pronger (I know I know) did it, Ethan Moreau did it. Name a player on the Oilers that has done anything of the same recently? There isn’t one player in the top nine capable of stirring it up, not one player who is willing to jump in to the fray and have any sort of positive effect. Perron has the qualities but his size limits the effectiveness of the role.

I wrote last week that Andrew Ference is taking control of this team and has been, IMO, an example of what players should be like. He fought twice last week and both of those fights were reaction to someone trying to enforce their will on the Oilers team because they weren’t afraid of any adverse reaction from any members of the second last place team. I lauded Ference’s tenacity and willingness to go to battle, earn some respect for the team, well no one in the dressing room seemed to notice. Even Ference didn’t take down a number and try and get a few extra sticks in the ribs of Garbut, no one did anything.

There was a time when if someone even nudged your goalie the gloves were off and someone was going to the box with sore knuckles and another with a sore face. Now I’m not condoning fighting here either, however any reaction at all would have been better then the nothing response given.

Come on Oilers, be it the players in the room or the management hunting down the deals, it’s time to do something. Stops being so damned soft, stop letting the other teams take liberties with you goaltenders and your start players. Stop just STOP.
End of Rant, Thanks for Reading.

Don’t forget to tune in to the Oilers Rig Radio show tonight at 7:30 MST / 9:30EST, we have Allan Mitchell (@lowetide_) from TSN 1260 radio and Rob Soria (@Oil_Drop) from Oildrop.ca dropping by and there is a lot to talk about. We will also be allotting time for your calls, what have you seen lately that you like, dislike or just want to talk about? You can call in at 1-855-579-4446

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theoilersrig/2013/12/03/the-oilers-rig-radio-12213

Enjoy the video underneath of the Mid Eighties Oilers bench clearing brawl versus the Calgary Flames
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96w4-veqxYQ]