Two Months of Therapy

The last ten years have taken a toll on a lot of us and I know it has been difficult to show support for the Oilers. For me, showing that support means sitting down and watching Oilers games from my comfy couch.

I’m going to be honest, since the middle of February, I have sat down to watch only a couple of games. I have still followed the team, the transactions, and all of the final scores, but I have not shown my support in the usual way I do.

We’ve had some terrible seasons over the last five years, but never has it gotten to the point where I’ve stopped making time to watch the Oilers. I think this year the disappointment has just accumulated towards a tipping point.

In the past years, at the end of a miserable season there have always been two things that kept me involved and excited for the season to start again in October. The first thing, was thinking about the line-up for next season. This involved fantasizing about the roles players would fill next season, the point totals they could reach, the arrival of new players, as well as the exit of current ones. If you’ve followed Lowetide’s blog over the summer, you know what this entails, and how happy it makes you feel about training camp.

At this point though – 10 years out of the playoffs – I am pretty fed up with the talk of who is leaving town, and who the Oilers should be targeting to bring into town. I am honestly not sure if fantasizing about off-season changes can keep me going till training camp.

My only hope this year is the second thing.

Each year in the middle of April, I begin a two-month-long therapy session, in which I am reminded why I love this beautiful game and why I love supporting my team. What I am talking about of course, are the NHL Playoffs.

There are a couple reasons why I think the playoffs help me turn back into a passionate and hungry Oilers fan.

Firstly, and this may be a little counter-intuitive, the Playoffs help me forget about the Oilers. Being an Oilers fan, you have to live through losing pretty much every single day. I find that the Oilers-less playoffs offer the only distraction in the year, where the quality of hockey, and the significance of each game are enough to stop thinking about the misery of being an Oilers fan. It would not be possible for me to get excited about the Draft and Free-agency if I couldn’t take a break from thinking about the Oilers.

Secondly, I am reminded what a meaningful hockey game is. In the last ten years, the Oilers have played many games which have had no significant bearing on their quest for the playoffs. This is something that commonly happens to several teams each season, but Oilers fans have seen more than their fair share of regular season games that aren’t meaningful. The beauty of the post season is that every single game that is played is meaningful. The playoffs remind me that hockey isn’t played to ‘rebuild’ or to ‘develop’, but to be competing against other teams for a goal. Watching good teams battle in a tough and tiring 7-game series makes me appreciate again why hockey is played in the first place.

Lastly, it gives me an idea of what success feels like. Though I don’t have a stake in it as a fan of the Stanley Cup Champions, I can understand a little bit of what the fans must feel. And it helps me realize why I cheer for my own team. It is to one day celebrate along with them as the Champions.

My favourite part of the Playoffs is the celebration at the end; from racing on to go huddle with teammates, to the passing of the cup, to the emotional interviews. It is something I wish to see for my own team. I want to see the Oilers rush onto the ice as the final horn sounds. I want to see Taylor Hall circle around the rink with the cup. I want to see the players attempt and fail to describe the incredible moment they are a part of. I want all of those things, not for someone in a Blackhawks or a Kings sweater, but for someone in an Oilers sweater.

I am not sure when that day will come. And with each losing season I care a little bit less for when that day arrives. But I don’t want to feel like it’s pointless to cheer for the Oilers. Come September, I want to get excited for the new roster and the team’s potential. I want to countdown towards opening night. I want to be excited about hockey.

Starting tomorrow, and over the next two months, I hope to take a break from the Oilers, watch some great hockey games, and remember what the ultimate goal of cheering for a sports team is.