Our Winter of Discontent
Sports Life in Edmonton Should Be Better Than This
When it comes to sports, the City of Edmonton has been blessed by a combination of great organization, and great talent. However, in the current climate, going into another long winter, things do not look rosy for our major sports teams. The Edmonton Eskimos are an organization that has lost it's way, and everyone can see it. From their lame marketing attempts to awful coaching, to fan unfriendly gameday policies to the awful on-field product, many things have gone horribly wrong at Commonwealth. Fixing it is the responsibility of Rick LeLacheur. If there was any time for him to prove that he can bring his alleged business savy to the pro sports world, the time is now. He needs to clean house on and off the field. Will he have the skill and courage to deliver? Let's hope so. But even more Edmonton fans are worried about what's going on one stop down the LRT track.
The Edmonton Oilers do still have a very good organization. The Edmonton Investors Group has its share of detractors, but in the honest light of day they run a tight ship, and they run it well. As General Manager, Kevin Lowe has put some nice pieces into a rebuiling puzzle, without coming right out and calling it a "rebuilding". But that is what is happening. It is a true shame that the Oilers will not acheive greatness until Lowe gets over his personal loyalty to Craig MacTavish. Mr. Blender is easily the weakest link in the Oilers chain, and the Oilers will not grow as a team into the powerful contender that they could be while MacTavish is coach. He stubbornly refuses to play guys together for more than ten minutes, and insists that every player show the same two way play as he did as a player. It's just not possible. Add to that the awful special teams and the jury will come back with it's verdict of guilty.
Most everyone in this city can now see it. And when a popular guy like Craig MacTavish has the rumblings against him, you know it's time. In Edmonton, it is not politically correct to blame the coach. That is the purview of the knee-jerk fan. When people come to a common agreement on it, however silently they choose to express it, then you know that a move has to be made. The 2007-08 Oilers are a rebuilding team, make no mistake. But they also have some talent that can be useful in the here and now. And Oiler fans deserve a competitive team. The Cup run of spring 2005 was weekend at the Ritz in an otherwise lengthy stay at Hotel Mediocrity. The excellence that the team became known for is now 20 years past. The time is now to regain the rightful throne. This simply cannot happen with MacTavish, and everybody in town can now see it. It's your move, Mr. Lowe.
When it comes to sports, the City of Edmonton has been blessed by a combination of great organization, and great talent. However, in the current climate, going into another long winter, things do not look rosy for our major sports teams. The Edmonton Eskimos are an organization that has lost it's way, and everyone can see it. From their lame marketing attempts to awful coaching, to fan unfriendly gameday policies to the awful on-field product, many things have gone horribly wrong at Commonwealth. Fixing it is the responsibility of Rick LeLacheur. If there was any time for him to prove that he can bring his alleged business savy to the pro sports world, the time is now. He needs to clean house on and off the field. Will he have the skill and courage to deliver? Let's hope so. But even more Edmonton fans are worried about what's going on one stop down the LRT track.
The Edmonton Oilers do still have a very good organization. The Edmonton Investors Group has its share of detractors, but in the honest light of day they run a tight ship, and they run it well. As General Manager, Kevin Lowe has put some nice pieces into a rebuiling puzzle, without coming right out and calling it a "rebuilding". But that is what is happening. It is a true shame that the Oilers will not acheive greatness until Lowe gets over his personal loyalty to Craig MacTavish. Mr. Blender is easily the weakest link in the Oilers chain, and the Oilers will not grow as a team into the powerful contender that they could be while MacTavish is coach. He stubbornly refuses to play guys together for more than ten minutes, and insists that every player show the same two way play as he did as a player. It's just not possible. Add to that the awful special teams and the jury will come back with it's verdict of guilty.
Most everyone in this city can now see it. And when a popular guy like Craig MacTavish has the rumblings against him, you know it's time. In Edmonton, it is not politically correct to blame the coach. That is the purview of the knee-jerk fan. When people come to a common agreement on it, however silently they choose to express it, then you know that a move has to be made. The 2007-08 Oilers are a rebuilding team, make no mistake. But they also have some talent that can be useful in the here and now. And Oiler fans deserve a competitive team. The Cup run of spring 2005 was weekend at the Ritz in an otherwise lengthy stay at Hotel Mediocrity. The excellence that the team became known for is now 20 years past. The time is now to regain the rightful throne. This simply cannot happen with MacTavish, and everybody in town can now see it. It's your move, Mr. Lowe.
posted by Deathsdoorstep at
1:46 p.m.
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