So you may have noticed that I’ve yet to comment on the Memorial Cup, a week after the Hitmen’s ouster at the hands of the hated Brandon Wheat Kings. This is very much intentional. If you stalk me on the Internet, you may have caught wind of some rather bitter sentiments regarding the way the Hitmen went out, and I wanted some distance to see if I still felt the same way before saying anything long-form. The answer? Kinda, but not entirely.
Posts Tagged ‘Former Hitmen’
About Last Night…
Two Alberta teams started the night with 5-0 leads.
One played uninspired hockey down the stretch but held on for the big 6-1 victory.
One choked like Linda Lovelace’s understudy and lost 6-5 in overtime.
Can you match the team to their result? There will be no prizes.
Postscript: Two things.
- Well-earned assist by former Hitman T.J. Galiardi on the short-handed game-winner by some guy I’ve never heard of. Galiardi basically dug the puck out of a pile of four Bruins, then dished it off to David Jones, who buried it. It’s plays like that that convince the coach you should stay for the year.
- A minor programming note: Originally, I intended to write a piece on players who have suited up for both the Canadiens and the Oilers, from Glen Sather to Marc-Andre Bergeron, to coincide with the first Oilers-Habs game of the year and Bergeron’s signing with the Canadiens, but that was not meant to be, between midterms and a hard drive crash. Hopefully, it’ll be done in time for the next game (March 11), but I make no guarantees.
In the meantime, I’ve got another project on the go that I hope to have in the approval stage from my external source soon. Stay tuned?
Odds and Sods
Some more idle thoughts I’ve been collecting over the past week or so:
- I haven’t heard Kevin Lowe’s comments yet, but after listening to both Comrie and Tambellini speak, the main themes they’re going for are redemption (Comrie) and competition for roster spots (Tambellini). Tambellini did confirm that the Oilers were slightly over the cap with this move, though it sounds like that should take care of itself once the 23-man roster is settled upon. Interestingly, Tambo kind of ducked the question of whether Daryl Katz was willing to bury a contract in the minors. Conspiracy theorists, start your engines. Weirdest thing: Terry Jones, of all people, asked the question about why it had to be Comrie, and not someone grittier or more defensively inclined. Stopped watches and all that, I guess.
- The one thing that did occur to me as I thought about it this morning is that, if the deal is for a little over $1M, then at least Comrie has a good chance of outperforming it, and on a team with a bloated contract or three, that’s nothing to sneeze at. And I have to admit, something that lights a fire under a few asses is never a bad thing.
- In non-Comrie news, from a few days ago, it looks like Alex Plante will formally be “former Hitmen defenceman Alex Plante,” and will be graduating to pro, likely the third pairing in Springfield, per comments by Assistant GM Kevin Prendergast during the opening days of rookie camp. As an Oilers fan, I’m happy, but as a Hitmen fan, I was secretly hoping he’d come back as an overager and captain the team and provide some guidance for the younger D. After a tumultuous start to last season, Plante came on strong and, while Postma and Stone were checked into the ice and/or hurt during the playoffs, he stepped up and led the team in defensive scoring. Congrats to Plante for the promotion.
- Speaking of the Hitmen, they unveiled their new Reebok Edge jerseys, and…eh. They’re not as poorly-designed as the Oilers’ jerseys, but they still have that half-stripe bollocks on the sleeve and no striping on the hem, which I’m sorry, but that’s not how you do a fucking hockey sweater. It could’ve been a lot worse, though, and I at least don’t think I’ll mind how they look on the ice; heck, the black under the arms of the white jersey could even be a really nice touch. That being said, I’m sticking with my classic black Hitmen jersey. As an aside, I wonder if this will affect the look of their Teddy Bear Toss jersey, and whether I might want to make a swift investment before they disappear altogether?
