Post by afterburner on Oct 24, 2008 17:36:43 GMT -5
It was right about this time last year that the topic of Edmonton Oiler team toughness came up.
At the time, I was doing a morning radio show with Ray Ferarro, the then colour analyst for Oilers broadcasts on Sportsnet.
Ray has since accepted a job with another broadcaster whose initials continue to escape me.
It was one of the more spirited on-air debates of my career, and it ultimately got a little too spirited. I was of the opinion that the Oilers’ approach to team toughness wasn't working and Ray disagreed. The real problem, however, was that Ray hadn't had enough sleep the previous night, and I'd had way too much coffee that morning - conservative estimates peg it to have been in the four to five litre range.
That, my friends, is a deadly combination.
What ensued was a you-know-what-ing match of epic proportions that we both regret. When I arrived at the Sportsnet office later that night, many of my colleagues had heard what went down, and to a man, their response was "that was great radio!"
The funny thing about this business is that you can get into a full-out slugfest with a co-worker on the radio and hurl personal insults like they're going of style, and you get a pat on the back. Do it on TV and one of you gets kicked to the curb. Fortunately, for yours truly, it happened on The FAN 590.
Nearly one year later, Ray is calling games for the competition and the Oilers are calling Steve MacIntyre's number to settle a score.
Now, I'm, not here to say I told you so to Ray. Quite the contrary, because every time I see No. 33 right now, I think of my all-too public battle royale with Ray.
And the more I think about it, the more I understand that we both might have been right that morning.
The concept of team toughness didn’t work for Edmonton last year, or they wouldn't have signed MacIntyre this fall.
Big Dude 1, Ferarro 0.
But the more I watch this Oilers team and compare it to the one that stumbled and bumbled its way through the early part of last season, the more I realize that Edmonton couldn't afford to burn a roster spot on a guy like Steve MacIntyre 12 months ago when they couldn't score goals to save their lives.
Gagner, Nilsson and Cogliano were barely NHL calibre players at the time. And knowing what we know now about their progression and the valuable ice time they logged, how many games would one of those kids have been scratched in favour of fists? The Oilers needed all the offensive help they could get last year, and giving a roster spot to a player like MacIntyre would have been completely counterproductive.
Tie game: Big Dude 1, Ferarro 1.
It's fall 2008 and the Oilers appear to have three lines that can score goals, giving them the luxury of inserting MacIntyre on any given night without jeopardizing their chances of winning the hockey game. It makes perfect sense and the timing couldn't be better.
Sportsnet
At the time, I was doing a morning radio show with Ray Ferarro, the then colour analyst for Oilers broadcasts on Sportsnet.
Ray has since accepted a job with another broadcaster whose initials continue to escape me.
It was one of the more spirited on-air debates of my career, and it ultimately got a little too spirited. I was of the opinion that the Oilers’ approach to team toughness wasn't working and Ray disagreed. The real problem, however, was that Ray hadn't had enough sleep the previous night, and I'd had way too much coffee that morning - conservative estimates peg it to have been in the four to five litre range.
That, my friends, is a deadly combination.
What ensued was a you-know-what-ing match of epic proportions that we both regret. When I arrived at the Sportsnet office later that night, many of my colleagues had heard what went down, and to a man, their response was "that was great radio!"
The funny thing about this business is that you can get into a full-out slugfest with a co-worker on the radio and hurl personal insults like they're going of style, and you get a pat on the back. Do it on TV and one of you gets kicked to the curb. Fortunately, for yours truly, it happened on The FAN 590.
Nearly one year later, Ray is calling games for the competition and the Oilers are calling Steve MacIntyre's number to settle a score.
Now, I'm, not here to say I told you so to Ray. Quite the contrary, because every time I see No. 33 right now, I think of my all-too public battle royale with Ray.
And the more I think about it, the more I understand that we both might have been right that morning.
The concept of team toughness didn’t work for Edmonton last year, or they wouldn't have signed MacIntyre this fall.
Big Dude 1, Ferarro 0.
But the more I watch this Oilers team and compare it to the one that stumbled and bumbled its way through the early part of last season, the more I realize that Edmonton couldn't afford to burn a roster spot on a guy like Steve MacIntyre 12 months ago when they couldn't score goals to save their lives.
Gagner, Nilsson and Cogliano were barely NHL calibre players at the time. And knowing what we know now about their progression and the valuable ice time they logged, how many games would one of those kids have been scratched in favour of fists? The Oilers needed all the offensive help they could get last year, and giving a roster spot to a player like MacIntyre would have been completely counterproductive.
Tie game: Big Dude 1, Ferarro 1.
It's fall 2008 and the Oilers appear to have three lines that can score goals, giving them the luxury of inserting MacIntyre on any given night without jeopardizing their chances of winning the hockey game. It makes perfect sense and the timing couldn't be better.
Sportsnet