Go Oil!?

No, I'm not talking about the ridiculously high price of oil although I probably could. $110/barrel!!?? What the? No, wait. Hold it. Reign it in. I choose to keep my opinions and ranting on that one to myself.

I do however need to lament about last night's game. Which game, you ask? The only game: Edmonton vs. Colorado. Yes, I know they lost. That's the point. I feel inclined to bemoan this emotional roller coaster they've got their fans on. One game we look like a winning team with a chance (weak chance but chance none the less) of playoff contention. Next game...well...let's just say we lose and leave it at that.

My friend, John, put it this way on his blog and I loved it so much I had to steal it (thanks John!):

The Oilers just won't let me grieve in peace. They keep keeping hope alive by going 6-1 in their last 7. Part of me wishes they would just throw in the towel because for them to keep this up and then finally lose and miss the playoffs by 2 pts, I just don't think I could handle it.

Seriously folks, that's the heart of an Oiler fan. Win or lose, we're there. We're mostly realistic, sometimes optimistic, always fans.

I was thinking about that last night after a discussion at my small group about hockey last night. As per usual, I was the only Oiler fan in a sea of misguided Flames fans. It may have started with me mentioning Calgary's disappointing blow of a..ahem...multi (that means 3) goal lead to lose 6-4 to the Thrashers...the Thrashers. The things is they were all surprised. Not disappointed. I would TOTALLY understand that. But surprised. Oh, dear Flames fans...yes, Calgary's got a pretty descent record. Unless they blow something big they're going to make the playoffs. Yes, I know. But they're not the team they were a couple years ago. They're not, unless something changes, going to be a cup contender because they are not consistent. They're going to lose a game or two and it's going to be to teams like Atlanta. Don't be surprised. Here's the thing: As an Edmonton fan, I know where my team stands. Just back of the playoffs. Why? Because they haven't played well consistently this season. That's why I'm not surprised when they lose because I know there are teams that are playing better. I'm disappointed, especially when they play with less then the expected energy of their youth, when passes are exceptionally lazy and penalty minutes total higher than game minutes. I hope for a win. I ALWAYS hope for a win. I hope that my team will do something miraculous and defy everything that's already happened this season. I wish for my team to make the playoffs...I really do. I know the odds aren't good but I still hope. I sympathize with John.

So here I am, an Edmonton fan, sticking with my team through good and bad, sickness and health, richer or poorer.

And proud of it.