Challenges

When you stop and think about it, trying to write a blog for the oilogosphere is an extraordinary challenge. I would be naive to assume I could write a statistical analysis the way Willis, Zona or McCurdy can. I would be stupid to assume I can make the same type of analogies Lowetide can. Being an interesting and engaging writer is about finding your niche, and providing content in a way no one else out there can. Hockey works in much the same manner. Players who struggle to find a niche, or a role on a team, often find their way out of town sooner or later. A good example of a player in this mold, specifically one that all Oiler fans will recognize, Marc Antoine Pouliot. Finding his role was the bane of MAP's Oiler existence. MacT wanted to groom him to be the next coming of Guy Carbonneau, and MAP still had dreams of goalies, nets and red lights dancing in his head. Struggling to find an identity for yourself is not only a challenge for a player but also for a team as well. The post-SCF Oilers are a prime example of what happens to a team that can't find an identity. Those teams were a mix of everything: size, grit, talent. They were a whole bunch of everything but not overly good at any one aspect of it. Perhaps this is what is most encouraging about the upcoming edition of the Edmonton Oilers. It's pretty clear what we the team will be next year - Big and tough, with a little dose of high flying offense from the kids. It's tough not be excited.