INTESTINAL FORTITUDE

THE TALE BETWEEN TWO CITIES....


As I drove to Calgary tonight I was surprised at the differences between the Edmonton broadcast for Oiler games on 630 CHED vs. the Flames broadcast on the Fan 960 in Calgary. Obviously I started listening CHED as I left Edmonton heading south. Over the years of listening to CHED I have always considered the calls of the games to be fair and objective. But, I didn't really have anything to compare them to until tonight.


Jack Michaels and Bob Stauffer call a great game. when the Oilers play well, they analyze the play and give praise where it is due. They also compliment opposing teams on their play as well when it is deserved. The boys also say what's on their minds (especially Stauffer) when the Oilers are playing poorly. I don't know if they are pulling any punches, but they are employed by the team, so I assume they have to mind their P's & Q's. what I will say, is that they seemed pretty objective when it came to analyzing the play of the Flames tonight. As an Oiler Fan I rip the Flames on a regular basis to anyone that will listen. You kind of expect that the home town broadcasters might cater to fans like me, especially in a battle of Alberta. But not these guys, they are professionals.


On the other-hand, as I got past Red Deer, the CHED signal started to fade so I flipped the station over to the Calgary broadcast at The Fan 960 with Peter Maher & Robb Kerr. Peter Maher was great! Called the game very well and was quite objective for both teams. This doesn't surprise me with his experience. Anytime I have heard someone in the media talk about Peter, they always have a great deal of respect for the man, and I can see why. The colour guy Rob Kerr, is a different story. This guy is the ultimate homer. He sounds like a fan more than a broadcaster. He ripped the Oilers the whole time I was listening. It wasn't polite or professional either. We all know that the Oilers are a bad team. They are struggling in all areas of the game right now. When Mr. Kerr analyzed their play and was chastizing them, it was with utter disdain and sarcasm in his voice. In my mind it was so bad, that I wondered how he keeps his job. Then I realized that he is talking to Calgary. These are some of the worst fans I have ever had the dis-pleasure to endure, when at their rink to watch the mighty Oil. and I have been to a few rinks around the league. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this. But if I were a person that had moved to Calgary, and not understood the rivalry as well as Albertans do, I would not enjoy these broadcasts as I want to hear un-biased analysis when listening to a game.


GAME THOUGHTS....


I was happy that we managed to tie the game in the first period at 1-1. Kurtis Foster got his first as an Oiler on PP. Attaboy!


Then Bouwmeester scored in the dying seconds to make it 2-1. This looked like it could be the thing that crushes the Oil's confidence. This would be Calgary's second power play goal in as many attempts. Not good. But Gagner tries to lift the spirits of the Oil with this fight!



He does pretty well I thought for a guy that doesn't fight.


Curtis Glencross & Brendan Morrison both scored (we won't mention the Morrison goal was a shortie) and the game is now 4-1. Now I'm in a really bad mood and I'm driving towards my least favorite place where we are being decimated on the ice! Then Jordan Eberle did his (what must have a patent pending) move to go around the defender as he drives to the net and score with only 17 seconds to go in the second period. The coffee I bought at the Red Deer Timmy's did nothing to wake me up on this terrible drive like this goal did! I was honking at 115 Kms/hr while Semi-Truck drivers I was passing, were looking at me like I was a freak. What was impressive tonight about Eberle's goal, was the fact that it looks like he stumbles a little, yet he is able to maintain control and still put it past Kiprusoff! 


Then the third period came and now we had a game! Paajarvi and Gilbert both score to tie the game. The Flames were stunned and reeling. The game goes to Over-time and both teams had great chance to score. There was a cross-checking penalty that should've been called on the Flames down in their end right around 2 mins left to go, in my opinion, but what're ya gonna do? 


We lost the game in the shoot-out as Kipper stopped all three of our shooters but Alex Tanguay scores for Calgary to make it 5-4 Flamers. There were a lot of positives for the Oil to take to Columbus on Thursday night. Like the intestinal fortitude they showed, and Tom Renney commented on after the game. 


If they can play like they did in the third tonight, more consistently on Thursday, then I believe we can get two points on this road trip. I don't expect to win in Chicago on Friday, but hopefully we will make it physically difficult for the Hawks to beat us. it will be interesting to see which back-up Goalie gets the start for one of these games. My guess is the Columbus game is where we will see one of them and Khabibulin will play his old team on Friday.


GO Oilers GO!