this guy have any credibility, TJ?

https://twitter.com/OilersNow/status/263000249633742848

what are you hearing about all this?

Time for my first puck update of the year:

So we've put together a lockout-inspired makeshift squad over here at the McMaster DeGroote School of Business, to play in the 2012 Rotman Cup at the University of Toronto. Apparently, hockey is serious business for a bunch of these MBA programs (pun intended) and there's a whole tournament circuit and stuff. Fascinating, really. My season with the actual club team at Mac is just starting; we've got a trip to Peterborough to play Trent University this weekend but I can't go because of midterms, and I really haven't played much yet, so this should be an interesting weekend. Praying to God I don't Andrei Markov myself.

And yeah, we drew the two "marquee teams" for our prelim group games: the hosts from U of T Rotman, and Harvard...yes, that Harvard. They both take this quite seriously. We literally haven't had a team skate yet; I know one upper-year guy on the roster, that's it. The tournament's next week. We're gonna get absolutely waxed.

If any of you clowns are in the area and you'd like to check out a bunch of plugs desecrating the historic Varsity Arena, $10 gets you a pass for the weekend.

P.S. pretty sure the real reason we're going is to party like Russian NHLers; private reservations and bottle service on both nights at downtown clubs. I will do my very best to provide the kind of Geddy TR you boys deserve and this thread so desperately needs. Like seriously, this thread is really ****ing depressing right now

i know enough about the oilers to know that if stauffer said that, he's the most plugged in journalist. maybe it took a lockout to realize that the oilers need defense and goaltending

They are getting rid of Joey the Second last person from their dynasty years.

What triumph said. That's scary news.

We have bunz and Roy coming up in net, and our (admitted only) dman is leading the AHL in points for all players.

I can't see them moving hall ebs or Nuge after covering everything oilers in their faces/names for 3 years.

Which leaves yakupov (to the islanders in Brooklyn for a kings random...?) or Gagner.

Weird news.

yeah Yakupov or Gagner being dealt for D/G makes the most sense to me as well

maybe Hemsky?

Who party's harder? Bright eyed and bushy tailed undergrad kiddies or battle scarred MBA soldiers?

Id say yakupov

Yakupov + gagner + Gernat + Joey moss for Tavares + Reinhart (oil king) + sparky the dragon

Makes sense for Wang if you're trying to sell the team to a Russian in Brooklyn who also owns an NBA team in your new arena...

okay no one has confirmed that bob stauffer actually said that though

prokorhov is not buying the islanders

tjay: the oilers are still a bad team.

Taylor hall cleared IR off to the AHL for $67,000 a season

Well if there are as many Russians in Brooklyn as people in this thread make it sound, then whoever owns the team, be it Wang, Chung or Ivan, would want Yakupov.

And we could sure use Reinhart.

yakupov is not an ethnic russian, so let's clear that up.

anyway i doubt stauffer said that and if he did it would be to incite conversations such as these

Whoah, crazy.

Wait. Yakupov is a Potato?

I've been blown away by the latter group's performance thus far. Just as likely to have a pregame backyard kegger as an expensive night out on the town. It never stops.

Gonna go with the MBA soldiers. My liver and wallet have never been hurt like this before.

He's Tatar but I don't think that really lessens his appeal with the Russian fanbase of this league. Darius Kasparaitis isn't ethnically Russian either, but that never stopped the Russians from selecting him for tournaments and I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt his popularity with Russian fans either.

But I'll defer to Sylar for the proper analysis of this situation.

Love me some tartar.

i thought he was a Czech dude who was in the WANGZ system?

anyway, "real Russian" debate has the potential to blow the EPL thread's "real fan" debate sky high out of the water...

Ivan drago was the only real Russian.

Can't wait to see how Galchenyuk develops. Then we'll be able to assess his true nationality. Heartless russian or Good'old patriotic american stud.

"I fight for me...FOR ME!!!"

Ah yes, the old constitutional state under a constitution federation trick.