This is the famous “Vollman Sledgehammer” from the 2015-16 season. Edmonton made the playoffs the following season, and you can see ..read more

Albertans have a lot of things in common, and one of them is the connection we feel to the mountains. Jasper ..read more

Today, the Edmonton Oilers pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. News this morning that the Edmonton Oilers have named Stan Bowman as general manager and executive vice-president of hockey operations. If things break right, he might hold the job as long as the Seth Jones contract he authored in July 2021 (runs 2029-30). This is a hire that will be controversial, divisive and explodes a brilliant summer by the organization. Chris Johnston and Mark Lazerus write about the Stan Bowman hire. It's an article you need to read. https://t.co/4z1gbgjG9o — Lowetide (@Lowetide) July 24, 2024 Why wo ..read more

The last several weeks had a breathtaking pace to them. The Oilers going all the way to Game 7 SCF, followed by a shocking draft weekend, then shock and awe in free agency plus a couple of trades to make a dynamite coda (like the end of A Day In The Life by the Beatles). Right now, we’re in a holding pattern. After that, we’ll see about the (dun dun DUN DUN!) Leon Draisaitl negotiations. Mid-June, the Oilers organizational depth looked exactly like a team that spent the last 8 years winning Stanley and firing all young assets into the sun. That could not go on. Here's what the Oilers can do ..read more

This is the projected depth chart of the Bakersfield Condors in the summer of 2015. Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and Griffin Reinhart were the headliners, with Anton Slepyshev, Jujhar Khaira, Iiro Pakarinen, Brandon Davidson, Brad Hunt, Jordan Oesterle, Anders Nilsson and Laurent Brossoit on their way to NHL careers. Did you know that Bakersfield has a wine and a beer “trail” you can tour? I’ve never been on a wine tour nor a beer tour, but it sounds intoxicating! New for @TheAthleticNHL How the Edmonton Oilers can extend the Connor McDavid window to win. https://t.co/g97pi9syRZ — Lowetide ..read more

Phil Kemp is exactly that type of player I cheer for, partly because his story is powerful on a human level. Kemp is so close to becoming an NHL player, but he’s been waiting in line for Vincent Desharnais and that was a big hurdle. The next step for Kemp is a strong training camp. That means establishing himself as a viable option behind the assumed RH depth chart of Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Cody Ceci. We’re not certain the Oilers will begin the season in this way, we could see Ceci (rider) dealt or even Broberg could be part of a package (although that seems a distant bell). Kemp o ..read more

I don’t spend as much time staring at drafts these days, suspect I’ll get a chance next decade if I’m blessed with good health and these old eyes of mine can still see. The 2018 draft for Edmonton was surrounded by several sources, I think Draft Analyst deserves some credit for actually listing Mike Kesselring before draft day. In 2019, I had Rapheal Lavoie within a whisker of Philip Broberg on my final 2020 draft list. Broberg was at No. 16, Lavoie No. 26, close enough that I wouldn’t have batted an eye if the team chose Lavoie before Broberg. I would have (and did) raised an eyebrow when th ..read more

One of the truths about Oilers fandom goes like this: When things are going well, people either lose interest or turn on each other on social media. Currently, the name of the general manager is enough to hold most people in check, but rest assured we’re just days away from thunder and lightning verbal. I can see it like a storm heading to Regina during mid-summer. That’s something you can track for hours. How Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson has made a big impact one year after arrival – The Athletic https://t.co/SsIlmFEVXG — Lowetide (@Lowetide) July 19, 2024 Q AND A WITH THE GRUMPY GUY The Oiler ..read more

The Edmonton Oilers are days (hours) away from announcing the team’s new general manager. Based on what we know, he is unlikely to have the same sweeping powers as Kevin Lowe 20 years ago, and he’s certainly not going behind Glen Sather’s desk. Is Roby Jarventie the next Klim Kostin? https://t.co/exAPmVJoQf — Lowetide (@Lowetide) July 18, 2024 People cheer for a specific sports team for just a few simple reasons: it’s the town team, or the team caught our imagination a long time ago with their style of play or personality, or maybe we met one of them when were were kids, or maybe we played ..read more

Everyone is selling something, and the Edmonton Oilers have landed on hope every summer since 1990. It has created a generation of fans who look for a new Sather with each hire. Each time, and sometimes it happens in the opening media avail, the new man will disappoint. The modern Oilers fan is a terribly cynical individual, at least a large percentage of the population can be framed in this way. There is good reason for crossed arms and attitude from fans and observers, but the momentum of the current group is impressive compared to even well run outfits, let alone the Oilers own past. What ..read more