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 Adam
Messages: 7757
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
6 Cups
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| inverno76 wrote on Tue, 25 November 2025 09:44 |
I am on board with this as well. In the past twenty years I have missed less games than I have fingers on one hand. Even through the decade of darkness I could find out, and the team tried every game. Even found ways to stream it when I was in Egypt, and Mexico.
This year I have blatantly made other plans on game nights after watching the first ten games of crud. Even when I do watch, I find myself distracted and not into the watching them, but rather scrolling on my phone. I feel like I have watched the Bears, Raptors and my local WHL team more (Top 2 in the CHL) than our Oilers. Here is hoping for something to change.
(Admittedly, the long road trip and early start times also impacted my watching).
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I think there's some psychological damage to hockey fans too from having been SOOO close twice in a row and falling short. We've all invested a great deal not just of time but of emotion in to the team over the last two years, and the disappointment is really challenging. And I think it was harder the second time too.
It's not surprising that it's harder for players, coaches and fans alike to get excited for a Monday night game against Buffalo in November when just a few months ago the stakes on every night were so high and our expectations were set on seeing the Cup come home. We're so far from it now, and the team has failed to make a couple of improvements we all (other than Skinner and Pickard) were hoping for. The stakes will yet rise, and as long as we have McDavid and Draisaitl all we need to do is make the playoffs and we're still contenders for the crown.
I expect that we'll see the engagement level rise across the board as we move in to the new year and closer to that summit. I think early season malaise from fans is maybe in part a defence mechanism - your heart doesn't want to get broken again - but I fear once we get to the post-season, and the further we progress, again hopes will build. None of our hearts are safe yet - but maybe this is the year they don't need to be?
Imagine how sweet that victory will taste when they do finally win...maybe that's only months away.
"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks
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