A recent article by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has inspired this post. He interview Ales Hemsky, who had some words of wisdom for the kids coming down the pipe for the Oilers. This got me thinking. Yes, Hemsky is an elite player. But his stats are usually poured over with a big IF attached. IF he had a better centre, IF he played a full season, IF he played with someone other then..well..Shawn Horcoff. (this reminds me of a great chant some frat guys came up with at a game I attended last season, we'll save that for a game where Horcoff does something) The title of the article blew me away..
'Young guns face steep learning curve: Hemsky'
While this statement is an obvious one, It confuses me that Hemsky of all people, would give it. Sometimes I wonder if Hemsky has even grown out of HIS learning curve. He goes on to say"Everybody is expecting they (Hall and Co.) are going to light it up, but they don't have to be perfect. People expect 80 or 90 points, but it's not easy in this league," Our Czech friend has a point, Oiler fans drink more Kool Aid then the majority of other fan bases in the league (sans Canuck fans) and they very well may expect Hall and Co. to quickly turn around this sorry ass franchise, but this is beyond the point.
Now I expect modest numbers out of the rookies, but it's not a stretch to expect 90 points out of Hemsky. We all know he's got the tools to do so. He has improved his shooting greatly over the past few years, his hands are soft as babies bottoms (even if he turns the puck over at the hash marks, or blue line) and can pass the puck to an open teammate in heavy fog and blinding rain. He's got 10 years on these kids, both in age and NHL experience, yet I don't trust him in leading these kids. The Oilers are still without a captain (it would be wise - especially this season - to get on that) and IF Hemsky is named as such, he's got to start showing these kids - and the rest of the NHL - what it means to lead a team by example.
- Jaye
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