Cheers, boos greet Oilers' apology: Full-page ad seen either as much-needed, a waste of money or on the wrong trackAndrea Sands
The Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - A letter from Edmonton Oilers hockey club president Patrick LaForge apologizing for the team's dreadful season has drawn both condemnation and praise from fans.
In a full-page advertisement in Saturday's Journal, LaForge detailed a string of obstacles, including injuries and extended road trips, that hampered the Oilers' performance on the heels of last year's remarkable Stanley Cup run.
"Every Oilers employee and player wants you to know they share your frustration about our results this past year," LaForge wrote in a letter headlined Proud to be in Oil Country.
The letter went on to defend Edmonton as a great place to live, work and play NHL hockey, despite winters that call for "a warm coat and snow tires."
LaForge's letter prompted varied responses from fans posting comments on an Oilers website message board Saturday.
"Should have saved the money," one wrote. "There is no excuse for this past season."
"Good for LaForge and the Oilers," said another writer. "It's about time that they stood up to challenge the fantasies and bad rumours out there."
Another fan questioned the motivation behind the letter.
"He is doing damage control because the Oilers as an organization feel that they blew it this past year."
In an interview on Saturday, LaForge told The Journal the letter is an annual report to the fans and the community.
"We wanted to say we're all in the same place about the team and we wish we were in the playoffs, but there were circumstances that combined to deal us a bad hand," he said. "Of course, we all feel bad about that and we're doing everything we can to get it fixed right now."
Edmonton has been heavily criticized in the media for not being attractive to players, especially since the surprise defection of star defenceman Chris Pronger, who left last year for sunny Anaheim, Calif.
Another blow to Edmonton came in a Hockey News poll of 283 NHL players, which reported Buffalo, then Edmonton, were the places NHL players would least like to be traded among the league's 30 teams.
Edmonton can be a tough place to play hockey, LaForge said. Hockey passions run deep here, and players are scrutinized by knowledgeable fans with high expectations.
"We feel very proud to be in Edmonton and we think it's a great city. We've won five Stanley Cups here and it's our intention to win more," he said.
"Some writers -- from the East and from Edmonton -- have positioned it as somehow a place that's not worthy of NHL players or NHL teams, and we just think people have got that so wrong it's unbelievable."
Edmonton-based player agent Ritch Winter said LaForge and the Oilers need to stop being defensive about Edmonton's climate and start finding ways to make the city more attractive to free-agent players.
"It is a cold and dreary wasteland in the wintertime," Winter said.
"Until we're able to communicate effectively to (players) the intangible benefits of living in Edmonton and playing hockey in Edmonton -- which are great -- our chances of competing in the National Hockey League at the level the fans would like to see this team compete will be negatively affected."
Greg Duquette, a doctoral student in sport management at the University of Alberta, said fans here need to develop a thicker skin to fend off what LaForge called "drive-by criticism."
"I disagree that it is harder to play hockey in Edmonton than in Vancouver or Montreal," Duquette said. "The difference is that residents of those communities are less likely to see the career choices of a few professional athletes as a reflection on the attractiveness of their community."
Longtime season-ticket holder Doug Spaner suggested LaForge should have sent his letter to newspapers across the country instead of within Edmonton.
It didn't tell Oilers fans anything they don't already know, Spaner said in an interview.
"It should be addressed to other hockey players who are going to think twice about signing here," said the 50-year-old psychiatrist.
This season was discouraging for fans, but they won't abandon their beloved Oilers, Spaner said. "If I wasn't deterred by the 1990s, I'm not going to be deterred by one bad season," he laughed.
Cal Nichols, chairman of the Edmonton Oilers ownership group, said team general manager Kevin Lowe has the tools and budget to build a competitive team for next season.
"This is where superior coaching, scouting and managing has to enter into it. ... It's how you manage your assets, because we're all on kind of an equal, level playing field," Nichols said, referring to the NHL salary cap.
If plans for a new downtown arena go ahead, it could help Oilers managers attract star talent and free agents, Nichols added.
Mayor Stephen Mandel is expected to unveil a committee this week that will study the idea of replacing Rexall Place with a $400-million building in the city's core.
In a full-page advertisement in Saturday's Journal, LaForge detailed a string of obstacles, including injuries and extended road trips, that hampered the Oilers' performance on the heels of last year's remarkable Stanley Cup run.
"Every Oilers employee and player wants you to know they share your frustration about our results this past year," LaForge wrote in a letter headlined Proud to be in Oil Country.
The letter went on to defend Edmonton as a great place to live, work and play NHL hockey, despite winters that call for "a warm coat and snow tires."
LaForge's letter prompted varied responses from fans posting comments on an Oilers website message board Saturday.
"Should have saved the money," one wrote. "There is no excuse for this past season."
"Good for LaForge and the Oilers," said another writer. "It's about time that they stood up to challenge the fantasies and bad rumours out there."
Another fan questioned the motivation behind the letter.
"He is doing damage control because the Oilers as an organization feel that they blew it this past year."
In an interview on Saturday, LaForge told The Journal the letter is an annual report to the fans and the community.
"We wanted to say we're all in the same place about the team and we wish we were in the playoffs, but there were circumstances that combined to deal us a bad hand," he said. "Of course, we all feel bad about that and we're doing everything we can to get it fixed right now."
Edmonton has been heavily criticized in the media for not being attractive to players, especially since the surprise defection of star defenceman Chris Pronger, who left last year for sunny Anaheim, Calif.
Another blow to Edmonton came in a Hockey News poll of 283 NHL players, which reported Buffalo, then Edmonton, were the places NHL players would least like to be traded among the league's 30 teams.
Edmonton can be a tough place to play hockey, LaForge said. Hockey passions run deep here, and players are scrutinized by knowledgeable fans with high expectations.
"We feel very proud to be in Edmonton and we think it's a great city. We've won five Stanley Cups here and it's our intention to win more," he said.
"Some writers -- from the East and from Edmonton -- have positioned it as somehow a place that's not worthy of NHL players or NHL teams, and we just think people have got that so wrong it's unbelievable."
Edmonton-based player agent Ritch Winter said LaForge and the Oilers need to stop being defensive about Edmonton's climate and start finding ways to make the city more attractive to free-agent players.
"It is a cold and dreary wasteland in the wintertime," Winter said.
"Until we're able to communicate effectively to (players) the intangible benefits of living in Edmonton and playing hockey in Edmonton -- which are great -- our chances of competing in the National Hockey League at the level the fans would like to see this team compete will be negatively affected."
Greg Duquette, a doctoral student in sport management at the University of Alberta, said fans here need to develop a thicker skin to fend off what LaForge called "drive-by criticism."
"I disagree that it is harder to play hockey in Edmonton than in Vancouver or Montreal," Duquette said. "The difference is that residents of those communities are less likely to see the career choices of a few professional athletes as a reflection on the attractiveness of their community."
Longtime season-ticket holder Doug Spaner suggested LaForge should have sent his letter to newspapers across the country instead of within Edmonton.
It didn't tell Oilers fans anything they don't already know, Spaner said in an interview.
"It should be addressed to other hockey players who are going to think twice about signing here," said the 50-year-old psychiatrist.
This season was discouraging for fans, but they won't abandon their beloved Oilers, Spaner said. "If I wasn't deterred by the 1990s, I'm not going to be deterred by one bad season," he laughed.
Cal Nichols, chairman of the Edmonton Oilers ownership group, said team general manager Kevin Lowe has the tools and budget to build a competitive team for next season.
"This is where superior coaching, scouting and managing has to enter into it. ... It's how you manage your assets, because we're all on kind of an equal, level playing field," Nichols said, referring to the NHL salary cap.
If plans for a new downtown arena go ahead, it could help Oilers managers attract star talent and free agents, Nichols added.
Mayor Stephen Mandel is expected to unveil a committee this week that will study the idea of replacing Rexall Place with a $400-million building in the city's core.
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