Comments on: Oklahoma City Barons secure playoff spot

By: Racki

Racki — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:12:17 +0000

I’ll beg to differ there. Not saying it was a catastrophic mistake where we can’t deal with this player anymore or anything. Just not smart on his part. I’ve quashed other comments of his before, chalking it up to language barrier… but there is only so much you can do that.

Do you think Paajavi would have said the same? Likely he would have had the smarts to spin it better, even if he was disappointed. Why does it matter? Well, aside from the negative impact on himself, it’s a bit of a slight towards the Barons players, if you ask me (“what, our Calder Cup fight isn’t good enough for you?”).

He still seems to have an odd chip on his shoulder, and perhaps an slight sense of entitlement, in my opinion.

Again, not a huge deal, and I do like the guy and figure he’s got a permanent spot here. But I don’t see any much reason to brush/hide every verbal goof up the guy makes any more than you think it’s necessary for fans to dissect them

But really, in all seriousness…. bottom line for me: stupid comment.. but I’m not saying it’s a huge deal. Just another one to add to the list of ‘what the f— is he thinking’ comments. I’m not Robbie-Schrempifying him or anything though.

By: NorwegianOiler

NorwegianOiler — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:44:16 +0000

Well, from the lone quote in that article I see nothing troubling – other than the fact that it will be dissected by fans. He’s already been labelled as a type that says a bit too much, so these kinds of things just reinforce our preconceptions. Nonetheless, it is quite apparent that the worlds rank much higher than the AHL playoffs, so I don’t think there is any offense (given or taken) in this case. Realistically, the Barons’ crew would jump at the chance of representing their country if they could, it’s just that most of them are far away from that chance anyway. I agree that Omark might want to keep these things to himself, mostly because comments like that are misinterpreted, but I see nothing wrong with stating a fact like that.

By: Racki

Racki — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:42:16 +0000

Yah, I get that he wants to go back, and I get that this tourney (which has always been odd to me) is important to European players. But I just think it would have been best keeping it to himself. It’s a bit of a slap in the face to his OKC teammates if you ask me.

Good stuff on the PPG comment. It always drives me nuts how other people shoot down Hemsky as being a great star because he hasn’t reached the PPG mark permanently.

As for 30+ goal scorers, bare in mind that Hall would have made it close, had he stayed healthy (maybe even done it, if he got hot). Penner also might have reached it too. And well, scoring out east is always easier anyways

By: NorwegianOiler

NorwegianOiler — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:35:26 +0000

Good to see our prospects get the chance to play some really meaningful games. I am not too worried about Omark’s comments. He really just states the obvious: For most Europeans the biggest stage is the international one, and that Omark would rather represent Sweden than play in the AHL does not surprise me. My bet is that he does really well in the playoffs. He seems professional in that regard (at least).

Do also take notice of our old friend Lubomir Visnovsky, who has delivered a stellar regular season for the Ducks with 18-50-68 +18 (their fans must be thrilled to move ‘not-so-good-for-them Whitney’ for the top scoring defenseman in the NHL!) Nice to see Lubo finally get a crack at the NHL playoffs too, he truly deserves it.

Barring a +3 or better night, it looks as if Niklas Lidström will finish the regular season in the minus category (currently -3) for the first time ever (!).

For all those who hold the best players to the ‘should be point per game’ standard, I see that only 12 players with more than 70 games are PPG this year. Include Datsyuk and Crosby (with less games) we are at a stunning 14 PPG players in the league. And since Hemsky has not broken that barrier, he must be replaced

I am, however, let down by the fact that teams like Toronto and NYI have 2 30+ goal scorers each and we have none…

Jeff Skinner wins the Calder Trophy. His age, size and goal total add up to a better score than Grabner (who by all means has done excellently for the Isles)

I can’t wait until the time that the draft is NOT the most important part of our season.

By: chucker

chucker — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:40:14 +0000

Racki: I hate to say it, but another strike for Omark. Read up on the EJ’s article on the subject.I get that he wants to play for his country, but if he’s going to be an Edmonton Oiler, he should be dedicating himself to ensuring team success. The best way to do that right now is to help the Barons out. I think he’s a great player, but I am having a tough time understanding some of the things he says. He seems to want to do what he wants to do and seems to be not entirely focused on the best interests of the team.Players expected to go back to OKC:Ryan O’MarraLinus OmarkChris VandeVeldeTeemu HartikainenJeff PetryTaylor Chorney and Liam Reddox will not be going to the Barons. Neither were listed on the Barons’ clear day roster (the roster which states which players are allowed to play on the team for the remainder of the season/playoffs). Reddox wasn’t listed because he needs to clear waivers anyways. Chorney wasn’t listed because he had a knee injury and wasn’t known to be back this soon.

I get that he is expected to go to OKC and it's the right thing for him at the moment. I also very much understant his desire to play in Europe with all his buddies and Paajarvi on a bigger stage that would likely benefit him at a similar level. Look at it as busting a bull. It's not easy, but it pays off. I think the team wants him to be the key offensive guy in OKC and get him used to that as well as the toughness of the NA game. That's good. I don't care if he speaks his mind, just play good. It's part of what makes him good is his attitude. Sometimes you'll get a sound bite that ain't pc, but hey, Brett Hull never really gave a shit either. (not saying he's the next BH) I think we also forget how important and how big a desire it is for these guys to go back and play for their countries. I don't blame him.