Weekend Update: A New Hope, Named Jordan Eberle

If any of you are like me, you still have a huge grin on your face and you are looking forward to the next game versus the Flames next Saturday. True, that win might mean more for me, living behind enemy lines, but really does it matter? Of course Jordan Eberle scored the most amazing first NHL goal (in my mind it beats Lemieux's) is of course the other thing that is on the lips of most everyone in Oil Country. I swear to you, TSN's Sportcentre played that highlight reel goal 7 times in the span of 3 minutes Friday morning as I got ready for work, and I salivated every single time. How many of us looked it up on youtube or pasted it on a friend's Facebook page.Yes Oilers' fans, that goal may just put us on the map again. I think its harder than ever not to get too far ahead of ourselves and wonder if these kids are the real deal.

Let's have a look at the rest of the Oilers and NHL news for the week shall we?

Huge news in Oil Country this week; Sheldon Souray, not an Oiler!! Okay, well technically he is, but not for the Edmonton Oilers or their affiliate organizations. The Edmonton Oilers have essentially loaned Sheldon Souray to the Washington Capital's AHL affiliate team, the Hershey Bears. The Oilers will be paying the majority of Souray's salary, but the Bears will have him on their roster. So what's next? Many people have had a look at that, including our very own Neal Livingston. Now I think its great that Souray still gets to play, hopefully prove he can play, and help facilitate a trade. However, as was pointed out to me, the main duty of the Hershey Bears is to develope the Washington Capitalsprospect players. Souray will likely not be playing first line minutes, as that would take minutes away from the prospects. Not what he is likely to consider an ideal situation, but I'm sure that he is happy to be playing, and in somewhere other than Edmonton.

The final piece of Oilers news for the week was also BIG news, but I left it to last I think because I doubt that anyone was surprised about the Oilers C13 announcement. That's right, in the least surprising captain announcement that I can think of, the Edmonton Oilers have announced that Shawn Horcoffwill be the 13th captain of the Edmonton Oilers. Scott Reynolds wrote a great piece on this Oilers management move. I agree with Scott on all points, this was the best choice for the team this year, especially since Shawn now holds the "most likely to be a career Oiler" card. Mind you, at the same time, I didn't see the harm in going without a captain for the year while we see how the team comes together. At the end of the day though, all I care about is watching some exciting hockey and my favourite stars liking their teammates and my home city.

Ok, it's been too long since I last mentioned Jordan Eberle's goal. Seriously, can you believe this?!

Jordan Eberle Highlight Reel 1st NHL Goal (via 83HemskyEDM)

Oil Kings news, its Mullet Night tonight, check it out! The Oil Kings have already been playing regular season games for a week now, and have won three games in a row! Let's not forget that Edmonton is a hockey town, not just Oilers town.

NHL news, well not too much that was truly exciting and by that I mean great than Jordan Eberle's goal. The NHL has implemented a new blindside hit rule, but I like many of you am still concerned over how this rule will be implemented and regulated. This could help our team immensly, or we may never even notice a difference.

Michael Cammalleri was suspended for one game following a slash on the leg of the New York Islandersrookie Nino Niederreiter. Too much? Too little? Cammalleri has a relatively clean record, so really this might be the appropriate solution. I think that it was an acceptable suspension, and hope that he will think twice before he reacts in a way that he thinks Chris Pronger would.

In sad player news, Atlanta Thrashers goalie, Ondrej Pavelec collapsed on the ice last night and was taken off on a stretcher. This was extremely shocking and sad news, and video. I hope to see a healthy Pavelec in net for the Thrashers soon.

Expect the first season of Hall, Paajarvi and Eberle to be "a very complicated and painful process." - Cult of Hockey

MacT wanted jam. Quinn wanted crust. Renney wants pop . . . and says Belle and Petiot lacked it. - Cult of Hockey

Kaptain Horcov - BDHS

Ales Hemsky Continues To Be One Of The Best - C&B Zona

Kristians Pelss - Background From The Latvian Hockey News Report - C&B Zona

The Final Cuts - C&B Reynolds

LINUS OMARK: POLITICS AND HONESTY - ON Brownlee

C13: HORCOFF - ON Gretz

Commotion - ON Lowetide

THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER? - ON Gregor

Videos from Barons Preseason Game - Oilers Jambalaya

7 great first career goals - HOTH Lewis

HOTH of Fame: Jordan Eberle’s First - HOTH Lewis

What We Learned: 20 bold predictions for the 2010-11 NHL season - PD Lambert

Video: Kaspars Daugavins' instant hockey legend shootout goal - PD Wyshynski

Should the NHL continue to face KHL teams in the preseason? - PD Wyshynski

Survey: Fans put faith in Habs, Canucks to return Cup to Canada - PD Wyshynski

Fight Video: MacIntyre's bloody KO of Ivanans makes statement - PD Wyshynski

Take the Quiz: How will your team do this season? - DGB

Espositos Almost Reunited In Chicago - GHL

No Respect: Phil Esposito - GHL

Magic Man: Kent Nilsson - GHL

Here are some great stories from the CHL

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In and around Edmonton this week, well of course there is hockey to watch. You can't lose if you chose to make a night out of an Oilers or an Oil Kings game. Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience is playing at the Northern Alberta Jubilee auditorium on Tuesday and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band plays the Edmonton Events Centre on Thursday. There are of course plenty of other local bands playing small clubs, and the weather is still pretty nice, so get outside!