Weekend Update: The pre-season teaser

Ah pre-season, that magical time when your team can do no wrong. You are definitely going to win the cup, you plan the parade route. You select your hockey pools from a long list of players who are neither injured nor feuding with team members, management or fans. At this point, any or all players can be your new favourite for the year; everything is sunshine and lollipops surrounded by unicorns in a field with a double rainbow. Yup, this week Oilers' fans, you likely have a new favourite or two and figure that since we are 2 and 0, this is going to be a great year. One of your new favourite players might be Magnus Paajarvi, the first Oiler to get a hat-trick this year, and he isn't even officially on the team yet. Maybe your sweet on the whole team, I mean a bunch of rookies beat the Canucks this week!

Speaking of things to look forward to, here is where you can get your very own copy of Horctober. It's another fun calendar reminding you of all of the other nights full of possibilities for your new favourite players! Now, let's recap the rest of the week shall we?

Still no Sportsnet 1 TV deal for Bell TV subscribers, and some of these subscribers are switching to Shaw cable or Telus TV out of frustration alone. Personally, I have been making calls to Bell to exress my frustration and ask about the negotiations. There is strength in numbers, if you are also at risk for not having Oilers' games in your homes, you are likely trying to figure out what to do. Unfortunately right now, you can switch or make phone calls and hope for the best. Since Sportsnet 1 is carrying the Oilers pre-season games, I do feel like I'm missing out playing the waiting game.

The Oilers' roster has been trimmed very slowly as the week progressed. On Monday, 20 were sent home which was followed by Olivier Roy being assigned to Acadie-Bathurst of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leaguem, Cameron Abney being assigned to Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL and lastly Tyler Pitlick being assigned to the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL.

The last pre-season Oilers' news was the annual Joey Moss cup. Yes, the game where you are guaranteed to win if you put money on the Oilers winning. This fun spritied matchup is an excellent fundraiser and way to take the whole family to a game without breaking the bank. Sadly this game was on a Tuesday night, which may have made it harder to take the family out on a school night, and it definitely kept out of towners at home and not at the arena. It was enjoyable that this game was also available online for our viewing pleasure, but its not quite the same as being at Rexall for the ocassion.

Other Oilers news, Sheldon Souray, technically still an Oiler but starting today the Oilers can place him on waivers. Don't get your hopes up though Oil Country, Souray likely won't be going anywhere for a while longer yet. Why Nikolai Khabibulin is more likely to see NHL action again before Souray, when exactly that will be, I couldn't tell you.

In other NHL news, Carey Price was booed, at home, by Habs fans during a pre-season game on Wednesday. Personally I think that that might have been a little over the top but I was definitely all about the dive for five train, so I am clearly in no position to be casting judgement of any kind. Price was trying to do the right thing, and shake off the negativity which is likely the best thing in the whole situation. Hopefully this will help him settle into an "I'll show you" mentality and everyone will live happily ever after.

The other NHL story that I will mention (there is too many camp stories to tell them all, I'm sorry) is that I really enjoyed watching the Blackhawks and Lightning play in Winnipeg this past week. I loved watching the fans in the stands, wearing their Jets jerseys. Everyone but Gary Bettman seems to want the Jets to go home, so it did feel like salt in the wound to see some "NHL action" in Winnipeg, but I can't hope but hope that the good times will be back to stay soon enough.

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Okay, how about some select reading from the week? Here are some blogs you may have missed that I found interesting for one reason or another.

Souray for Commodore? Finally a Souray rumour that actually makes some sense - Cult of Hockey

Will the Oilers phenoms be more Ryan Smythor more Jason Bonsignore? The biggest question marks about each Edmonton Oiler -Cult of Hockey

And I Never Saw Someone Say That Before - Canada 6 USSR 5 - BDHS

Bill Murray - BDHS

Anton Lander - Off And Running With Timrå IK - C&B Zona

What Does the Money Tell Us - Forward Edition - C&B Reynolds

Tending the Farm: Omark. Giroux. Gerber. Oklahoma City or Bust! - C&B Livingston

What Does the Money Tell Us - Goaltender Edition - C&B Reynolds

Deep Thoughts XX: The Way I See It - ON Brownlee

Picking Los Goato - ON Gretz

Star Picking Time - ON Gretz

Tracers: Systems - ON Lowetide

Is Gagner About To Get Passed Like He's Standing Still? - BBO

NHL Releases 2010-11 Rule Enforcement - Houses of the Hockey Lewis

After boos, Canadiens make their first Carey Price excuses of season - Puck Daddy Wyshynski

Leafs' Grabovski goes from 'stupid' to sued for Olympic fight - Puck Daddy Wyshynski

Remember the Whale? Reports says Hartford will again via the AHL - Puck Daddy Wyshynski

Video: NHL declares war on penalty box fan water-bottle squirting - Puck Daddy Wyshynski

Old Puck Clue To Hockey's Birthplace? - Greatest Hockey Legends

Tips for dominating your fantasy hockey draft - DGB

Signs you're getting cut this week - DGB

Sorry folks! Adding another that I missed

Probert's brain donated to science as head injuries plague hockey - PD Wyshynski

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In and around Edmonton, hopefully you caught The Flaming Lips show last week, I can't say enough about how fun their stage show is, and they are on the bands that you really should see before you die. if Jazz is your thing, Jeff King is playing the Yardbird Suite tonight. Monday I'll be at Primus at the Edmonton Events Centre, perhaps I'll see you there. Tuesday, the Uproar Energy Tour featuring Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed at Rexall (I'll see it in Calgary), Gord Downie plays Myer Horowitz Theatre, K'naan plays the the Empire Boardroom, Hot Hot Heat plays the Starlight Room, and Slash plays the Edmonton Events Centre. On Friday the Beach Boys play Red Deer, and the River Cree Casino in Edmonton next Saturday. The Japandroids play the Starlight room Friday and Current Swell hits the Pawn Shop the Same night.

In the meantime enjoy this precious time, pre-season when all things are possible the season still smells new, and not like your hockey gear now since you accidentally left it in the bag without washing it or airing it out after your last game last season.