The success of our writing contingent emeritus has been gratifying. Lisa has found a home at Kukla's Korner, Bruce is doing god's work against the MSM at the Cult of Hockey, Jonathan has found himself a baker's dozen of positions since leaving, and now he's joined Bruce at the Cult of Hockey. Ben has his soccer gig at 86 Forever and some additional soccer work at The Score.
Scott, Ryan, Eric and I continue to bring you in-depth coverage and analysis of the Oilers and Barons, but we were getting a little lonely. We also didn't want to see our work and message grow stale, so we sought out some of the absolute best and most creative people we want to read each day. We asked them to join our crew, and to our surprise, they all agreed. Neal Livingston makes his return from his sabbatical to join Eric Rodgers and bring you more Oklahoma City Barons coverage than any other site. But there are more...
I'm extremely happy to introduce a free agent crop that both Ken Holland and Doug Wilson would be jealous of:
Mike W - Yes, that Mike W. I'm not going to lie; I consider it my mitzvah to Oilers' fans to bring Mike back to the blogging world. With Mike comes Tambellini the evaluator. Mike will update us on Tambellini's process, clarity and decisions on a regular basis.
I can't take credit for the idea to bring Mike back, however. Were it not for Andy Grabia's suggestion that I reach out, I never would have thought of this on my own. Thanks Andy, and thanks Mike for accepting. Welcome, I can't wait to see what you come up with.
dawgbone98 - Since the interview with Coach Nielsen on the Diamond Penalty Kill, our readers have asked for more articles focused on the tactical side of hockey. Each time Scott and I have discussed the possibility of adding a new writer, we've immediately thought of dawgbone98, an insightful fellow who pays close attention to on-ice tactical details. The need for tactical articles and a guy who knows his stuff come together as dawgbone will pen a weekly column dealing with the tactics of hockey by explaining on-ice breakdowns and successes throughout the season. His After The Green Light was filled with outstanding ideas and we're going to extend those ideas and more. Welcome aboard dawgbone.
Woodguy - When Ryan came aboard, we realized the value of the perspective of a season ticket holder. He has a unique take that none of our other staff had and his analysis and takes from the arena expanded our understanding of the fans and the team. In that same vein, we're adding Woodguy, a 'sphere regular commenter and ex-season ticket holder. After five seasons, Woodguy gave up his season tickets this year and he'll pen a weekly op-ed column to talk about that and more. He's a passionate fan and excellent writer and I can't wait to see what he brings.