I am not penciling the Finns onto the team. We already have more than enough wingers. I would just prefer letting players who actually have a chance to be legit players fight over the last couple of roster spots.
Hordichuk is just a waste of a spot. I would not object to bringing in a good bottom 6 winger that can PK.
ya you're right, having a guy like hordichuck is a waste and also a guy like eager is just beyond me
we'll let hall and eberle and hemsky drop the gloves, having to protect themselves all the time. instead of them putting points on the board, they're gna drop the gloves...
we have guys like these so if something does happen, its there job to go out and stop it. or take runs at there best players.. We have them in the line up so people think twice about doing it... hordichuck is the 13th forward and will be put into games against teams with agitators...
SMACK is a heavyweight, but no one would fight him. and he'd ask everyone ( which i respect ) but sometimes you just have to and whether the other guy drops the gloves or not, hes going to either fight or turtle...
instead of edmonton being the team taking ***** and having no1 to back it up , they're gna be the one giving other teams ***** and having the people to back it up.... and with these additions peckham doesnt have to drop the gloves soooo often...
Time for edmonton fans and wake up, our top 6-9 forwards are set already... we just needed to stregthen our 10-13... We're going to have a great forward core next year and they're only going to get better over the years. we just need to stregthen our D and we're going to be competing for a playoff spot...
Good day of signing for tambo...
i for one am excited for this upcoming season from an oilers standpoint
We had Hordichuk for two years. My somewhat objective list of his pros and cons;
Pro:
- Great in the locker room. Respected by his teammates.
- Great in the community. Swell guy with the fans.
- Willing and game scrapper. Won't back down from anyone.
Cons:
- Simply isn't that good of a scrapper. Won't get KO'd very often, but does not dominate a lot(if any) of his fights.
- Absolutely, unequivocably sucks at the game of hockey.
My hopes were high when the Canucks signed him that he actually had the hockey skill to play a regular shift, but he's really an awful hockey player. He talks a good game about going out and playing a physical brand of hockey, but rare and far in between were the times he was actually able to skate fast enough to catch a player to bodycheck him.
IMO, if you combined Hordi's attitude and willingness to go with Ben Eager's actual playing ability, you would have a teriffic enforcer. But he is really an awful hockey player and not a lot better as a fighter. Again, IMO, McIntyre would have been a better fit as your resident knuckleduster--Hordi gets in lots of the "staged fights" with the other team's goons, and rarely has an accepted invitation from agitators/physical players after a hit on a skilled player. Practically never took an instigator penalty in Vancouver, even when we were dying for him to.
Unfortunately that sounds about right. We replaced MacIntyre with a less embarrassing version of Stortini.
Hordichuk can still put on a great fight every once in a while. Had a great one with Shawn Thornton last year and traded with Colton Orr the year before. He is tough and a great team guy.
IMO he's a better fighter than Eager, who spent two years avoiding and turning down Hordichuk. Eager is a better player and I think they make a great combo to protect the young guys.
How is Hordichuk physically? Ie, can he skate and hit people constantly?
I know he had 116 some odd hits in Florida in 61 games, which is terrific, but I want to know if that stat is 'inflated'. (the hit stat is wishy washy).
An Hordichuk-XXXX-Eager line could be fun to watch if Hordichuk can skate and play physical properly.
__________________ <-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
No I don't think the Finns should "have" to work their way through the AHL. If they are good enough to help us, they should be on the roster. I am also sure that they are both better players than Hordichuk.
How is Hordichuk physically? Ie, can he skate and hit people constantly?
I know he had 116 some odd hits in Florida in 61 games, which is terrific, but I want to know if that stat is 'inflated'. (the hit stat is wishy washy).
An Hordichuk-XXXX-Eager line could be fun to watch if Hordichuk can skate and play physical properly.
Hordichuk isn't a bad skater in a straight line, as I recall from watching him previously. Eager himself is actually quite a good skater from what others say. The problem is I also remember Hordichuk running around and taking bad penalties when it wasn't warranted / needed. Hopefully, both of them can keep it leashed and still play a hard, disciplined game.
How is Hordichuk physically? Ie, can he skate and hit people constantly?
I know he had 116 some odd hits in Florida in 61 games, which is terrific, but I want to know if that stat is 'inflated'. (the hit stat is wishy washy).
An Hordichuk-XXXX-Eager line could be fun to watch if Hordichuk can skate and play physical properly.
He's a punching bag of late. Can't see much of an impact that he will play really. Good character guy but I get the feeling we will be grimacing in his painful mistake filled game. The biggest difference between him and Eager I see is the ruthless, agitation ability to scrap, willingness to cross other teams boundaries constantly. Those I see in Eager but not so much in Hordi. That in addition to the usable bit of skill and hockeysense Eager has. His hands aren't too bad. I didn't see these qualities in Van. Should be interesting.
What I really like is he came to the Oilers. Shows he knows what we need. Hopefully he does what he said he can.
I think Hordichuk likes to talk. It makes him a great quote so the media loves him but a lot of it is hot air. I remember him bashing Stortini in the preseason and the stuff he was saying really wasn't consistent with what actually happened. He seems to pat himself on the back a lot and he's been doing it today on Edmonton radio. He was talking about how no one looked at the Sedins because he and Rypien did their job so well. I remember Canucks fans having more confidence in Rypien to fight heavyweights than they did Hordichuk.
The more I think about it, the more I just don't get it.
First, nice to see a "chuk" get added to Edmonchuk. Hordichuk can hit, stir the pot, and fight. There aren't a lot of heavyweights anymore. He just needs to fight the Glasses, Barchs, and Janssens of the world....which he can handle. I think it's a great move...it's only for 1 year.
Don't mind the signing at all. After his interview I became a little more excited then I was when I originally heard the news. Sounds like he is going to be a solid guy in the dressing room, and comes cheap, and if he stays true to his word and gives the kids some room and protection out there I am all for it.
not a terrible signing for the Oilers, although when he was with the Canucks he seemed to only fight on his terms which is fine I guess since he has earned that right with 10 years in the league. As for him threatening payback against the Flames and Canucks its just a bunch of talk. I remember then the Canucks signed him he was making all these promises about running the opposing teams star players so that their heavyweight would have to fight him, yet in the 2 seasons he played in Van I saw him turn down more fights than he started. Im much more pissed about the Eager signing as a Canucks fan, hes much more of an aggressor and a much better player than Hordichuk
Smac couldn't force the issue with other teams, which wasn't getting the job done, so it was time for something different. Hordichuk MAKES the other team fight him because if they don't, he's got the ability to run around and throw licks on their smaller, more skilled players. A few of those hits and eventually someone has to step up and take him. With Mac, those hits were so few and far between, other teams would just flat out ignore that he was there.
So in MacIntyre, we had a guy who could dominate any fight he got into, and believe me I absolutely loved the guy for that. The challenge was getting into the fight in the first place.
In Hordichuk, we have a guy for whom the challenge is winning the fight, sure, but at least he can lay the hits and force the issue and that (in my eyes) makes him 10 times more capable of holding people accountable. At times after something happened to one of our guys, MacIntyre looked helpless to do anything about it. Hordichuk has the tools to get revenge and send the proper message.
MacIntyre had 7 fights in 34 games last year. Hordichuk had 10 in 64. Doesn't seem to fight anymore than Mac.
But Mac's were of the meaningless variety... "Oh hey, you fight for a living? Me too. Want to dance?"
Hordichuk's were typically more for a reason.
But don't get me wrong, I love Mac and really wish he'd be signed and given a chance to develop his skating further so he could be more of a hitter. It seemed to me like he made significant progress last year in both that, and there was an example later in the year where he said "F--- it" and just grabbed and pummeled the guy. That was something he needed to learn to do, and he did, just seemed to be too late I guess:
Now THAT is how you play the enforcer role. Fortunate he was on the ice. And that's another part of it, people tend to feel you can't put Mac on the ice much although at only -1 on the season, I beg to differ a bit, I think he was doing his job defensively. Liability? Yeah, but not as bad as he was made out to be.
So I wish we signed Mac, but I do understand why the change up in player type from Tambellini. Not everything has to be the end of the world around here.
This is transaction for the sake of it and trying to look busy. What do we do with a guy like Hordichuk?
This is our vet help?
jebus
A much better fighter than Stortini. A much better player than MacIntire. Hordichuk will be a 13th forward, who will suit whenever the Oilers play against tough teams.
really hate this signing. hordichuck hasn't been an NHL hockey player for a couple years now. the only consolation is that i see him as being an HS most nights.
I wasn't huge on this signing, however we needed additional toughness, and maybe, just maybe now that there is no more Boogard in the league he need for a super heavy isn't that big anymore? Worst case scenario we now have Sutton in a pinch for that role.
__________________ Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated
I have no problems with this signing. I'm not sure we need an enforcer, but it's clear the Oilers want one. That's fine with me. He's an improvement on MacIntyre and though he's not as tough, he's a better hockey player and far more effective in his role.
On a side note, that's the first time I saw that video on the Hordichuk/Peterson hit. Awesome response and he clearly has the right idea. Why ask a guy to fight when you can lay out one of their guys and make him come after you? Maybe you get lucky and draw an instigator penalty too.
__________________
If you are offended by this post, it's probably because you're ugly.
It's almost a guarntee he isn't here next year anyways. They'll need the roster spot, and his style of play, for his size, doesn't lend itself to a long career. I believe he will be 31 by the start of this season.
I have no problems with this signing. I'm not sure we need an enforcer, but it's clear the Oilers want one. That's fine with me. He's an improvement on MacIntyre and though he's not as tough, he's a better hockey player and far more effective in his role.
On a side note, that's the first time I saw that video on the Hordichuk/Peterson hit. Awesome response and he clearly has the right idea. Why ask a guy to fight when you can lay out one of their guys and make him come after you? Maybe you get lucky and draw an instigator penalty too.
Yeah agreed all the way around. No one is saying he is the heavyweight king of fighters, but he is also not scared to fight or take a single punch in a fight like Stortini was most of the time.
Tambellini wanted a tough guy, yet he had to get one that Renney will actually play. Unlike many or even most enforcers Hordichuk can actually skate and hit (they kind of go hand in hand and a lot of tough guys are not fast enough to hit much), in addition to the fighting. He had 116 hits in 64 games last season. For me this was a fine signing if you want an enforcer on your team.
Last edited by Oilerdiehard: 07-02-2011 at 09:14 PM.
and also a guy like eager is just beyond me 
<-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
