wingoilerfan

Hey folks ... just for fun, I'll post a couple of mock Oilers-Flames game recaps that I wrote a couple of years ago.

This first one is from Dec. 26, 2001 ...

December 26, 2001
AT EDMONTON
Flames 1, Oilers 2

Despite the low score of the game, this game had all the fixings of the Battle of Alberta. Ask the coaches ...

"I can't believe this! They're going to fine me for telling MacTavish to cut his mullet?!", said Flames coach Greg Gilbert.

"Personally, I think he should be more than fined ... he oughtta be suspended for the rest of the season. The cheap shot about the mullet was bad enough ... but he sent his goons into the game to run Salo.", said Oiler coach Craig MacTavish.

Salo left the game late in the third period with an ace bandage wrapped around his head after a horde of Flames crashed the net shortly after the Oilers scored the game-winning goal.

"Ah ... I've had worse happen. I'll be back for the next game ... and the next and the next.", Salo said.

Several fights ensued after the hit on Salo in which Georges Laraque flattened Chris Clark. Sean Brown, meanwhile, was about to pin Jarome Iginla when the ref broke up that fight.

Anyhow ... I'll walk you all through this mock game ...

In the first period, shots were at one apiece for the first half of the first period. The Flames were stunned at the type of game that the Oilers were playing ... it is rare that the words "Oilers" and "trap" are used in the same sentence ... but I think it had to do with that new Jacques Lemaire coaches guide that MacTavish was reading before the game. Anson Carter scored the first goal of the game at the 19:29 mark ... it was the Oilers' 3rd shot of the game. Jason Chimera was put on the first line in a surprise move before the game .. when asked why this move was made, MacTavish winked and simply said, "Scotty Bowman". Anyhow ... Chimera sent the puck to Carter from behind the net, and Carter shot the puck so hard thatit went through the webbing of Flames goalie Roman Turek's glove into the net. The goal was under review for a FULL FIVE MINUTES before the ref ruled that that was such a hard shot that there was no way Turek could have made the save. The Oilers outshot the Flames 5-3 in the first period.

In the second period, the Flames began picking up steam. Jarome Iginla scored within the first 8 seconds of the second period. Iginla pointed up in the air, Salo looked up, and Iginla slipped the shot between Salo's stick and his skate. The Flames then camped out in the Oilers' zone for the remainder of the period ... which looked like a shooting gallery as far as th Oilers were concerned. I thought I heard Oiler Captain Jason Smith yell "INCOMING!!" on one Flames scoring flurry. The Flames outshot the Oilers 20-3 in the second period.

In the third period, the Oilers again locked things down with their newfound (?!) trap. "Jacques Lemaire's my hero ... that song by Enrique Iglesias should be dedicated to him.", said MacTavish. We then scored on a goal by Todd Marchant. Marchant flipped a knuckleball which appeared to land on Turek's back as he was hunched over. When Turek stood up to his full height, the puck rolled down his back and into the net behind him. The Flames didn't like how that last goal was scored, as it came at the 18:13 mark of the third period. It was then that Gilbert seemed to point at Oiler goalie Salo. Within seconds, a barrage of Flames crashed into the Oiler net like opposing football players rushing the Lions' quarterback. Salo and the net were pushed back to the end boards and Salo was underneath a pile of Flames. However ... there was no call on it since the ref said that he thought he saw one of the onrushing Flames with the puck.

A series of fights broke out, with the ones between Laraque and Clark and between Brown and Iginla standing out. Laraque had another reason for going after Clark.

"I saw Clark take his stick and take a swing at Carter's head.", said Laraque.

"I was just trying to do him a favor ... he needs a haircut.", said Clark.

Whether he needed one or not, that headhunting attempt was unacceptable and Clark should be suspended for the rest of the season for that.

Anyhow ... after all was said and done in the third period, the shots on goal were even at 4 apiece.

__________________
"If you're going to lose, lose with enthusiasm." -- former Edmonton Oilers coach Ron Low

Let's go Red Wings!
Long live the Oilers!

wingoilerfan

Nov. 21, 2002
AT CALGARY

Oilers 2, Flames 4

When these teams met on Dec. 26, 2001, it was a heated matchup (pardon the pun k: ), featuring a bench-clearing brawl involved all the players on the ice after the Flames, apparently at the direction of coach Greg Gilbert, attempted to run Oiler goalie Tommy Salo into the endboards behind the Oiler net.

This game featured more of the same, but this time, the Flames struck back like the Empire in the second of the first Star Wars trilogy.

"It was a tough, tough loss, as have been many of our losses this season. To be honest, I wish we had Mike Grier back, but it's too late now. He would have been able to check the likes of Jarome Iginla. I don't know what I was thinking when I made that trade, or if I was thinking.", said Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.

In the first period, the Flames took a 2-0 lead. Craig Berube scored the first goal of the game about two minutes after it began. It was his first goal of the season on a breakaway with Steve Begin. Both Flames crashed into Salo as the puck went in the net. Craig MacTavish, the Oilers' coach, tried to argue that Berube and Begin bumped Salo before the puck went into the net, but the ref ruled otherwise. :x

A brawl involving everyone on the ice ensued shortly after, and although Georges Laraque won fights with both Berube and then Begin, it didn't seem to pick the Oilers up at all in this game. About 3 minutes after, Jamie MacLennan scored ... yes, the Flames goalie, when the puck appeared to skip over a rut in the ice and knocked Salo on the helmet before it went in behind him. Salo could be hear to have said, "D'OOOOOOOOOH!!" after that goal.

The Oilers cut the Flames' lead to 2-1 midway through the second period. Salo went well out of his net when handling a routine puck and looked like he might try to score the goal himself, but he instead passed it to Ryan Smyth, who managed to slip the puck underneath MacLennan before tripping on his mullet and falling to the ice. Smyth vowed not to cut his mullet until the Oilers win more than 3 games in a row this season ... that could take awhile, Ryan. :lol:

Unfortunately, Iginla scored twice more to win this game for the Flames. Iginla's first goal came 3 minutes into the third period, after the Oilers were called twice for having too many men on the ice. His second goal came with 3 minutes left in the game. He tried to pull an "Owen Nolan" by pointing at the upper left corner of the Oilers' net, but the puck went into the upper right hand corner of the net.

"I know my aim was WAY off with that shot, but who cares? We won the game!". Todd Marchant, disgruntled because of the swirling trade rumors, saw Iginla making that statement to the media after the game. Disgusted by Iginla's brashness, he hit Iginla in the face with a cake (which he took from the Flames' post game snack table).

The media asked Marchant to explain his actions, he said, with an evil grin ...

"Iginla deserved it. He played a great game against us, he deserved it.".

__________________
"If you're going to lose, lose with enthusiasm." -- former Edmonton Oilers coach Ron Low

Let's go Red Wings!
Long live the Oilers!

scottthegame

:lol: That was pretty funny... *pictures MacT with a mullet*

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wingoilerfan

Thanks, Scott ... glad you enjoyed those ... .

Way back when, 2 to 3 years ago, when I had the time to do so, I used to write my own game recaps for all of the Wings' and Oilers' games, just as a hobby. The mock recaps that I posted above were a spinoff on my game recaps, and I wrote those on days where (1) neither of my favorite teams were playing, (2) posting was a little slow on my board, and (3) I had way too much time on my hands ( ). Unfortunately, I had to stop writing those game recaps last year because I was doing my thesis research at the time and didn't have much time for much else ...

I'm hoping I'll have more time to write a few game recaps again (That is, if the evil schedulemakers will stop having the Wings and Oilers play on the same evening ... :lol: ) ...

__________________
"If you're going to lose, lose with enthusiasm." -- former Edmonton Oilers coach Ron Low

Let's go Red Wings!
Long live the Oilers!