Here`s something you may not know about me (unless you actually know me in real life, in which case, STOP READING this and talk hockey with me in person), but one of my favorite bands is Billy Talent. I enjoy a whole lot of bands, but the guys in Billy Talent are my favorite, on a more personal level. I have had the honor of meeting them a couple times and they are perfect, amazing, sweet guys. But I digress, let`s get back to hockey. Friday night, Billy Talent was playing at the Halloween Howler in Edmonton. I was there, for obvious reasons. All four of the guys - Aaron, Ben, Ian and Jon - are HUGE hockey fans.The band`s guys come out to set up the stage just prior to their set. I was watching the guy that was setting out the water bottles and beer bottles, and because I was on the Jon side of the stage, I saw his infamous Budweiser rocking a Toronto Maple Leafs holder-thing. String of curses came flying out of my mouth then.
Fast forward to about half way through the set, and cut me some slack here, there is no way I can direct quote this thanks to how long ago this was and the state I was in. Between songs, Ben asks the crowd "Are you all drunk enough for me to talk hockey, or should I wait?" Then came the best part of Ben's whole hockey speech. To paraphrase what he said as accurately as I can remember... "The Toronto Maple Leafs are where they are because of Dallas Eakins. Give him time and it will work out." That was also the end of that, and back to songs they went.
That one quote was the perfect set up for what I wanted to talk about with Dallas Eakins.
So read on.
And I also just want to say, incase you don't read on, that I don't hate the Leafs by any means, or their fans. Some of my favorite people are Leafs fans, and I respect the people of Toronto and their team and their fans
Mixed reactions from the pit. Ben went right ahead. He started going on about how since they all are from Toronto and they love the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yeah, yell that out to a crowd of drunk and rowdy Edmontonians. Goes real well. Lots of boos, lots of explicit phrases, lots of thumbs down and lots of middle fingers up. I'm guilty of it too, I was right up front flipping him off. What can I say. Ben starts talking about how they have always had a soft spot for Edmonton and whatnot. That quickly turned into Ben talking about how the Leafs are 1st in the East (which at the time they were), so yeah, yeah, plan the parade, whatever.
Dallas Eakins. Personally, I think that the Eakins hiring was the best move the Oilers made.
Pretty much everyone who follows hockey, especially anything in the East to any extent is very aware of what Eakins was able to accomplish in four seasons with the Toronto Marlies. Eakins is a unique breed of coach in that he really doesn't follow the usual conventions of any of the other coaches around the league.
I mean Eakins walks into Edmonton, redoes the entire dressing room to get rid of all the memorabilia of the dynasty years in order to focus on the present, raises the expectations for players' fitness, and removes all the junk food that used to be served for the media. Quite a shake up to start his role.
Now the Oilers are on coach number 4 in 5 years, that's a lot of adjustments to make in all that time. The Oilers may not be showing all the benefits of the new system just yet, but there were some serious changes that they are expected to make in such a short time.
Eakins has taken a lot of heat in the time that he's been here, and most of it is simply the result of impatient Oilers fans.
I read a response to an article today about someone approaching Eakins while he was taking his daughter to school and was yelling "You suck" at him. Good god, Edmonton. Grow the hell up. First of all, he's with his kid, don't do that. That's one of the lines that should NEVER be crossed. Second, it's not Eakins fault at all. He is doing everything he can. Third, common courtesy. I think I should just go run up to you on the street and start screaming at you about how much you suck. That would be nice, right? People are ridiculous. And it gives Oilers fans a horrible rap. This kind of thing seriously needs to stop. RIGHT NOT.
Going back to Eakins' changes.
First, in regards to expecting more out of the players fitness and health wise. I think this was one of the best things Eakins implemented as it seriously raises the accountability of the players. And the players knew it too. I mean, you look at the results and the numbers for training camp, and they are impressive. Second, Eakins getting rid of the dynasty years memorabilia. This one goes two ways. First of all, it's lousy in that it erases the history of the team and makes it seem as though its a team that has no history of success. On the other hand though, it gets the current players out of the shadows of the heros of the dynasty years. No more comparisons to Messier for the young guys. Getting rid of the constant comparisons gets rid of the disappointment faced by players and by fans when that comparison doesn't pan out. So it's really a double edge sword here - you don't want to ignore the team's prior sucesses and you also want to get rid of the comparisons.
Third, and most important is how Eakins runs his system extremely differently than most of the other coaches out there. Eakins makes plays that work for the team, and although the win column may not be reflecting it, it's improving. It's things that all work in theory. The thing is that most coaches stick to convention. Eakins doesn't. And all the power to him. it's just that the Oilers fans seriously need to relax and be patient. It sucks to watch right now, but be patient. it will turn around. Patience is a virtue.
Fourth, and my favorite one, is Eakins' honesty. Dallas Eakins may very well be the next John Tortorella and that could be a good thing for the Oilers. Eakins is brutally honest with the media, and he's brutally honest with the players. He's not scared to bench a guy to make him accountable if he hasn't been playing like he should. Also, watching Eakins' expressions from the bench is always highly entertaining. He lets his face do all the talking that he is saving for the media scrums. The number of eyerolls and sighs and other signs of expectations perfectly highlights the emotions that all Oilers fans are feeling. Eakins is one of us fans and he wants the team to win. That's it.
So with that, Oilers fan, cut Dallas Eakins some slack. He is the best thing that has happened to the team and he will be good in the long run. You all just need to give him a year or two to get the team working according to his system, and then we will see some serious results.
Patience, people, patience. Just remember that.
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