Ultimate Standings 2009: No. 102
Edmonton Oilers
Last Year's Rank: 80
Title Track: 51
Ownership: 56
Coaching: 118
Players: 115
Fan Relations: 76
Affordability: 102
Stadium Experience: 109
Bang for the Buck: 91
Edmonton's free-fall in the standings continues: from 46 in '07 to 80 in '08 to 102 this year. After failing to make the playoffs three seasons in a row, the Oilers fired coach Craig MacTavish in April and replaced him with oft-traveled (Flyers, Kings, Canucks, Leafs) Pat Quinn. Despite the coach taking the fall for mediocrity, many fans place the blame on the guys on the ice not the guy on the bench. Wrote mrtea on edmontonoilers.com: "The Oilers were in a playoff spot most of the year but failed to take advantage. The talent was there: the heart was not. MacTavish can't lace the skates on and play for them." Fan appreciation seems to be an afterthought in Edmonton, where the average stub goes for $54.17 (10th priciest in the NHL) to watch a game in a 35-year-old Rexall Place with narrow concourses, a small scoreboard, and out-of-date concessions. A proposal for a new arena is in the works but will likely take years to build. Until then, if the team can't get it done on the ice, it won't be getting it done in our Standings. Look out below!
