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Michael Menzies

Michael Menzies

Oilers Nation

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Pre-Scout: Blackhawks have Connor Bedard back and are in the playoff hunt

Like many youthful teams in 2025-26, the Chicago Blackhawks have yo-yoed up and down this season. After a surprisingly good start, then free-falling...

yesterday 8

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: The predictably unpredictably Oilers, a bad day for the Senators, and annoying whistling at Mammoth games

I, for one, am finding the humour in the Edmonton Oilers‘ inability to string together three wins.  Oh, the Los Angeles Kings, one of your...

yesterday 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Kings renew hostilities with Oilers after handing Jets first win in forever

When the Edmonton Oilers left Winnipeg on Thursday night, the Jets looked demoralized. They’d blown yet another lead and flailed down the stretch of...

sunday 9

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

The Oilers have one thing left to try with Trent Frederic: killing penalties

Edmonton Oilers one thing left to try with Trent Frederic: killing penalties If Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman had a hot tub time...

sunday 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

‘Mr. Goalie’ Glenn Hall, whose hockey roots trace back to playing for the Edmonton Flyers, dies at 94

One of the all-time hockey legends, a symbol of the romantic era of the game, Glenn Hall, passed away at the age of 94 on Wednesday in Stony Plain.  ...

10.01.2026 7

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Top 100 Oilers: No. 56 – Mike Comrie

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Mike Comrie...

09.01.2026 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Jets host Oilers amid franchise record 10-game losing streak

The season is slipping through the Winnipeg Jets‘ fingers.  Make it 10 straight losses for Winnipeg after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas...

09.01.2026 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Predators charging up standings with Stamkos’ scoring

The Nashville Predators are lurking.  If you don’t look at the NHL standings too often, walking into this Edmonton Oilers and Predators...

07.01.2026 7

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Kasperi Kapanen eyeing return to Oilers lineup as early as Tuesday

Kasperi Kapanen is coming back. The Edmonton Oilers forward will return to the lineup this week, as soon as Tuesday, according to head coach Kris...

06.01.2026 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Oilers’ cup future hard to envision, the glaring flaws, and the schedule positives

Heading into the season, I didn’t think the Edmonton Oilers were going to win the Stanley Cup. I was scared to give that opinion when I first joined...

06.01.2026 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Flyers’ gambles parlaying into a playoff spot

Hook up a Philadelphia Flyers fan to a lie detector machine and ask them whether they truly believed this team could go to the playoffs. Whether Maury...

04.01.2026 7

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Top 100 Oilers: No. 57 — Boris Mironov

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Boris Mironov...

03.01.2026 9

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Michael Menzies

Lightning bias shines through in Team Canada’s unsurprisingly predictable roster

Hockey fans hoping Team Canada would be young and exciting, Edmonton Oilers-laden, or that management would set aside their biases for Tampa Bay...

02.01.2026 10

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Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Bruins desperate for victory on sluggish streak, but play improved vs Calgary

How about one more Edmonton Oilers game in this crazy year called 2025, taking out the calendar slate with a desperate Boston Bruins team right now. ...

01.01.2026 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Jets look for elusive win against Oilers after five straight one-goal losses

You could call it a freefall.  In the span of a few months, the Winnipeg Jets have gone from a first-place President’s Trophy regular season to...

31.12.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Will the Oilers and Flames have jump or turkey legs in Battle of Alberta rematch?

Do you have memories of Christmas where you and your brother would wrestle in the basement? Maybe over a game of mini-sticks, stealing a gift, or just...

28.12.2025 6

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Top 100 Oilers: No. 58 — Cam Talbot

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Cam Talbot...

28.12.2025 9

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Top 100 Oilers: No. 59 — Adam Larsson

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Adam Larsson...

27.12.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: After recent run, Flames sniffing playoff picture ahead of Christmas BoA

Since Calgary Flames president Don Maloney declared to the world that rebuilds are for losers in late November (I’m paraphrasing here), the team on...

24.12.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Mr. Ingram taught a young Kris Knoblauch, now Knoblauch coaches his son Connor

While Kris Knoblauch acts as the teacher for this Edmonton Oilers team, it’s Connor Ingram’s dad who taught the coach a thing or two back in the...

24.12.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: A year from hell for the Oilers? World Junior excitement, and a case for a new playoff format

There is part of me that wonders whether this is a “year from hell” season for the Edmonton Oilers.  I’ve lifted the term from longtime...

23.12.2025 20

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Vegas looks for bounceback in Pacific showdown, but without Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore

Wrapping up Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Vegas Golden Knights will be an “ornery” mood for the Edmonton Oilers...

22.12.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: The dominance of Morgan Geekie and the Boston Bruins resurgence

Seeing the Boston Bruins logo near the top of the Atlantic Division is a familiar sight – we just didn’t think we’d see it there this season.  ...

19.12.2025 6

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

German hockey fans celebrate Leon Draisaitl’s tremendous milestone

Leon Draisaitl’s 1,000th point isn’t just a massive milestone for one of the game’s best players – it’s a capstone that cements his status...

19.12.2025 7

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

WWYDW: Would you elevate Quinn Hutson in the Oilers’ lineup?

Many in Oilersnation were excited to see Quinn Hutson earn a call-up to the Edmonton Oilers after his stellar showing so far this season with the...

19.12.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Penguins add former Oilers as blown leads and home losses mount

Rarely do we as fans get the next chapter to a huge story so quickly.  Just four days after Tristan Jarry became an Edmonton Oiler, he gets to...

17.12.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Goaltending relief, Kulak’s departure bigger than believed, Hughes trade sends shockwaves

The first feeling I had when I heard Stuart Skinner was traded? Relief. I’ve said this before, but part of the reason I wanted a new Oilers...

16.12.2025 20

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Canadiens blunder leads in OT loss, quick flip back home to face Oilers

Ouch.  The Montreal Canadiens looked like they were taking the dog for a walk early on against the New York Rangers. Ahead 3-0 and cruising…and...

15.12.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Maple Leafs surprise goaltender steps up amidst injuries

The Toronto Maple Leafs have steadied themselves a bit, but do they have another gear to get in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference?  ...

15.12.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Under pressure to make playoffs, Red Wings first in the Atlantic arriving in Edmonton

For the second game in a row, the Edmonton Oilers’ opponents are coming off a game in Calgary the night before.   The Detroit Red Wings roll...

13.12.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

WWYDW: How do the Oilers jumpstart Frederic and Mangiapane?

The Edmonton Oilers’ two big free agent signings of the offseason are struggling mightily, as Trent Frederic and Andrew Mangiapane can’t seem to...

12.12.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Sabres arrive in Edmonton seared after getting burnt by Flames

The Buffalo Sabres had two days off on their road trip after Friday’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets 4-1, allowing them to catch some of the cold western...

10.12.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Oilers process continues to build 5-on-5 offence, the Tristan Jarry rumours and more

It’s amazing what practice will do for a hockey team.  You’d be tempted to say that practice may be overrated for a team that went to the...

09.12.2025 9

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Pre-Scout: Jets bounce back but have quick turnaround to face Oilers

November was not so kind to the Winnipeg Jets.  The Jets were 31st in points percentage in November at .385 per cent a far cry from being 6th in...

08.12.2025 3

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Don’t expect Oilers to make goalie trade, media scrum drama, Bettman quiet on expansion, and more

What did we learn about the Edmonton Oilers this week?  Not much.  The Oilers have long been fans of the zig-zag. Think they’re turning the...

01.12.2025 20

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

The Oilers are taking on the personality of their head coach

Let me start this by saying I’m not calling for Kris Knoblauch’s head.  I have a gripe with the head coach that’s been gnawing at me for a...

30.11.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Rantanen’s bizarre mean streak, Maloney’s mystifying mindset, and the Avs’ dominance

When did Mikko Rantanen become such a goon? Ugly week for the well-paid Finn, who incurred the wrath of Islanders coach Patrick Roy after he crashed...

25.11.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Monotony of Success – Part 2: How do the Oilers compare to others who reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals?

In Part 1, I talked about why I decided to compare the 2025-26 Edmonton Oilers to the nine teams post-1990 that attempted to make the Stanley Cup...

18.11.2025 50

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Monotony of Success – Part 1: Why can’t the Oilers start their season on the right foot?

Typically, in the Sunday Scramble, I take a ripped-from-the-headlines approach to the hot topics across the hockey world. But this week I’ve been...

18.11.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: A Canadian miscue, New York’s historic run, and soundbites from the week

Here I was on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers game set to PVR as I travelled to do the Bonnyville Pontiacs game in Drayton Valley. I was riding...

10.11.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

First-place Edmonton Oil Kings scoring at torrent pace: ‘We’ve got skill’

The Edmonton Oil Kings knew they could have a good season, and so far, the offence is showing it can be one of the most dynamic in the CHL. Oil...

08.11.2025 3

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Nečas collects the bag, Zegras gets his mojo back, and Dobeš is stealing the crease

The further we get from the Mikko Rantanen shenanigans for last year, the less I understand it.  This week, the Colorado Avalanche extended...

04.11.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Oilers need to ease up on playing time for McDavid and Draisaitl during heavy November schedule

While I was engaging in some online banter on who deserves the most blame for the game-winning JT Miller goal during Edmonton’s OT collapse against...

01.11.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: The theft of the Nordiques, Flames keep losing, and more NHL notes

Since we’re so close to Halloween, do you remember the internet phrase going around a few years ago? My culture is not your costume.  Looking...

28.10.2025 6

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Flames finally confronted, the shaky Senators, and a Carter Hart thought

19.10.2025 9

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Puck management, inconsistent line combos key reasons why Oilers struggling to score

19.10.2025 4

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Stuart Skinner polling up after Rangers victory. Where will the polls go next?

16.10.2025 5

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Todd McLellan isn’t happy, 2026 free agent class now boring, and the NHL scheduling debacle

13.10.2025 10

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Michael Menzies

Praise to Connor McDavid ‘The Charitable One’ for signing team-friendly contract

07.10.2025 10

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies

Sunday Scramble: Don’t sign yet Lane Hutson, hate still exists in Florida, Gavin McKenna is box-office

06.10.2025 9

Oilers Nation

Michael Menzies