Summertime

It is supposed to be 31 degrees celsius in Edmonton today. That is insanely hot for July or August, let alone in May with the NHL playoffs still going on. Already last night I had my girlfriend running ice cubes over my legs, thighs, lips and large Latino breasts to cool me down. Or was I just having that Spike Lee fantasy again? Ahem. Cough. Anyways, doing a little research this morning about tonight's game between the Sharks and the Oilers supported a little thesis I had running around in my head (I hope no one else has been writing about this, otherwise I will feel like an ass).Drums please...

In their 27 year history, the Edmonton Oilers have never played a 2nd round series game this late in the year. The closest competitor is from May 16, 1998, when the Oilers were eliminated from the Western Conference Semifinals by the Dallas Stars, four games to one. They were also eliminated in the 2nd round in May by the Colorado Avalance, in 1997. The last time the Oilers won a 2nd round series in May was on May 12, 1992, when they took the Smythe Division Finals from the Vancouver Canucks, four games to two. Every other Oilers victory in the 2nd round has occured not in May, but in April. In fact, the Oilers five Stanley Cups wins have all come in May, too.

1983-1984: Finished by May 19

1984-1985: Finished by May 30

1986-1987: Finished by May 31

1987-1988: Finished by May 26

1989-1990: Finished by May 24

If the Oilers win tonight or on Friday, it will get them that much closer to a franchise first: playing hockey in the month of June. I have no idea if this will happen--and frankly, I wish people in this city would be a little less cocky about our chances in this series--but if it does, Edmontonians will finally be forced to make the decision many of our hockey neighbours to the south have to make every year: watch the game, or head out to the pool.