Flames/Oilers - "Just Wait Until Next Year!"

Just wait until next year. This is a saying I've grown very accustomed to hearing, being from Toronto and all. In fact, I do believe it's something I get made fun of for fairly frequently. Given this, it provided me with an odd sense of satisfaction for it to be one of the first things I overheard leaving Rexall last night - "just wait until next year!"

Yes, the Oilers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, after putting together a pretty impressive run (10-4-1 in March - rather similar to my Leafs' 8-5-0 too-little-too-late-lose-at-inopportune-times post-deadline spurt). We were at the game, way up in the top corner, right around the goal line. I was actually pretty happy with this sightline - I think it's better than the view we've had with tickets behind the net...and a lot cheaper too. We were prepared for a bit of "controversy", what with us being decked out in our Calgary finest. The people up in our section were actually pretty good about it - a few boos here and there, but at least we weren't beat up for cheering for the other team . Good natured ribbing, yes. Beat down? Not so cool. Anyways, it was good to get out there and see another game, and the fact that fate smiled on us and made it a super-intense one with implications for both teams was all the better.

I have to admit, there were a couple montages on the big screen that made me laugh. They were the of the typical overly melodramatic (complete with ominous, though moderately adrenaline pumping music) 'the team needs you' variety, and made me laugh. There was also no Kiss-Cam, which left me disappointed. It's always good for a laugh.

Instead of having the Timbits play in the first intermission, they had a breakaway relay featuring some players from an area girl's hockey team. I wish I could remember their name (I'm kicking myself that I can't), but I know what stuck out for me was that before insert-animal-name-here, there was "female". This is always something that makes me want to beat my head against a table. Are the guys ever the "Male Tigers"? I mean, (i) why is it so important to ensure that the sex of a hockey team is made perfectly clear right off the bat; and (ii) more to the point, how is it not problematic that men always get to be the standard, while women are made into the "female team". I remember when I played minor hockey, and we played against the London Devilettes and the Brampton Canadettes. Honestly, if the name isn't feminized, does it suddenly butchify the entire team or something? I mean, from a theory perspective I can postulate why this happens, but from a practical perspective it just makes me sad. And annoyed (I also hate when "Ice" is thrown in front of some type of animal/thing to make a hockey team name - such as the Niagara Ice Dogs, or again from my minor hockey days, the Kingston Ice Wolves. Last I checked, neither of these actually exist in nature...)

Flames need one more point to clinch. Give'r.