Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Oilers held a players-only meeting before Sunday’s Blackhawks game

Edmonton Oilers v Minnesota Wild

ST PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 14: Shawn Horcoff #10 of the Edmonton Oilers speaks with linesman Thor Nelson #80 during their game against the Minnesota Wild on October 14, 2010 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien /Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shawn Horcoff;Thor Nelson

Hannah Foslien

After getting dismantled by Nashville on Friday, the Edmonton Oilers face a tough challenge in the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. With that in mind, it makes sense that captain Shawn Horcoff decided to hold a players-only meeting before today’s game, according to the Edmonton Journal.

“We addressed a couple of issues,” said Horcoff. “We seem to be a little bit fragile right now.

“We came on this trip knowing it was going to be pivotal but we still have an opportunity here to salvage a decent trip and still give us a chance going forward. There’s still half a season left. It’s not over for us yet.

“There’s still belief here we can put a run together.”

Beating the Blackhawks (they’re currently up 3-0 early on) would give some reason to believe.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, the Oilers are in a familiar position at the moment: last overall in the West. They’ve lost five games in row.

Even so, they’re just six points out of the final playoff spot and will see Ales Hemsky, Horcoff and defenseman Teemu Hartikainen return to the mix.

In other words, there are plenty of reasons why that players-only meeting might work (or not).