You never know with cats. I only ever had one cat (tom cat named Tom, my family wasn’t creative in the 1970’s), so new arrivals to my home (Luna, in photo, and Nimbus, the black one) are new discoveries for the old man. Unlike dogs, who you can buy affection from for a slice of ham, cats don’t give one damn about you or your silly food choices. Oh, they’ll eat your food, but you need to place it in front of them and then leave the premises before they’ll acknowledge said food. Baffling. Please read this.
I think Luna is the kinder of the two, but if the treats in the morning don’t arrive within five minutes of me leaving the bed, there’s hell to pay. Nimbus? She treats everyone like the help. Last night, Karen and I watched an episode of Sanford and Son (don’t judge me, it’s hilarious) and Nimbus sat in front of the television the entire time. You can move her, but she’ll move right back. She knows exactly the spot to sit, so that the channel changer doesn’t work and I can’t adjust the volume. Then she leisurely cleans herself, while I try to figure out what Fred said to Esther.
You never know with people. I can tell you no one knew Glen Sather was a hockey genius when he emerged as the architect of the Edmonton Oilers in the late 1970’s. He was a utility forward and changed teams every couple of years. That’s what I knew. However, as it turned out, Sather was the successor to Sam Pollock as the greatest general manager of his day. You cannot credibly argue against it, despite Slats incredible luck in landing on a team with Wayne Gretzky.
The Oilers hired Misha Donskov last week. His resume is fascinating. He was (among other things) one of the masterminds behind the quick emergence of Vegas Golden Knights. Online reports have him being capable of breaking down massive amounts of game tape and data, while finding the key facts in both. That’s a stunning asset to acquire. As an advance scout he could impact the Oilers in a big way.
He was born in Montreal, on April 24, 1977. Sam Pollock, also born in Montreal, was watching his Canadiens win the Stanley Cup that spring. Habs beat the Islanders in the semifinals the night before Donskov was born. Montreal would sweep the Bruins to win the Final in mid-May.
All of this to say I think the Oilers might have done a really good thing. Now, Donskov might bolt for Florida like every other jack ‘o lantern in Christendom someday, but this appears to be an astute hire.
Oilers have been doing plenty of that in recent years. Michael Parkatti might be the smartest guy I know, and this Donskov fellow might be even smarter. It tells us that Daryl Katz isn’t concerned about having people smarter than he is guiding the team. Now, if he can just stop calling and let these men cook, I think Stanley might come for a visit. Enjoy your day.
Is the Edmonton Oilers’ current approach at the NHL Draft a sound strategy?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7548320/2026/08/30/nhl-draft-edmonton-oilers-strategy/
I don’t have too much to say about the hiring except that it’s always good to get smart hockey people in to the org. Don’t know what his immediate effect/role will really be or potential future plans within the org.
I do not think this is in connection with anything gone bad on Babcock or any sort of insurance in that regard. Babcock had a very positive quote on it and I don’t think he’s in the business of floating out organizational talking points in particular if he’s not in agreement.
What do we actually know about the hire of Donskov?
Splitting his time with Hockey Canada, thus he will only be with the team part time.
Advanced pro scouting, watching games and mining data to unearth gems and trends.
Based on player testimony, he’s well regarded for breaking down trends and data from a skills perspective to players and able to tailor the information to the individual.
It’s an interesting hire, but the part time label and maintaining his Hockey Canada affiliation is odd to me. Kind of like Jackson not being in Edmonton full time. I get that you want to accommodate talent and bring them on board, but what is HC offering that the Oilers won’t/cannot?
Given how many organizations he’s worked with…Columbus, Atlanta, Vegas, Dallas, Western. London and HC I think it’s fair to wonder why he is such a gadabout.
These Oilers aren’t perfect for sure. A lot of folks are down on Jackson and Bowman. However they have revolutionized the organization in a short time, and the owner has his wallet open. I like that they have brought in a lot of people that have a positive outgoing personality, which apparently Donskov has. I think the energy is going to be better around the team and hopefully in the locker room
The amount of quality, depth and range of work now being done is what has been talked about around here for decades. It’s finally arrived and that is a good thing. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it helps get a lot of variables more under control, and eliminating as much uncertainty and luck as you can makes the path an easier one in any sport, but particularly hockey
Thank you for pointing this out. This is what the Oilers can do with the owner’s large cash backing and strong fan base. They have obviously looked around, seen what is working elsewhere and decided to make that apply there. The way the team can set itself up for success in the next decade and more using this approach.
Agreed. People shouldn’t underestimate the importance of hiring people who can mine the important things from a mountain of data. I was thrilled when they hired Parkatti, and I did think Holland the younger was a smart fellow. Need more, but the days of Archie Henderson for Archie Henderson’s sake appear to be gone.
Yet Jeff Jackson is looking up on the internet how many games Freddie Andersen has played in the last three seasons in the middle of a meeting when they are deciding whether they should sign him, and Bill Scott improvising on the fly what they Oilers should offer him in terms of money. The decision makers are still flying by the seat of their pants. And advance analytic metrics like the ability to skate to Red Deer and back.
The signing is Bowman hedging the decision to hire Babcock before we even get to day 1 of training camp. And demonstrating that he has no confidence in the potential of his AHL coach.
I’m not down on Bowman.
I do however wonder about what exactly Jeff Jackson’s role is in all of this?
I was a Bowman/ Jackson hater but have been converted based on the work this summer and the promotions/hirings theyve made. Seeing how they value analytics and old school hockey folks, I trust this group to make good decisions for the most part. Still a Jackson hater though – won’t ever forgive the offer sheet saga