Nikita Zadorov just lost the series for the Canucks.....with his mouth
Nikita Zadorov just broke the cardinal rule of playoff hockey - never give your opposition ammunition against you.
Zadorov in a media scrum on Saturday, put his foot in his mouth and gave the Oilers all the extra motivation they needed to win this series. Its happened before many times in the NHL and the offending player's team usually comes out on the losing side.
This media scrum you can watch here. Zadorov puts his foot in his mouth about 3:51 into the video, so you can watch it if you want. For those unable to watch, here's what Zadorov said: "Pretty much nothing to do in that city except watch hockey."
Ever wondered why player interviews in the NHL are so sanitized? The players receive media training so they don't say something that embarrasses the league or the team, or both. The other side of this coin, of course, is that players' true personalities rarely shine through because they become so afraid to say something controversial, unlike in say, the NBA or NFL where players comments aren't so santized.
Perhaps it's the Canadian culture so deeply rooted in hockey that we teach the players humility and respect for themselves and their opposition, or a deep rooted appeal to families with children to buy tickets and come to the games. I don't know exactly why this is, but it seems to be the way of the NHL. In other major sports leagues that are more American in nature you're much likely to hear controversial comments, not so much in the NHL.
So here's where we come to the crux of this thing. Because of whatever reason this suppression of controversy in the NHL means that in the instances when controversial comments are made, it becomes magnified.
What's the aftermath going to be?
Expect a lot of backlash against Zadorov, both on and off the ice now. These comments from Zadorov had a most unfortunate timing as the series - for him - will now be coming to enemy territory here in Edmonton, which means he just gave the enemy ammunition when the enemy will be playing on home turf (ice).
On the ice, he'll will now have a target on his back. If this doesn't wake up the physical play of Corey Perry and motivate Evander Kane to lead the team in hits in the playoffs by an even bigger margin, then I don't know what will. There will be more than a few willing combatants to fight Zadorov, guaranteed. The fans will be booing him every time he touches the puck or attempts to make any sort of play - and in Edmonton, which has a reputation for being one of - if not the - loudest arenas in the NHL (especially come playoff time), then it becomes that much harder for Zadorov to ignore, even though that's what visiting NHL players are supposed to do.
Off the ice, if Zadorov is spotted around Edmonton I guarantee you he'll be yelled at, at every turn. Don't be surprised if someone pelts the Canucks' team bus with eggs, beverages, or garbage now if Oiler fans see it around the city over the next couple of days. For the record - and legal reasons - I'm not suggesting or endorsing you doing it to Zadorov (although he would deserve it), I'm just suggesting there's a good chance it will happen. Edmontonians are proud of their hockey team, and relentlessly cheer it on, especially during playoff time.
After the playoffs in 2006, the city of Edmonton had to bring in new bylaws to cut down on the high frequency of minor crimes being committed in the city's #1 entertainment district (Whyte Avenue), to the point where it socially engineered a kinder, gentler entertainment district and ensured that all future entertainment districts that were created (Downtown, the Brewery District, Ice District, Mayfield Common, and 124 Street) didn't have the same frequency or closeness of places that sling suds and lead to the rioting, public urination, vandalism, assults, etc. that can come with the Oilers going on a long playoff run.
(Perhaps since recreational weed has been legal in Edmonton since 2018, that might help mitigate the effects on people, since typically marijuana makes you more calm and less aggressive than alcohol does.....)
Not to mention if I'm Kris Knoblauch, I've already written Zadorov's quote on a white board or smartboard somewhere and brought it to the player's attention, so they can shove some Edmonton civic pride down Zadorov's throat and give them the extra motivation they need to beat Vancouver and move onto the third round.
Ever seen the movie Major League? If not, I'd recommend it because it's about this very subject - and in the movie they created a cardboard cutout of the owner just so they could use it as motivation to win - something I would bet Knoblauch has already done by writing the quote down and showing it to the players.
Here's what really boggles my mind about Zadorov's comments
Zadorov has played in the NHL for 12 seasons now and not once has he played a single game for the Oilers, nor as far as I know does he keep an offseason home in Edmonton. So this means, having spent nothing more than a few days at a time here in Edmonton, with very limited free time when he's here, how can he then make these comments? How can you say there's nothing to do in Edmonton when he's never lived here? I don't get it.....
Here's why Zadorov is wrong.
I've lived in Edmonton for most of my adult life, so I think I'm a pretty good authority about what it's like to live in this city. Zadorov's comments couldn't be further from the truth.
For starters, there's all the festivals that take place in Edmonton, especially in the summer. There's a reason why Edmonton is nicknamed Festival City, because in the summer - as has been the case for many years - there's a festival going on pretty much every week.
There's The Works for those who enjoy art, Cariwest, the Fringe Festival - which FYI is the second largest Fringe Festival in the world (only the Fringe festival in Edinburgh, Scotland is bigger), Folk Fest (which I'm always well aware of when it is because I live in the neighborhood next to it's venue and during those three days there isn't a parking spot to be had in the neighborhood), The Heritage Festival, and of course the highest profile one in K Days, when a nice "sub-event" also takes place - A Taste of Edmonton.
Even a lot of winter festivals have come online in recent years, an example being Ice on Whyte and a smaller version of Quebec's Winter Carnival taking place in La Cite Francophonie, for any Quebec ex-pats in the area or those wanting a taste of French Canadian culture.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. How about all the tourist attractions around the City? West Edmonton Mall (which contains Galaxyland), Chinatown, the Muttart Conservatory, Fort Edmonton Park, the John Janzen Nature center, the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Prince of Wales Armories, The John Walter Museum, and The City Arts Center, which is always putting on artistic events of every flavor you can think of. In the suburbs Millennium Place in Sherwood Park and the Arden Theater in St. Albert are hopping as well.
Are you looking for cultural events? No problem. Edmonton has you covered there too - The Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton Opera, Alberta Ballet, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Servus Theater, and the Art Gallery of Alberta are all at your disposal.
If you're looking for getting outside, the city has a large network of walking and biking trails - especially in the river valley, too many public parks to mention, public and private gyms to get a workout in, dog parks, spray parks, playgrounds, golf courses, driving ranges, mini golf courses, indoor and outdoor arenas, ski hills, campgrounds, and frisbee golf courses located all over the city. There are amateur sports leagues you can involved in all over the city of any flavour imaginable.
There are all kinds of smaller theaters and performance spaces around the city which help to support it's thriving arts scene - which includes live theater, improv theatre, art galleries (especially on 124 street), comics, poetry readings, and musical performances both large and small. Fun fact - the Oilers home in Rogers Place was built to also accommodate large concerts so Edmonton is and has been for some time, a hub of concerts which always seem to be taking place at RP.
Then there's also the thriving restaurant scene - everything from diners to fast food to every kind of ethnic food you can think of, not to mention all the food trucks that have popped up in and around Edmonton over the last five years or so. There's also a huge variety of pubs, bars, and craft breweries that have popped up recently too.
Edmonton is also home to a world renowned bakery in the Duchess Bake Shop, with locations in downtown and the south side. Edmonton is known for it's green onion cakes and donairs, in particular. I already mentioned all the entertainment districts in Edmonton.
If sports is what you're into besides the Oilers, there's also the Oil Kings, AJHL teams in Sherwood Park and Spruce Grove, the Edmonton Elks, the Edmonton Stingers, and Edmonton FC.
Next. Don't put Leon Draisaitl injury narrative on the Oilers. Don't put Leon Draisaitl injury narrative on the Oilers. dark
So when Zadorov says there's "pretty much nothing to do" he doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Just because Edmonton isn't a pretentious playground for the rich like Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, or to a lesser extent Calgary, it doesn't mean there's nothing to do. Perhaps Zadorov needs to move here for awhile before he spouts off about there being nothing to do.
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