The saying goes, it’s not how you start but how you finish that counts.
Well, Edmonton Oilers fans, you don’t have to be reminded of how last season ended, as your team spent the entire season overcoming ridiculous odds.
First, there was the 2-9-1 start that threatened to leave them in the dust almost as soon as it all began.
But it didn’t.
Then, the mid-stream coaching change that could just as easily have seen the team toss in the towel on it all, instead of using it as a rallying call.
But it didn’t.
And of course, who could forget the come-from-behind moments throughout that near-miraculous playoff run, which saw the Oilers win back-to-back to put away the feisty Vancouver Canucks, as well as somehow bouncing back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals to force Game 7.
And once it was all said and done, it all came down to one single goal, a goal the Oilers wound up on the wrong side of in the defining moment of their season.
It apparently carried over into the start of this year, as they spent the entire first month struggling to get back to an even .500 after another unexpectedly slow start.
Of course, they have since found their rhythm and gained some momentum to climb the standings and sit in their current spot at second in the Pacific Division after having put away a handful of top contenders in a stretch that’s seen them win 11 of their past 13 games.
And those last two losses came in one-goal games.
So, if it’s not how you start but how you finish that counts, what can we tell as the Oilers approach the mid-point mark, 34 games into an 82-game schedule, with a 21-11-2 record?
Time will tell, of course. But in the meantime, feel free to tell us your thoughts with our monthly reader poll on the Oilers season:
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge