Hall of Shame: Scrivens’ Comments Translated

I was really excited today because the Heritage Classic rosters were being released and the possibility of a new Oilers jersey as well but it wasn’t to be, instead today’s focus is on two former Edmonton Oilers… Crikey man, it’s almost daily where I wake up over here and there’s some more bullshizzle going on regarding the Oilers on Twitter. But this one today could very well be the stake to the heart of the Hall-ogists. Let’s move on with the satire…

Ben Scrivens on Klefbom's comment on Hall: 'He would know pretty well, he played with him for a while, and I can't say he's wrong' #Oilers

— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) August 5, 2016

It was hard and I had to find an English translator in the middle of the night to get it done but I have translated the comments Ben Scrivens made about the Klefbom/Hall incident. Let’s break it down.

“He would know pretty well,”

Okay, right here we’ve got Ben saying Klefbom know’s someone named “Pretty Well” or that Oscar would know if and when Hall played his best because…

“he played with him for a while,”

Now, this is pretty cryptic and I had a hard time finding a true translation for it but I reckon it’s pointing to the “fact” that Klefbom and Hall were teammates for three years. I could be wrong, English is a finicky language.

“and I can’t say he’s wrong.”

Well this is where we get into the business end. I’ll be honest though, was he talking about Hall being the team’s best player or Hall not giving his best against the harder teams? I guess we’ll never truly know because of the language barrier.

We’ll have to wait until he can get back overseas and speak OUR language, that way we’ll know for sure if something was or wasn’t lost in translation.

Until then… We wait for the Oilers PR guy to call Scrivens in Russia and do what he can to twist the former netminder’s arm into issuing a follow-up interview to clarify what he “really” meant.

If you’re angry after reading that, you should be. If you found it funny, mission accomplished on my part. If you’re sad because everyone is shitting on Taylor Hall these days, maybe consider that these rumors are starting to set in stone.

This is the 2nd time Scrivens has commented on Hall in the last 30 days.

Now before you get all over Ben Scrivens and lambaste the guy for agreeing with Klefbom. This guy is an asshole like PK Subban was an asshole in Montreal. Case in point:

Scrivens was a team-first player in Edmonton. He probably sealed his fate with Hall when he agreed to join Team Ference in the locker room though. But he did things like:

He also did things like this:

You might still say that for a guy who was buried in the minors due to poor performance (probably would be a good idea to take a look at the team in front of him during his tenure) and finally ended up in the KHL, he shouldn’t say anything at all or that his opinion holds no water… But you’re wrong, in fact it holds more water. Why?

Because he was in the dressing room…

Maybe, just maybe, Hall had an absolute shit attitude in the locker-room. Maybe his teammates respected the HELL out of his on-ice talent but grew tired of his off-ice attitude. Maybe he thought that what was working for him when Renney, Eakins, Nelson, Quinn, and MacTavish were coaches, would work with McLellan and Chiarelli… Ouch!

If you’ve played hockey at any level, you’ve probably played with a guy/girl that was so good but your personality clashed with theirs. Not anybody’s problem really unless it impacts the rest of the team in a negative fashion. The kicker is, if the team is one that is a perennial loser and said player still harbours that same attitude and behaviour, the novelty runs out fast. It starts looking very selfish and the rest of the team resents it.

I think we can all agree the lack of success is not to be laid at Hall’s feet solely but yet he should be held responsible to a certain extent. Being the best player on the team and a guy with a letter on his chest, means being consistent on the ice in terms of effort and production and that’s not just in the eyes of the stats men in the stands and the fans. It means, most importantly, you’ve got the backing of your teammates no matter what. Not just a few that are the same age as your or want to ride your coattails either, All of them!

If you’re still wondering why he never made Team Canada for a meaningful tournament or was never named captain of the Oilers… You might very well take that mystery to your grave.

Unfortunately for Hall, he never had that in Edmonton. Tough break kid! Hopefully he gets his ducks in a row in New Jersey.