Without fail, as soon as I say something unequivocal, fate has a way of making me look like a dunce. While it was a bit of a foregone conclusion, it is nonetheless significant news that Glenn Anderson will be having #9 retired by the Oilers this coming season, at a January 18 game against Phoenix. The announcement was made during a press conference for the Oilers Community Foundation's ongoing efforts with the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, which Anderson has been heavily involved in over the years; today's story of being reunited with a young patient he first met with the Stanley Cup (left) nearly 25 years ago was particularly touching. As an aside, I've noticed the Oilers have done a lot of these retirement things with Phoenix here, lately (four of the five since Gretzky: I assume it's so that Wayne and Grant don't have any scheduling complications, and can be there for another buddy getting his number up.

I have to anticipate this is the final sweater retirement the Oilers do from the Boys on the Bus, unless Kevin Lowe or Charlie Huddy somehow get elected into the Hall. It's been suggested in the past that the next number to go up will be #94, and while it'd be a nice story (and would've been nicer if he'd stayed), I think you have to consider context. For a number of teams, their Smyth would probably warrant a retirement. When you have guys like Gretzky, Kurri, and Messier up there already, it becomes really hard to argue that the king of garbagemen quite belongs in the same pantheon. It's the same reason #11 will not be retired by the Canadiens anytime soon: it's a nice thought, but given the history of the franchise, the barrier to entry is just too high for someone like Saku Koivu, regardless of his contributions, both on and off the ice, for the Habs over the last decade. I could be proven wrong (again) someday down the line, but I think the Hall is probably going to be considered the minimum, and Ryan Smyth is not a Hall of Famer.

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Wed Aug 13 20:20:00 -0600 2008