Former Oiler Mike Morrison, recently aquired off waivers by Ottawa, just had an interview played on TEAM 1260 radio. It was pretty entertaining. "Mayor Quimby"s Boston accent was in full bore...it reminded you how none of the actors on Cheers could master it, with the possible exception of John Ratzenberger (birthplace: Bridgeport, Connecticut). He was open and honest, wasn't afraid to pull punches but was obviously mindful of his position.
He mentioned yet again that when he thinks of the Edmonton Oilers, he thinks of the Boston Red Sox [shouldn't that be the cupless since 1967 Toronto Make-Me-Laughs? -ed]: a team that almost defines the city in which it resides, where every small wrinkle in the team is talked about for days if not weeks in the office water cooler talk...Did you hear that Comrie slept with Salo's wife? or Oh my god, its a calamity....Doug Weight just got traded to St. Louis...oh yeah, and there's a riot going on Whyte Ave right now. Regardless, Morrison has always really accepted the good and the bad with the Red Sox analogy (he even has the Red Sox logo on his goalie helmet...hopefully Ottawa will let him keep it on), maybe reading too much into it at times, but better than not reading it in at all. In the interview he mentioned that the advantage of Edmonton playing is that you're not playing a game considered as important as a high school intermural game, and the disadvantage is that if you screw up, you'll see it plastered in the paper the next day.
That's where the post title comes from, Morrison was joking how when you see yourself ripped in the paper or on sportsradio the next day, you picture some guy who "thinks he's the ruler of the universe, knows everything, and he wouldn't want to have everything he did all day at work written down and plastered over the media the next day: he did something wrong at the coffee machine, he spilled some coffee on the way back to his desk, and all that" [not precise quotes, mind you]. At the same time, MO acknowledge that when you do great it is quite the ego boost to discover somebody the next day saying you're the greatest thing the city had ever seen.
All in all, Morrison was glad to have a run as an Oiler. He noted that he came out of nowhere, had no history and no reputation, and when he messed up he wasn't always left on the dustbin and that the Oilers didn't have to show confidence in a nobody like him. Mike said that his dream was to be able to make it to the big leagues, and that he was glad he got to enjoy it. Its a good thing I don't have him in my hockey pool: our trade deadline is over, and I'd have to drop him now that he's in Ottawa. [no, he's serious... click here if you don't believe me. -ed]
Other "exciting" trade news:
- Former Oiler Cory Cross goes from Pittsburgh over to Detroit Rock City
- Flames take Jamie Lundmark off of Phoenix's hands
- Phoenix is a busy team today: they also sent Oleg Kvasha to the Isles, Jackman to the Kings for Lehoux, obtain Rivers from Detroit, swap O'Donnel for Perrault from Anaheim, and exchanged Gauthier for Gratton with Philly.
