October 31 could be considered the scariest day of the year, what with it being Halloween. For Edmonton Oilers fans, this year’s October 31 is certainly a scary one, as it is the first game the team will be without Connor McDavid for the next two to three weeks.
But Halloween doesn’t necessarily have to be a scary event. People use it as an opportunity to dress up as any number of things, many of which are not scary in the slightest.
Despite being notorious for having no personality, NHL players go surprisingly all out for their Halloween costumes. This year alone has had some real gems.
It doesn’t appear that the Oilers have had their Halloween party as of yet, as no pictures have yet to surface. So, in case any of the players are looking for some costume ideas, I have some potentially apt suggestions.
Connor McDavid: Wolverine
Right now, the most important thing for McDavid and the Oilers is that he heals up as quickly and fully as possible. The team is already struggling with him in the lineup, so it is reasonable to worry about how the team would fare without the best player in the world.
So dressing up as a character whose power is accelerated healing is pretty appropriate. Wolverine also has superhuman senses, which can certainly apply to McDavid’s hockey skills, and is arguably the most popular X-Men character, which means everyone pretends that he isn’t their favourite or the best one because it’s too obvious of a pick—also a tad familiar for McDavid.
Leon Draisaitl: Maverick from Top Gun
With McDavid out, Leon Draisaitl is the top gun on the team (and will be the top gun in the NHL next year with respect to yearly cap hit). Having to prove you are the best when you lose your number one wingman? Sounds like Maverick to me! Plus, let’s be honest, if there is anyone who can rock the aviator outfit, it’s Leon Draisaitl.
Corey Perry: Benjamin Button
Corey Perry is one of the oldest players in the league and has certainly lost a step. But he is performing well enough on the Oilers fourth line, including being in two fights already this season standing up for his teammates. He has a 61.24 Corsi, seventh on the team, and is sixth on the team in goals for per 60 minutes while also having the second lowest goals against per 60.
I’ll admit, I have not seen Benjamin Button. But I know he gets younger as he gets older, and so if Perry could channel that it would be pretty great, as given the Oilers having some depth scoring woes to start the year, the Oilers could really use a prime (or even slightly after prime) Perry.
Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson: Seth and Evan from Superbad
First off, you can all admit that you did not remember those were the names of the characters played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, as the only name anyone knows from Superbad is McLovin.
Superbad is a movie about two guys trying to, ahem, score. Therefore, two guys who are locked in on the Oilers top six and who have averaged 28 and 27 goals a year pace over their careers who have yet to score seem like perfect candidates to fill those roles.
Sure, no one expected Zach Hyman to repeat his 54-goal season, but I don’t think anyone expected him to have zero 10 games into this year. Similarly, Viktor Arvidsson may have only scored six goals last year, but that was in 18 games, meaning he would have to score six in the next eight to catch up.
At this point, when, hopefully not “if,” Hyman and Arvidsson score their first goals, everyone is gonna say “it’s in…oh my god it’s in!”
Mattias Ekholm: Atlas
Atlas is a Greek titan who is forced to hold up the heavens for eternity, although he is generally portrayed as holding up the Earth.
Who better might that apply to on the Oilers right now than Mattias Ekholm, who is the Oilers number one defenceman but doesn’t appear to be getting the support from the next two in the pecking order, Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse. Bouchard’s fancy stats don’t seem far off from Ekholm, but the eye test shows some struggles, especially on the Oilers currently anemic power play. It is safe to say that Ekholm is the glue holding the Oilers defence together right now.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, Stuart Skinner, Connor Brown, and Adam Henrique: The Nerdlucks (aka the aliens from Space Jam)
All five of the above players have shown to be not just competent NHLers, but difference makers and key parts of an Oilers team that went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
This year, however, they have all struggled out of the gate. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads the pack in terms of points, but with just four in 10 games. Granted, that is just one less than the other three players combined.
Stuart Skinner, meanwhile, has either looked like a brick wall or a sieve from game to game, with absolutely no middle ground.
Therefore, these players seem to be playing more like the Nerdlucks, being the aliens prior to sucking out the basketball powers from NBA players. But, if we can find the right puck and right players, maybe they can transform into their own version of the Monstars again.
Ty Emberson: “I’m Just a Baby!”
For those of you who are not chronically online, here is the video this costume is referencing:
Ty Emberson was brought in after the Philip Broberg offersheet, and was tagged to be a replacement in the top four for Cody Ceci (who he was traded for) prior to training camp.
Emberson started out a bit rough in that role, but he appears to have settled down on the third pairing with Brett Kulak to positive results.
But really, the fact that the Oilers and the fans were putting their hopes for the second pairing on a 24-year-old with just 30 NHL games of experience really does seem like a perfect time for him to say “I’m just a baby!”
Vasily Podkolzin: Klim Kostin
I want to be clear, this is not shade on Vasily Podkolzin or how he is playing in the slightest. If anything, Podkolzin seems to already to be doing his best Klim Kostin impression: being a young, Russian, former first-round pick bringing the physicality (his 26 hits is double the second highest player on the team and tied for 35th in the NHL).
Kostin was a fan favourite in his one season with Oilers, combining goal scoring (11 goals in 57 games) with hitting (157 hits) and hilarious off-ice moments and interviews.
As mentioned, Podkolzin seems to be following in the hitting footsteps, and even with a funny quip in his first media availability.
But the Oilers are still waiting on the goal scoring aspect to come in, as Podkolzin is also still sitting on zero goals to start the year. Maybe really getting into Kostin’s character will help get that started, sort of like method acting?
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
