The Oilogosphere is the name collectively applied to blogs that cover the Edmonton Oilersice hockey team. They are widely considered to be among the best and most popular hockey blogs on the internet, with The Globe and Mail sportswriter James Mirtle estimating in late 2007 that "five or six" of the best hockey blogs were members of the Oilogosphere.[1] Many of its flagship blogs started in 2005, near the end of the 2004–05 NHL lockout (though Edmonton journalist Colby Cosh was making Oilers-related posts on his blog before that time).[1] Observers have credited the Oilogosphere with providing greater depth and drawing the reader in more effectively than the mainstream media.[1][2] Reviews of the Oilogosphere in the print media have generally been positive, with one reviewer praising it for its "smart, opinionated, ferocious and utterly entertaining commentary and analysis".[2] The Oilogosphere averages 10,000 hits per day not counting people who visit the official Oilers site or read the sports stories online.[3]
Members
Though the Oilogosphere has no clear borders, some of its more prominent blogs include:
Lowetide is written by Allan Mitchell, a local father of two and radio ad salesman. He often posts about Oilers history and prospects and is, according to the Edmonton Journal, "seen by the younger bloggers as the calm and kind father figure of the Oilogosphere".[1]Vue Weekly has said that his blog is for "the Oiler fan who watches the game with a beer in hand and a copy of Ken Dryden’s The Game to read during intermission."[4]
OilersNation is a group blog, with contributors including local journalists Robin Brownlee and Jason Gregor and amateur Jonathan Willis. In the past, contributors to the blog have included, Lowetide, Jonathan Willis, Jeanshorts, Matt Henderson. The blog has broken many things over the last few years and have created a lifestyle brand in and around Edmonton with some of the highest selling clothing in the Oilogosphere.[4]
Copper and Blue is a group blog, owned by the sports conglomerate, SB Nation.
Beer League Heroes is a group blog founded by Kelly Holtz, a father of two based in Taipei, Taiwan and a language acquisition engineer (aka English teacher). In the past, contributors to the blog have included Holtz himself, Zach Laing, Rob Cooke, Walter Foddis, G Money, Lindsay Ryall, Johnny Potts, etc. The website was established in 2010 and is described as a blog of the armchair GM, by an armchair GM, for the armchair GM. Beer League Heroes is a blog that focuses on everything Oilers related. Trade rumors, pre and post game reports, prospects, and everything else in between.
Former members
Jeanshorts and Baggedmilk was a self professed "Place for Gentlemen," with contributors that use blue language to express their opinions regarding the Edmonton Oilers. Jeanshorts and baggedmilk cover a wide array of topics outside the Oilers, including "music you should know about" and celebrity news.[4]
MC79, named after Mudcrutch, focuses on in-depth statistical analysis and is written by Toronto lawyer Tyler Dellow,[1] who also came up with the name Oilogosphere.
Covered in Oil was written by David Berry, Chris Boutet, and Mike Winters, all alumni of the Gateway, the University of Alberta student newspaper, and focused on irreverent commentary and humour.[1] In October 2008, Berry announced his departure, which he attributed to an incident in which he was ejected from the Oilers' press box (where he was working for a media organization) for liveblogging a game between the Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche, and with a general disillusionment with the Oilers organization and professional sports.[5] Winters followed suit November 8, saying that blogging entailed "pretending to care about the team 30% more than I actually do".[6] As of January 2009, no new posts had been added since November 17, 2008, and was being called "as good as gone" in Edmonton media.[4] On August 20, 2009, Winters formally announced the blog's retirement.[7]
