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Happy New Year, Nation!

Originally posted on Oilersnation | Last updated Jan 1, 2026 2:41 PM ET

Whether you were at Rogers Place for the Oilers vs. Bruins, out and about, or home with your friends, family, or animals, I hope that whatever you did to ring in the new year was filled with happiness, friendship, and time spent doing whatever you wanted. I also hope that whatever you got up to last night didn’t hand you a hangover that marries you to the couch for the foreseeable future.

Every year when I sit down to write this post, I look back at what I wrote the year before to see how things played out. Last year, we were still coming down from the Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final and had big dreams that the boys could find a way back there again. Well, as we know, they did get back to the finals, but things didn’t go our way… again. For the third time in my adult life, I had to watch my favourite team fall short of the ultimate prize. Two straight years of having our hearts ripped out. Unbelievable. But as Michael Scott once said, “I am ready to get hurt again.”

What I didn’t expect was that I’d be hurt so soon after the Blue Jays made it to Game 7 of the World Series and lost in the most heartbreaking fashion imaginable. With two chances to win it all, the Jays couldn’t get the job done, and we were forced to watch the Dodgers celebrate consecutive World Series wins on Toronto’s field. Pain. Why we love watching sports as a species is beyond me because most of the time, it’s nothing but anguish.

Anyway…

For Oilers fans, 2025 was another rip around the rollercoaster that was as bumpy as it was exhilarating, as exciting as it was heartbreaking, and I can’t help but wonder what strangeness we’ll experience together next. Can this team get back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year? Is this the year the aliens attack? Will Canada win gold at the Olympics? Will the rink even be ready? Which player or prospect will SIUTBOHC? As is the case any time we flip we flip the calendar over, the Oilers still have a lengthy list of questions to be answered as they look to fight their way back to glory.

Even as we wait to learn what the future holds, I’m pumped that we still get to navigate those waters together. We wouldn’t get to do this for a living if it weren’t for the fantastic community that supports us, and I wanted to thank you again for making this dream real. With the mushy stuff out of the way, I wanted to close out the article with a few New Year’s resolutions for the Edmonton Oilers in the hopes of manifesting a Cup win.

As always, if you have any resolutions or ideas I’ve missed, I would love to read about them in the comments section below.

2026 OILERS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

The Oilers must figure out the malfunction in their pro scouting to avoid signing UFAs who aren’t the right fit. It’s happened way too much over the past two summers, and it’s worth calling out here on New Year’s Day as part of the resolutions.
We fans must refrain from treating the best players on this team as whipping boys when something goes sideways. We all pay attention enough to know these guys are often the ones keeping us entertained when no one else can get the job done.
We must never blame the captains of the ship if there are jokers wasting time and money along the way. Thats not to say they’re above critique, but the standard is way different.
We fans will come to accept that we have no say in who makes what or how long the team will sign them for. As much as it may be annoying, we must not act as if we wouldn’t take more of our boss’ money than we’re worth, too.
It’s not always the goalie’s fault, even if blaming him is the easiest path after any goal against. Given that we’ve got some new friends around, it would be great to give them some support and leash with everyone gets settled in.
We will not be surprised when Stan Bowman — much like those who came before him — doesn’t make the trade you think he should or sign the guy you believe we should have.
It’s okay to be critical of players and admit you were wrong later. It’s freeing. We can do this.
Given that trade rumours are always part of the sport, we must remember that not every player on every other roster is better than what we already have here. We all know Oilers fans have a tendency to covet players because they used to be good at some point. We have a rich heritage in it.
We will not spend as much energy arguing about line combinations. Gord knows Kris Knoblauch is going to change them after a few shifts anyway.
And finally, we will continue to complain about the price of beers at Rogers Place, but you will continue to pay for them anyway. Not to mention, beer prices at other arenas can be even more ridiculous than our own.