Oilers anger reporters with unexpected practice

Edmonton-based media is up in arms on Wednesday as the Edmonton Oilers held a 16-person practice after telling the media that only the healthy scratches would be skating. In what appears to be an apparent attempt to prevent the media from showing up and asking a handful of questions to a team trying to focus on rebounding from an ugly loss on Monday night, media personalities who typically have full access to the players didn’t take too kindly to the misdirection.

Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic noted, “This was declared a day off, so there was no reason for most reporters to go to the rink. (The coach did his avail on Zoom, which is another issue entirely.)” He added, “Fans don’t care about media gripes, but this isn’t a great look for a league that should be craving any coverage it gets.”

Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported, “Media told it would be scratches only, and no time was given for the skate. Clearly feeling they need to give their guys a break from a Stanley Cup spotlight that is getting hot. Have covered well over a dozen finals and never had this happen before.”

Sportsnet’s Mark Spector wrote, “Oilers pull a fast one on the Stanley Cup media contingent, claiming an off day for the players. Then they skated. Subterfuge.”

Do the Oilers Owe the Media Access?

Reports from people who saw the skate noted that the Oilers were in good spirits and there was nothing about the practice that was meant to be kept secret. There were no injury notes worth reporting, no hidden plays or secret strategies the Oilers didn’t want revealed. This was simply Edmonton’s way of getting in some practice time and then, likely, not having to answer a handful of the same questions they’ve been answering over the past 24-48 hours.