Stand up comments from a stand up guy.

Source: Former Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference has again ripped into the party atmosphere and lack of work ethic of the 2013-15 Oilers.

This time Ference was speaking to Elliotte Friedman on the excellent 31 Thoughts podcast, where he addressed why things went poorly with the Oilers at that time.

It was a combination of problems, Ference said, including hardcore pressure from the fans and media. “That aspect of feeling, uh, like more so scared to make a mistake and be the whipping boy rather than being bold and taking your chances and having that confidence to try the play. I think some guys might get into that role of just being scared to be the whipping boys… You take less risks. Your urge to win and be bold is less than your urge to not be the whipping boy or stand out. I think that is one aspect.

“I think that the quickness that radio or newspaper or fans jump and attack their own guys is horrible. I think that the (lack of) quickness to defend players within the organization. I remember Jeff Petry or Schultz getting raked over the coals and nobody coming to defend them and just trading them after they’ve beaten them down for months, then trading them. It’s like, ‘God.’ It’s not just for those guys but it’s for other guys on the team, you’re looking at it and saying, ‘They don’t have his back. Are they going to have mine when it’s my turn to be the whipping boy?’”

Next Ference got into a second issue, the lack of commitment of some of the younger Oilers players. “I think the most frustrating part for me as a player — I went in there straight from Boston — was that talk is cheap. I went in and Dallas Eakins is a fantastic coach. There’s another whipping boy who got raked over the coals. There’s a fantastic coach that was dealt just a pure crap hand in a team that would actually listen.

“You had a group of players that talked about how they wanted to make the playoffs, and talked about how sick they were of losing, and then by Game Three after losing 6-1, they’re straight out to the bar to three in the morning, lighting up the night life scene in Edmonton. Like, come on, give me a break. It was to the point where it was ridiculous where the lifestyle was way more important than actually playing the game and making the playoffs. Like I said, talk is cheap.

What a loser.

2013, Andrew Ference, -18.

2014, Andrew Ference, -17.

Really did his part.

Regardless of what went on 5 years ago in Edmonton with Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall’s ‘lifestyle’, why do you have to be a tough guy and bring it up and point fingers so far after the fact?

The Oilers sucked, we all know that, and thanks to Hitch, they are moving on from being shitty, but back then don’t blame the kids, maybe it was the GM’s fault who gave Ference an inflated contract and had something to say in the decision to make him Captain.

If the practice habits were that bad, why as the captain, didn’t you bring it up at that time and address it head on? Why no go public then if going public seems to be your thing?

Instead, you go to market 5 years later when you don’t have to look anyone in the face after your comments.

Panzi move.

All I want to hear from Andrew Ference is thank you Edmonton for the $13 million for doing nothing.

— VisuallyBetter (@Isuckatpicking) December 11, 2018

Andrew Ference thinking he was a 4 or 5 while he was an Oiler was kinda funny though. One of the worst I’ve seen the past 15 years

— Stud Muffin (@StudMuffinOIL) December 10, 2018

We have to keep in mind that Andrew Ference over the 2 full seasons he played as an Oiler was essentially only better than Nick Schultz in any shot metric we have. He was washed up and in many ways actively hurting the team while on the ice.

— Arch (@Archaeologuy) December 10, 2018

Loser move 👇 keep it to yourself cool guy. https://t.co/hsfh9eWKbT

— Jeff O’Neill (@odognine2) December 14, 2018

A tad hungover boys?