Nation Real Life

With the NHL Draft and opening days of free agency in the books, the boys are back with a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast to break it all down. To kick things off, the guys jumped right in with a look at the moves the Oilers made on free agency day. Some Nation citizens were upset that the team didn't take swings at some of the bigger names that are available, but the Real Life crew saw things a little bit different. Considering the lack of cap space Ken Holland had to work with, the guys actually thought the volume approach Holland took to revamp the bottom six was a nice change of pace as compared to the wild overpays that came in the Chiarelli era. While the most pessimistic fan could argue that the team still overpaid on some of its deals, you could counter by saying that none of the contracts handed out are going to hurt the team in the long run. From there, the guys revisited the Jesse Puljujarvi situation now that he's made it through both the draft and opening days of free agency without be

Welcome, citizens, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast to finish off your Monday. This week, the boys were happy to welcome Ryan Byks to the show to talk a little bit about the Oilers and a whole lot about wrestling. If you're an Oilersnation fan, chances are that you know Ryan Byks from the hilarious team-related jokes he puts on his Twitter account about the state of the franchise. What you may not know is that Ryan is also an avid wrestling fan, which gave the Real Life crew plenty to talk about with the NHL Draft wrapping up this past weekend and Summerslam coming up in August. But to kick things off, we looked back at the NHL draft from this past weekend and gave our takes about how things went and whether or not Philip Broberg at 8th overall was the right play. Sticking with the draft, the boys recapped their flop trade ideas from last week's show and mused about whether or not any of them might still happen. Could Russell still be moved? Will Lucic go after the Oilers pay out his signing bo

After a one-week hiatus due to power upgrades getting done at Nation HQ, the boys are back with a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast. This week, the guys talk a whole lot of sports as both the NHL and NBA wrapped up their respective seasons. To start off this week's show, the guys discuss trying to level up the podcast and turn it into something that sounds a little more professional. With the likes of Jason Gregor and Yukon Jack often listening to see how things are going, the need to level up is on everyone's minds and the boys tried to take a step in that direction. Moving on, the Toronto Raptors won their first championship in franchise history and the guys discussed whether or not they got wrapped up in the hype despite not being basketball fans. With the Raptors being front and centre, how could the guys not touch on Drake? As always, Chalmers came in hot with some spicy Drake takes and it kicked off a disagreement about whether or not he was too much of a distraction during this run. Getting of

Welcome, citizens, to another special edition of the Real Life Podcast. Last week, the boys were pumped to welcome former Oiler, Ladislav Smid, to the show to talk a little bit about hockey and a whole lot about life. This week, we get to part 2 of the interview where we discussed Smid's climb to the NHL, playing on both sides of the Battle of Alberta, the injury that caused him to miss a full season, and a whole lot more. As you saw heard last week, Ladislav Smid was very forthcoming with stories about his life and rise to the NHL and the second part of the interview is more of the same. From distractions to training to coming over to Canada to play in a young stars tournament, Smid walked us through the incredible journey that led him to become a fan favourite in Edmonton. To hear him talk about when he knew that he had a real chance of cracking the NHL was a story that you'll definitely want to hear. We also spoke about what it was like to play on both sides of the Battle of Alberta and how it took some ti

Welcome, friends, to a very special edition of the Real Life Podcast. This week, the boys were thrilled to welcome former Oiler, Ladislav Smid, to the show to talk a little bit about hockey and a whole lot about life. In part 1 of the interview, we discussed Smid's reaction to getting traded to Edmonton from Anaheim, driving Nicklas Lidstrom around the city, the Battle of Alberta and a whole lot more. To start off part 1 of the interview, we started with a look at how Ladislav Smid became an Oiler in the first place and where he was when he found out he was traded. His reaction to finding out that he was moved for Chris Pronger is absolutely hilarious, and hearing his first-hand account of the deal is well worth your time. From there, we got into life as an Oiler and what it was like to find out that he would be sticking with the roster after spending the previous year in the AHL. In his eight years with the Oilers, Smid went through a wide range of new experiences, including being tutored by Jason Smith and

Welcome, friends, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast. It’s the podcast where the boys set an agenda every week and are lucky to check off even half of it. This week, the boys looked at Dave Tippett coming to town as the new bench boss, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Memorial Cup, and the Wu-Tang Clan.  To start off this week's show, Wanye tried to get things on track with a look at Dave Tippett, who will be announced as the Oilers' new head coach tomorrow. Instead, Chalmers jumped in to confront Jay about ratting him out on last week's podcast for the sneaky Red Bulls he was drinking behind his wife's back. Was Jay out of line for revealing the Red Bull secret and encouraging listeners to contact Mrs. Chalmers? After a brief look at the WHL and Wanye's story about congratulating Jason Gregor on his nephew's Memorial Cup appearance after he had already been eliminated, the guys got back onto the Oilers and tried to decide whether or not the Dave Tippett hiring is a smart one. While most of the boys a

Welcome, citizens, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast! This week, the boys had plenty of Oilers news to cover as the team made changes in their management and communications departments, so they tried their best to stay on topic. As you'd expect, things quickly fell off the rails.  To start off the show, the boys got into the Edmonton Oilers and the latest round of firings that happened over the past week. With Craig MacTavish taking a coaching gig in the KHL, the boys started to take a walk down memory lane for the former Oilers' player and bench boss before quickly being sidetracked with a 10-minute discussion on Vladimir Putin's hockey prowess. We're sure you've seen the clip of Putin scoring eight goals in a hockey game and the boys tried to figure out how that all came about. After getting the show back on the rails, the guys finished up with a look at Duane Sutter's departure from the pro-scouting department as well that of longtime communications director J.J. Hebert. Getting off of hockey

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another brand-spanking new episode of the Real Life Podcast, the show where the boys set a weekly agenda and get to absolutely none of it. With today being Cooom's birthday, we invited the man himself on the podcast to take the reigns and control all of the topics of conversation. As we mentioned off the jump, today is Cooom's birthday and that meant that we were in for a strange episode with the boys discussing everything from hypothetical situations to conspiracies with aliens. To start, the guys jumped right into the weird world of Cooom with a hypothetical trade that would see Edmonton sending West Edmonton Mall to Toronto in exchange for the Toronto Raptors. Does it make sense? No, but the boys tried to work through the pros and cons anyway. Next up was a look at fast food restaurants and which three the guys would pick as their only means of sustenance for the rest of their lives. McDonald's? Wendy's? Subway? You may be surprised by what the guys picked. Getting off of

A new week means a new episode of the Real Life Podcast, and today's edition is jam-packed with all of the auditory stimulation you could ever ask for. This week, the boys talk about Ken Holland's appointment as GM, fans being poisonous, and run through their most embarrassing stories just because you asked. To kick off this week's podcast, the boys start with Ken Holland's hiring as the new Edmonton Oilers GM and work through the pros and cons of his appointment. Looking at his overall body of work with the Detroit Red Wings, there are certainly reasons why some fans might feel concerned and other reasons why they should be excited so the guys try and work through both sides of the equation. From there, they look at the notion of Edmonton Oilers fans being poisonous and whether or not that is a fair assessment of the situation around here. Lastly, the guys finish this week's show by answering listener questions, including the most embarrassing moments that have ever happened and the origin story of Oilersnat

We are down one BaggedMilk this week on the Real Life Podcast, so the remaining cast filled the time with all things Chalmers, Wanye and The Squire. Jay and Chalmer's rec league team won their championship game this past week and had a short-lived celebration with the cup. They dive into this past week in Rivendell or Dragonville or whatever it is called on their favourite show "Game Of Thrones". SPOILER WARNING if you haven't seen Episode 3, skip ahead to 46:30. While on the topic of the entertainment world, we also discuss Avengers: Endgame (No Spoilers) and its record-setting opening weekend. Since we are only days away (hopefully) from finding out who our new GM will be, the boys quickly talk about that before moving on to the new building and some snags early on in the construction. All in all another banger from the Real Life Crew. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As always, a new week means a new episode of the Real Life Podcast! This week, the boys celebrated Wanye's birthday with all kinds of hockey and business talk, which was exactly what he's always wanted. To start off this week's show, the boys jumped right into the hockey talk with a look at the crazy upsets that have happened in the first round of the NHL playoffs. With both the Flames and Lightning going out in the first round, the guys looked at both teams as spots for a potential shakeup in the coming offseason and wondered if there's any way the Oilers might be able to take advantage. From there, the guys touched on Todd McLellan's new gig in LA and discuss whether or not he was unfairly fired for the Oilers' issues. Taking a break from the NHL, Wanye and Jay discussed their new river valley project, the Dogpatch, that just kicked off its construction and the vision behind the project. Needless to say, this new building will do wonders for the Edmonton river valley and the guys could not be more excited t

Welcome, friends, to the 117th episode of the Real Life Podcast, the podcast where the boys come into the recording sessions with an itinerary and don't really get to any of it. This week, the boys took a look at Tiger Woods' incredible Masters win, Connor McDavid's PCL injury, Oilers' transparency, and a whole lot more. To start off this week's show, the guys jump right in with a look at Tiger Woods' Masters win and just how impressive it was that he was able to come back and win the tournament for the fifth time. Considering the laundry list of injuries that he's battled over the last 10 years, it's incredible to think that Woods was able to work his way back into fighting shape and actually win another major tournament. Speaking of injuries and coming back from them, Connor McDavid made news this week after it was announced that he has a small PCL tear in his left leg and that it would not require surgery. Considering the Oilers told everyone that they were going to be more transparent with information, su

Welcome, citizens, to the 116th episode of the Real Life Podcast, the show where the boys set up an itinerary and don't really get to any of it. This week, the guys tried to stay on topic as they analyzed the Bob Nicholson/Keith Gretzky press conference, Connor McDavid's leg injury from the weekend, the playoffs, and what to expect this offseason.  To start off this week's podcast, the guys started with this morning's press conference where both Bob Nicholson and Keith Gretzky sat in front of the media to discuss the issues du jours and offer their best available explanations on what is to come. Of course, those explanations and ideas were about as vague as anything the Oilers have presented yet, which left many Oilers fans with a sour taste in their mouth. With the Oilers missing the playoffs for the 12th time in the last 13 years, it's hard to blame the fans for being cynical. Speaking of the playoffs, the guys debated on how much playoff hockey they'll be watching or if the Oilers missing out again makes i

Welcome, friends, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast! This week, the boys wanted to talk about culture, and what exactly that means when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers.  To start off this week's show, Jay walked the boys through the Finnish invasion that landed in Edmonton last week when a group of 25 Finns came into town to check things out and watch a couple of Oilers games. Unfortunately, the Finns weren't able to see a win but they did leave a lasting impact with their passion for hockey and willingness to express it. Seeing the Finns do their thing then led the guys into a conversation about culture, and what it means for the Edmonton Oilers. Do they even know? Fortunately, the boys had plenty of ideas on what the team can do to improve the organizational culture and how it would provide them with a positive ROI.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another edition of the Real Life Podcast! As always, the boys are back with another 60 minutes of ear-filling wisdom that you won’t want to miss. This week, we’re talking more Bob Nicholson, trying to figure out where the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins trade rumours are coming from, and recap the amazing #NationVacation to Las Vegas that happened a little bit earlier in the month. It was a different flavour for the Real Life podcast this week as Baggedmilk and the Squire flew solo with Wanye wrapped up in some business calls and Chalmers in the middle of a family vacation. Despite the lineup temporary lineup change, the show must go on so the boys dove into the latest happenings with the Edmonton Oilers, including the fallout from Bob Nicholson's comments regarding Tobias Rieder, Ken Hitchcock's mysterious three-year deal, and the strange trade rumours surrounding Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. With the angering business out of the way, the boys wanted to pivot to something a li

Welcome, citizens, to yet a very special episode of the Real Life Podcast as Jay, The Squire, Downton went on trial to face charges of being a traitor after he was spotted at the Calgary Flames game last Wednesday in Las Vegas. Jay never expected that TV cameras would catch him celebrating a Flames goal and, as a result, he had some major explaining to do.  After loyal Nation citizen, Fat Dad 69, spotted Jay on TV celebrating a Calgary Flames goal, the Internet erupted with rage over his treacherous ways. Has the Squire been a secret Flames fan this whole time? With the way the Nation was reacting to this shocking news, the Squire had some serious explaining to do and the first part of this podcast was dedicated to giving him that chance. Will the people buy his arguments? You'll have to decide for yourself. Back to the Oilers, the GM search is obviously a major topic of discussion around here but not everyone thinks the search will be as thorough as it probably should be. In fact, some folks believe that Kei

Welcome, friends, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast. It's the podcast where the boys set an agenda every week and are lucky to check off even half of it. This week, the boys touch on the Oilers recent run of solid play, recap Saturday's fan therapy brunch party, and a whole lot more. To start off this week's podcast, the boys jumped in with a look at John Tavares' return to Long Island and whether or not Islanders fans should be embarrassed about how they acted. Along the lines, the guys also discussed the celebration that happened a couple of days later when Leafs fans gave Tavares a standing ovation back at the ACC. Was it too much? From there, the guys get into the fan therapy brunch that happened at the Brewhouse on Saturday morning and marvel at the Nation's ability to come together even when things are going poorly with the hockey team. Sticking with the Oilers, the guys spent a few minutes looking at Mikko Koskinen's stellar play since Cam Talbot's trade to Philadelphia and wondering if h

On this week’s Real Life Podcast, the boys spend the hour looking at the trade deadline and the total lack of moves that came out of Edmonton, as well as the Oscars, Connor McDavid's suspension, and a whole lot more. With a few pending UFAs on the roster and a couple of pieces that likely drew some interest, we start this week by asking ourselves of whether or not the Oilers did enough to set themselves up for the upcoming Draft and offseason? Will the decision to hang on to their pending UFAs come back to haunt them? All we can do is wait and see. Fortunately, the trade deadline wasn't the only thing to talk as Chalmers dropped a wild story that he almost hit Connor McDavid with his truck at the autograph signing from a couple weeks back. Needless to say, the boys get into it over the close call. As exciting as that close encounter with McDavid must have been, it was nothing compared to the celebrity run-in that Wanye had at Rogers Place this past weekend. Trust us when we say that you will not believe who h

On this week’s Real Life Podcast, the boys spend the hour getting you caught up on all things Oilers, including Don Cherry's take on the Carolina Hurricanes, the return of Sam Gagner, Bob Nicholson's interview with Mark Connolly, and a whole lot more.  To start off this week's episode of the Real Life Podcast, producer Jared blew everyone's minds when he sneakily slid a new intro in from the one and only Daddy Long Neck. If you don't know who Daddy Long Neck is then we encourage you to spend more time cruising the weirdness of Instagram because he's one of the hottest "rappers" in the game right now. Back to business, the guys started off this week's show with a look at Don Cherry's comments regarding the Carolina Hurricanes win celebrations and whether or not they're acting like jerks with their elaborate celebrations. From there, we got in the interview that CBC's Mark Connolly had with Bob Nicholson and marvelled at Mark's line of questioning which was about as blunt as we've seen from the local media. Som

Welcome, welcome, welcome to yet another brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast! With the Oilers' season sinking like a rock, the boys spent this week trying to figure out how we can turn the narrative around to something a little more positive. Can it be done? The boys certainly tried their best. To start off this week's podcast, the boys couldn't help but sum up the terrible week that happened since the last show. Whether it was tossing jerseys on the ice, merciless booing, or fighting with other people on social media, Oilers fans have been rightfully salty and the boys tried to take a wider look at what's happening and figure out what we can do to help. So when the discussion turns to throwing jerseys on the ice, the boys all had differing opinions on what needed to happen and whether or not a sweater toss is something that should happen at all. From there, the guys look at a trend among some Oilers fans right now of blaming the star players for what's happening right now rather than looking at the te