Music: {allcanada} Oilers' boss Renney faces tough choices

Sunday, October 3, 2010

{allcanada} Oilers' boss Renney faces tough choices

The refitted Edmonton Oilers would have preferred to use their final NHL pre-season game as a run-through.

Instead, with roster decisions still to be made, the auditions will continue tonight at the Saddledome when the Oilers visit the Calgary Flames.

It wasn't quite the scenario head coach Tom Renney had been banking on when training camp opened, but, as it stands, the club still needs to firm up its last spot on defence, backup goaltender and last three forwards.

So let the competition continue.

"I've never been a part of a turnover like this, but you assume the competition at camp is something that comes with it," said winger Ryan Jones (notes).

Shawn Belle (notes) will play his second game of the pre-season alongside Richard Petiot (notes). Theo Peckham (notes), also in the hunt for the last remaining job on the blueline (assuming the Oilers will carry 14 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders) will play with Ladislav Smid (notes).

Up front, Linus Omark (notes), Jones, Ben Ondrus (notes), Ryan O'Marra (notes) and Alex Giroux will get one last chance to showcase their skills.

Devan Dubnyk (notes) and Jeff Deslauriers (notes) will man the net.

"I was hoping we'd be able to play our lineup in these last couple of games. The players have made it difficult and very interesting for us," said Renney, who still has 32 bodies in the mix. The 23-man roster must be finalized by Wednesday, and the Oilers open the season the following night against the Flames.

Rally demands Nords' return

More than 50,000 Quebec Nordiques fans gathered Saturday to clamour for the return of their beloved team and the construction of an NHL-sized hockey rink.

The massive event was the culmination of a public movement at bringing the NHL back 15 years after the Nordiques were sold and became the Colorado Avalanche.

"It's unbelievable to see such a crowd," said Peter Stastny, one of the most popular Nordiques players who formed a feared trio in the 1980s with his brothers Anton and Marian.

The three Slovakia-born players received the biggest cheers from the crowd.

Ice chips

The Chicago Blackhawks' blueline took a hit on Saturday with news that highp r i ce d defenceman

Brian Campbell (notes) will miss at least the next month with a sprained knee … Highly touted

prospect Zack Kassian (notes) was one of nine players

trimmed from the Buffalo Sabres roster … The Vancouver Canucks placed winger Darcy Hordichuk (notes) and defenceman Shane O'Brien (notes) on waivers, according to reports … The Minnesota Wild have agreed to terms with free-agent goaltender Jose Theodore (notes) on a one-year contract.