Music: {allcanada} Taylor Hall and his obsession for No. 4

Thursday, November 4, 2010

{allcanada} Taylor Hall and his obsession for No. 4

I like Taylor Hall.

He has always stepped up on the brightest stages and performed, which is the reason we had him as the second best prospect in last year's NHL draft.

It is no secret that Taylor and his dad operated completely on their own schedule and agenda last year in Windsor. But before you condemn them or the Spitfires, please remember that this kid won back-to-back Memorial Cup MVP awards, so obviously it served everybody well.

However, Team Hall's approach to securing the No. 4 sweater has bothered a lot of people both inside and outside the Edmonton Oilers' organization.

The scouting fraternity knew early on how important the number was to Taylor and his dad. They felt it was the beginning of a marketing campaign and the joke was that if Boston took him, Team Hall might be the only group with enough balls to ask Bruins legend Bobby Orr himself to "unretire" the number.

As it turns out, he's a member of the Edmonton Oilers. His quest for the number began early and was discussed with the highest authorities within the Oilers franchise.

Anyone who knows Kevin Lowe, Edmonton's president of hockey operations, understands that he is a proud man who is one of the best players in team history.

We all assumed that Hall wouldn't dare raise the issue of taking Lowe's famous number. We were wrong and once it became apparent that this was the Team Hall plan, a lot of people in the game were outraged.

Hockey players, above and beyond any other professional sportsmen, understand the history of the game. There is usually reverence towards previous stars.

Because of the preponderance of former stars who are still involved in the game, people very often "soft-step" around history. Chances are that the people who created those memories are very likely to be current executives.

No stopping Hall

People who are 40 and beyond remember the absolute greatness with which the Oilers of the 1980s played the game. They know how important Kevin Lowe was to that team. Yet, Team Hall was bound and determined to secure No. 4.

Pressure was even applied to Lowe.

Many former and current stars were outraged and spoke to both Lowe and members of the organization, but Team Hall was determined. Ultimately Lowe quietly agreed to the "transfer" of the number.

In 15 years when Taylor Hall has made his mark in Edmonton and brought the organization to the heights that it once soared, perhaps all of this will be forgotten.

However, this power play was invoked before he ever played a regular season game. His success isn't guaranteed, and his supporters shouldn't be surprised when people inside the game are quietly cheering his early season struggles.