Jeff Skinner still on the fence about hypothetical Oilers goal song
When the Edmonton Oilers signed Jeff Skinner this summer, they got a scoring winger to place on Leon Draisaitl’s wing and a player with plenty of personality.
It seems like fans have clung to Skinner no matter where he has played in the NHL. He was a popular player with the Carolina Hurricanes to start his career and, more recently, was a fan favourite among the Buffalo Sabres faithful before being bought out and signing with the Oilers.
In Buffalo, he made headlines among the fanbase for his outside-the-box picks on goal songs. With the Sabres, each player gets their own unique song. Among the songs that Skinner chose throughout his tenure include:
- “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus
- “Breaking Free (from High School Musical)” by Drew Seeley, Vanessa Hudgens, and Zac Efron
- “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston
- “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
While he won’t be able to choose his goal song in Edmonton, Daily Hive asked him what he would pick if he had a chance.
“Oh, I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it,” Skinner laughed. “I think you gotta know the audience, and you got to play to it… I’d have to do some big brainstorming to come up with other options.”
Daily Hive gently suggested Nickelback as a pretty safe bet among his new legion of Alberta fans, a suggestion that drew a laugh from Skinner, who acknowledged that it would probably be a great choice.
Also in Buffalo, Skinner hosted his own web series, Between Two Stalls, a parody of Zack Galifinakas’ zany talk show, Between Two Ferns.
The 32-year-old Skinner is an easy player to root for on and off the ice. Despite having six 30+ goal seasons under his belt and over 1000 games played in the NHL, Skinner has yet to play in the playoffs. This is something that is bound to change this upcoming season, with the Oilers expected to be one of the top teams in the league.
It will also be the first time the Toronto native has played for a Canadian NHL team.
“My whole family is from Canada, so I think that’s a nice touch,” Skinner said. “The excitement and the passion of the fan base in Canada is turned up a notch… It’s exciting to be here.”
As it stands, it appears he will play on the second line alongside Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson. That trio has only played one game together so far this preseason, and Skinner likes what he’s been seeing.
“[Draisaitl] opens up so much space that creates opportunities for everyone on the ice but, in particular, his linemates,” Skinner said. “It’s been fun getting to play with [Arvidsson], I think he works extremely hard and he’s always in the right spot.”
Coming to a new NHL team always involves a learning curve, with new teammates and a new style of play that you have to learn quickly.
It may be easy to get restless and impatient for the preseason to end, but Skinner likes having the added time to get used to his surroundings.
“Once you get to this time in camp, everyone is itching to get going,” Skinner admitted. “I do think the more reps you can get, the more you can communicate with guys, the more you can get on the same page… It’s nice to take advantage of these next few days.”
Skinner has never had the opportunity to play with a centreman like Draisaitl, and Oilers fans are excited about what the new winger can provide for the team come opening night.