The Edmonton Oilers obviously play in a hockey hotbed. They have three of the best players in the world and are expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup. No Canadian team has gone all the way since 1993. That’s a lot of pressure; should they be dealing with it better?

Edmonton has come very close to another cup, recently losing in two closely fought contests. Now we don’t know what goes on in the dressing room, and the media and public shouldn’t. That’s sacred ground for the players and coaches. However, we can discuss how pressure seems to be affecting the players. It’s early in the season, but some Oilers are already struggling, especially their goalies. There’s already a debate whether Tristan Jarry or Devon Levi should be the starter.

Pressure is different in different NHL markets

NHL fanbases and media can be seen as having three tiers: hardcore, mid, and casual. There are very few hardcore fan markets, Edmonton is one of them. Oilers fans are in a frenzy after two sloppy games, while other markets don’t even know the season has started. Casual markets have about 2-5 reporters, mid markets have 5-10 reporters, while the hardcore markets have at least 15-30 reporters. Toronto has the most, with around thirty regular reporters around the team; Edmonton and Montreal aren’t far behind. A few years ago, the only reporter covering the New York Islanders worked for a college newspaper. San Jose is considered an up-and-coming team and has almost nobody........

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