Defenseman Andrew Ference knows what a winner looks like. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Final three times and won a championship with the Boston Bruins in 2011.
Now he plays for the Edmonton Oilers, which is on track to miss the playoffs for the ninth straight season. He’s the team captain and what he’s seen from some of his colleagues has clearly bothered him. After Edmonton lost its 10th straight game on Monday, Ference criticized the Oilers for floating around and allowing their guard to drop early in the second period when they had a 1-0 lead. The Arizona Coyotes took advantage of the situation by scoring two shorthanded goals in less than a minute.
“It’s unacceptable ... it’s the same mistake,” Ference said.
He was asked about the redundancy of it all and if it’s become tough to talk about it repeatedly.
“Talking isn’t tough,” Ference replied. “It shouldn’t be much of a chore to come here and pay attention to what you’re supposed to do and work hard and have pride in being in the NHL and putting on a jersey. That should be the easy part. To come here and have to eke pride out of guys to get out there and pay attention and do details ... it’s not right. ... It’s 100% unacceptable.”
You can watch his postgame interview below: