from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The “Fire Tippett” voices ring loudly these days in Oil Country, like fans urging a player to “Shoooot!” — as if a qualified NHL player is either listening or requires instruction from a guy holding a beer in one hand and a burger in the other.

But they bleat, do Northern Alberta’s Twitter GMs, the way they have for the past 15 years in Edmonton, where firing coaches every second season has led to so much success.

Yes, Edmonton lost a pair of games in overtime over New Year’s — the latest a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders — after a 4-2 loss in St. Louis coming out of the Christmas break. Yes, they have some holes in their lineup, a 39-year-old goalie who is hurt — again — and a team that is muddling along, burning through their excellent start and devolving into a wildcard hopeful, the halfway point of the season still nine games away.

The locals are getting sour, as is their right, and of course, the kneejerk reaction is to fire the coach. In sports, it’s the equivalent of pounding on the hood of your broken down car, or fixing that ill-mixed Old Fashioned by pouring a few more ounces of whiskey in there.

It doesn’t help the problem, but somehow it feels good anyhow.

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