Today’s Trusted Journalist Review comes to you courtesy of recommendations by the fans themselves. When chatting with a couple of Edmonton Oilers fans about who their favorite hockey writers were, Jason Gregor was one of the first names to come up. The TSN host runs his own weekly show on TSN in Edmonton and writes for the fan site Oilers Nation. It is clear right off the bat that Gregor generates a lot of buzz in the Edmonton Oilers community, and I looked more into him to see what makes his work unique.
Jason Gregor – A Writer People Can Understand
Gregor’s smoothly-crafted writing style makes his work easy to follow. Not everyone has the time or patience to sit down and decipher the point a writer is trying to make in an article, and it is safe to say Gregor doesn’t take too long to formulate an argument.
Due to the nature of the site as a media source run “by NHL fans, for NHL fans”, many of the articles you will come across while exploring Oilers Nation are those that address the direct concerns of the fans. For example, Gregor wrote a recent piece in which he addressed the contract situation of up-and-coming defenseman Darnell Nurse. He compared the young D-man to others in similar position around the league such as Josh Morrissey in Winnipeg, Shea Theodore in Vegas and Noah Hanafin in rival Calgary.
Gregor assures fans that while the Oilers have not yet reached a contract agreement with Restricted Free Agent Nurse, that other teams around the league are in a similar situation as well. With Nurse’s best season to date coming during a 2017-18 campaign that saw the Oilers finish 23rd in the league with a mere 78 points, it is understandable why Oilers fans might be concerned about losing a young blueliner that finished the season with a plus/minus of 15. Nurse’s best years are surely ahead of him, and Gregor makes sure that no one is losing their mind because the 23-year-old is still not inked to a new deal.
Stories Away From the Rink
Like most good journalists, Jason Gregor incorporates stories into his repertoire that touch on off-ice events as well. One of his summer hits includes a lengthy story on Bil La Forge, a born-and-raised Canadian boy who was most recently hired for the position of GM for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Gregor passes on the story of how La Forge made it to his current role as General Manager, and what stops he made en route to the prominent position.
No Holding Back
When its all said and done, Oilers Nation is in fact a fan-run media outlet. This means that at times writers will not hold back from saying something that, if said by a journalist who works for a traditional news source, might not be brushed off as passing comment.
Many fans appreciate this honesty from writers, as it often comes off as “telling the truth” instead of pretending some facts aren’t relevant because they could make the writer look bad. However, a recent jab suggesting that former Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa (now under contract with Arizona) used a skin condition as an excuse to sit out the 2017-18 season is a comment that I think was unnecessary to say the least.
That being said, Jason Gregor is a strong writer who is good at what he does, and Oilers fans who aren’t already familiar with his work should check him out. If you’re not a fan of biased and occasionally unfiltered writing, then maybe Gregor, and Oilers Nation in general, isn’t for you. But I still suggest giving it a look for yourself before making any final decisions.
Overall, great content from a writer clearly passionate about what he does.
You can find Jason Gregor’s work on Oilers Nation by clicking here. You can follow him on twitter @JasonGregor.
