GENE'S BLOG: Stu York City

It's the city so nice they named it twice. New York, New York -- the city that never sleeps -- is where the Edmonton Oilers will be sleeping for the next week or close to it. It's a trip that you can't help but notice because of where you are, who you play and where you stay.
In Edmonton's case, they will spend six straight nights in the same hotel on a trip that starts on the ice against the league's hottest team Monday night in New Jersey. There is a Wednesday night trip to Long Island to face off against the Islanders and last but not least it's Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena, on Saturday versus the Ranfers.
Keeping one hotel as a home base on this trip is way easier for the Oilers than changing hotels every couple days during a week that will be filled with opportunities on the ice to stake themselves a better standing in the Pacific Division.
It's a business trip but it will provide a few of the younger Oilers players a chance to visit a city that is home to nearly 19 million people. Imagine taking Edmonton and multiplying it by 19. It seems like there's just as many taxis in Times Square as there are people. It really is a sight to see the hustle and bustle that accompanies a city like no other in the world.

There are no shortages of sights to see and places to go. Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty to name a pair, and to also name a pair of Oilers who have never been to New York are Stuart Skinner and Dylan Holloway. For Skinner, this isn't his first trip through NHL cities but he's steadily marking off places he's never been before.
"I've never been there before but my wife Chloe has," the Edmonton native said. "She says there is so much energy and so many people around." A good scouting report from the puck-stopper's significant other as the second-year NHLer crosses a few more arenas and one big city off his road trip list.
"Nashville and Minnesota are a couple more places I haven't yet visited," he explained. "And I'm hoping to get a chance to walk around New York. I haven't set any specific places I'd like to go but it would be neat to see the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty or even just Times Square."
The recently-turned 24-year-old said he might even do some shopping. What he wants most you can't buy, however, and that would be three Edmonton wins on this trip.
While Skinner was working his way up through the minors and visiting mostly California cities with the Bakersfield Condors, that's not the route his Oilers teammate Dylan Holloway took -- excluding the 33 games he played in Bakersfield.
"For me, it was more about visiting college towns," said the two-year Badger at the University of Wisconsin. "But I did play my first college game in Boston against Boston College which had an old rink with lots of history."
Like his netminding teammate, the 21-year-old is starting to cross a few NHL cities off his list.
"It was neat going through Miami, Tampa and Washington on the last trip," explained the Bragg Creek native. "But I've heard neat things about New York."
Neat certainly describes NYC with everything you can do when time allows between games and practices.
"I don't have anything planned other than to look around and maybe see the Statue of Liberty."
Two Alberta boys enjoying the NHL journey and where it takes them including places like the Big Apple.