EDMONTON -- It seems Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz is throwing in the towel, on this season at least. In a letter to Oilers fans posted on the NHL teams website, Katz says its very likely the club will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for an eighth straight season. Katzs statement comes with Edmonton still having more than 30 regular-season games yet to play. However, Edmonton (15-30-6) certainly faces an uphill battle in its quest to return to playoff contention. The Oilers are last in the Western Conference standings, 23 points behind Minnesota (27-19-5) and Vancouver (25-16-9), who are both tied for seventh. "I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs," Katz wrote. " I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. "The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course." The Oilers struggles have prompted suggestions the team needs to make a big trade but Katz said the franchise isnt interested in mortgaging its future with a reactionary move. "But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term," he said. "Those days are over and theyre not coming back. "If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once." Katz also defended Kevin Lowe, the former Oilers standout defenceman who has steadily risen through the ranks of the organization despite the team not making the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2005-06. In the space of the last 15 years, Lowe has moved from assistant coach to head coach to general manager and is now the clubs president of hockey operations. "Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective," Katz said. "He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. "But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track." And Katz asked Oilers fans to remain patient with the hockey club. "Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive," he said. "At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. "Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on top. We hope youll do the same. " Daryl Katzs message to fans To Oilers Fans Everywhere: We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasnt happened, and it hurts. Its frustrating – for all of us. For our fans, for our players and staff, and for everyone in our community who shares a common bond around a game, a team and a city that we love. I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs. I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course. Yes, we hoped and expected to be better this year – theres no question about that. But weve also been more active than any team I can think of in rebuilding our organization from bottom to top by supporting player development in OKC and Bakersfield, revamping our scouting organization, naming a new GM and a new coach, signing free agents like Justin Schultz, Boyd Gordon, Andrew Ference, Anton Belov and Ilya Bryzgalov, and trading for players like David Perron, and now Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks. And were not done. But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term. Those days are over and theyre not coming back. If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once. I hear a lot from fans about accountability, so lets be clear. We are all accountable. That includes me, Kevin, Craig, Dallas, every player who wears our jersey, and every member of our staff. I know Kevin is the target of a lot of personal attacks right now, and thats really unfortunate. Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective. He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track. Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive. At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on top. We hope youll do the same. We value our fans, we hear you, and we appreciate your support. Daryl Katz Adidas Deerupt Runner Rea . Orlandos Glen Davis tried to get in the way, only to be driven back into the padding under the basket as the Pelicans forward slammed home a windmill jam. Adidas Superstar Rea .The Williams siblings, with 25 Grand Slam titles between them, will have a couple of Madisons joining them, too.Madison Keys had a 6-4, 7-5 upset win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday night, and Madison Brengle beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U. http://www.nmdsverige.com/nmd-r1-adidas-skor/herr.html . According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No. NMD Cs2 Sverige . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Adidas Superstar Dam Sverige . The Missouri Tigers Defensive End and SEC Defensive player of the year is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft in May.Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - A huge second-quarter run helped the Memphis Grizzlies build a big advantage and a mini one in the fourth kept the Golden State Warriors at bay. The streak is over. Marc Gasol had 24 points and seven rebounds as the Grizzlies beat the Warriors 105-98 on Tuesday night, snapping Golden States franchise-record 16-game winning streak. It was the Warriors first loss since Nov. 11 against the San Antonio Spurs. Memphis clamped down defensively during the opening half of the second quarter when it forced 11 consecutive Golden State misses and didnt allow a point in the frame until the 6:49 mark. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, scored the first 20 points of the quarter to establish a 14-point advantage. They led the rest of the way. Golden State got within two a couple times in the fourth, but could never get over the hump. Zach Randolph posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Conley supplied 17 points and four steals and Vince Carter nailed four 3-pointers and added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight games. Klay Thompson netted 22 points, while Stephen Curry supplied 19 points, six assists and four swipes for Golden State, which also had its 10-game road winning streak come to an end. Memphis netted seven straight points to re-establish its cushion to 97-88 with 3:05 remaining after the Warriors cut the deficiit to two and they never got within a possession until a Curry layup trimmed the margin to 99-96 with 38.dddddddddddd seconds to play. Conley got his floater to drop at the other end before Marreese Speights knocked down a jumper with 25.3 ticks remaining, but Gasol sunk a pair of free throws and a pair of Curry triples were off the mark to seal the outcome. Earlier, Golden State closed the opening frame on an 8-2 flurry to help it take a 30-24 advantage following a quarter of play. Carter nailed a trio of treys during the elongated Memphis burst to start the second, with a Beno Udrih finger roll capping it and staking the Grizzlies to a 44-30 margin with 7:22 to go in the second. Conley hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the second and Memphis took a 57-49 spread into the locker room. Udrihs pull-up jumper with a second left in the third made it 80-69 in favor of Memphis heading into the fourth. Shaun Livingstons driving left-handed layup finished off a 14-2 Golden State swing and clawed it within 88-86 midway through the stanza. Game Notes Memphis improved to 12-1 at home this year ... Golden State tied for the third-best 23-game start following its overtime victory at New Orleans on Sunday ... The Warriors were again without David Lee (hamstring) and Andrew Bogut (knee tendinitis). ' ' '