Edmonton has had many bad times in its short history as a boom-and-bust city, but this past week has to be high on that list. This is as down, anxious and dark a time as we've seen in recent years. Our misery index keeps rising. We can't get a pipeline built. The biggest oil sands project ever planned has been axed because of political and economic uncertainty. The price of oil has tanked. Royalties and taxes will crash, meaning our provincial budget needs to be shredded. On top of all that, the existential threat of either getting sick or having a loved one get sick, and perhaps gravely sick, due to the coronavirus haunts all of us, especially elderly folks or those with an existing heath issue. The icing on this already over-baked and unpalatable cake of calamity? Just as our beloved Oilers are entering into the playoffs for just the second time in 14 long years, the threat of a deadly coronavirus outbreak has put a pause on the NHL season, with cancellation looming.