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Skating to Glory: A Comprehensive Dive into the Edmonton Oilers’ Legacy and Future

Skating to Glory: A Comprehensive Dive into the Edmonton Oilers’ Legacy and Future

Ice hockey is a religion in Alberta, with 45% of Albertans following the sport. The Oilers may not have the legacy of the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, but Edmonton still has managed to win five Stanley Cups and had the whole of Canada captivated during the legendary Wayne Gretzky era.

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The Oilers also consistently boast one of the highest average attendances in the league. In 2023-2024, Edmonton ranked second with an average crowd of 19,173.

Keep reading as we will explore what makes the Oilers such a special team, look at the history of the organization, and see what the future holds for this highly popular NHL franchise.

Origins and Early History

The Edmonton Oilers, founded in 1971 by Bill Hunter and Chuck Allard, were among the original 12 teams in the World Hockey Association (WHA) league. The professional league operated until 1979, when it merged with the NHL.

The Oilers were fairly mediocre in the WHA until Wayne Gretzky showed up in 1978. In his first and only WHA season, The Great One helped Edmonton post the best record in the league and make it to the championship game, where they lost to the Winnipeg Jets.

The Oilers played their first NHL season in 1979-1980. They were forced to give up most of their existing players and draft new ones. By a stroke of luck, the Oilers managed to hold onto Gretzky by arguing that his 21-year personal services contract made him a protected player.

Despite winning just 28 games, Edmonton managed to sneak into the playoffs in their debut NHL season before losing in the opening round to Philadelphia, who made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Oilers proved to the league that their first season wasn’t a fluke, and Gretzky put the NHL on notice after winning back-to-back MVP awards and beating the Canadiens in the opening round of the playoffs. However, even the biggest homer couldn’t have predicted just how good Edmonton would become.

The Dynasty Years

Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers went on one of the best runs, not only in hockey, but in professional sports history. From 1980 to 1987, The Great One won eight MVPs in a row and led the Oilers to four of their five Stanley Cup victories.

Only the Flyers managed to win more than one game against the Oilers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals. All of the other series were demolition jobs.

Five Stanley Cups in Seven Years (1984–1990)

In the 1983-1984 regular season, the Oilers were a notch or two above their competition, winning 57 games. The next best team in the league was the Islanders with 50 wins. The Oilers didn’t have the best defence, but nobody could stop Gretzky, who was scoring with ease, racking up 87 goals.

Edmonton steamrolled Winnipeg, 3-0, in the opening round of the playoffs, then had a close back-and-forth battle with Calgary where a Jari Kurri double helped the Oilers win game 7. Minnesota didn’t manage to win a game, which set up the Oilers’ first Stanley Cup Finals against the Islanders.

Amazingly, the series featured 13 future Hall of Famers, including Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Mike Bossy, and Dennis Potvin. The Oilers won the opener in a tight 1-0 game before losing 1-6 in the second match. Edmonton came roaring back, winning three in a row and their first Stanley Cup.

Flyers’ Push the Oilers in 1987

The Oilers’ toughest Stanley Cup victory came in 1987. Despite only losing two games enroute to the Finals, Edmonton ran into a tough Flyers squad. Even though Philadelphia only had future Hall of Famer Mark Howe, they pushed the Oilers like no other team.

The series looked to be over after Edmonton won the first two games and was up 3-0 in the third. However, the Flyers, thanks to Murray Craven, Peter Zezel, and Scott Mellanby, came roaring back winning the game 5-3.

The Flyers were blown off the ice in game 4, losing 4-1 as Gretzky recorded three assists. Philadelphia refused to give up and managed to beat the Oilers in Edmonton in game 5, with Rick Tocchet scoring the winner.

Philadelphia again pulled off a miraculous comeback in game 6 after the Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Lindsay Carson and Brian Propp scored to equalize the game, and the stadium was shaking as the hometown fans went ballistic. With just 84 seconds left in the match, an unlikely hero, J. J. Daigneault stepped up and slapped the puck just inside the right post to win the game.

After the Flyers win, the two teams headed to Edmonton for a do-or-die game 7. Murray Craven got Philadelphia off to a great start when he drove the puck into Fuhr’s skate and scored the opener. However, Messier equalized the game with a nice backhander. Then Gretzky found Kurri, who hit a lovely wrist shot to give the Oilers the lead.

The Flyers struggled to get the puck for the rest of the game and managed just six shots. With 2:24 left in the game, Glenn Anderson struck the killer blow, delivering another Stanley Cup to the Oilers!

The Great Trade: Gretzky to LA

The Oilers’ dream team came to a crashing end on August 9, 1988, when Gretzky, the greatest hockey player of all time, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton’s owner, Pocklington, was on the verge of bankruptcy and could no longer afford to keep paying Gretzky’s salary. The Oilers also received $15 million cash from the Kings, allowing Pocklington to hold onto the team.

Edmonton fans were in complete shock when the trade was announced, and it became infamous. People couldn’t understand why you would trade the Michael Jordan of hockey when he was still in his prime. The entire city went through different stages of grief, especially watching Gretzky cry at the press conference.

To this day, many fans feel betrayed and are convinced that the Oilers would’ve won 10 Stanley Cups if Gretzky had stayed. The sting of the loss was slightly alleviated when the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1990. However, the team was never the same, and it would take the franchise over a decade to mount a serious playoff run again.

Post-Dynasty Challenges

In their first season without Gretzky, the Oilers slipped to third in their division and only managed to achieve a winning record with 38 wins and 34 losses. In the previous season, they only lost 25 games.

Despite their poor record, Edmonton snuck into the playoffs, where, in an incredible twist of fate, they faced off against Gretzky and the Kings, who proved too strong, eliminating the Oilers from the playoffs in game 7.

After that loss, everyone was writing off the Oilers, but amazingly they bounced back the next season winning 38 games. Mark Messier had an incredible season, leading the team in goals, assists, and points. The Oilers got revenge against the Kings, beating them 4-0 in the Division Finals before cruising past Chicago and Boston to their 5th Stanley Cup.

Following that Stanley Cup win, the Oilers were still plagued by financial problems and were forced to get rid of key players, including Mark Messier, who went to the Rangers, and Jari Kurri, who wound up playing in LA with Gretzky.

Despite gutting the team, Peter Pocklington still couldn’t afford rising player salaries and had to resort to a line of credit. Drowning in debt, he ultimately sold the Oilers to a local group of investors in 1997.

The Early 2000s: Signs of Revival

It was tough being an Oilers fan in the early 2000s with the team either not making the playoffs or being booted out in the first round. That all changed in 2006 when the Oilers came 8th and booked a playoff spot. With Ryan Smith providing the goals and Ales Hemsky the assists, the Oilers shocked the NHL by making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Edmonton came oh-so-close to breaking their over 20-year drought, but in game 7, they lost a heartbreaker to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Modern Era

Edmonton went through a dreadful period following the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals and was a complete nonfactor in the playoffs for an entire decade. That all began to change when they drafted Connor McDavid first overall in 2015.

McDavid led the Oilers to the playoffs in 2017, and they even managed to win their first-round clash with San Jose. Thanks to McDavid’s scoring and playmaking ability, the Oilers are now a playoff team and, with their most recent performance, have a serious chance of winning the Stanley Cup in 2025.

McDavid is one of the most talented players the NHL has seen. He creates scoring opportunities out of nowhere and is incredibly fast and dynamic. McDavid is by far the fastest skater in the NHL with the puck on his stick and has exceptional vision, easily finding open teammates.

The Draisaitl Duo

The Oilers recent success isn’t just thanks to McDavid. The 27-year-old has been helped by Leon Draisaitl. The German has turned into an elite player, winning the MVP award in 2020, and is a five-time All-Star. The duo has been unstoppable; only Gretzky and Lemieux have more points during their first 50 Stanley Cup playoff appearances.

Off the Ice

Edmonton is not as big a city as say Toronto or Montreal, but it still offers a vibrant scene, despite it's chilly (OK, sometimes freezing) winters. Edmonton boasts a vibrant festival scene, earning its nickname 'Festival City,' hosting over 50 annual celebrations including the massive Folk Music Festival and Fringe Theatre Festival.

The Oilers give locals something to be proud of, and the hockey-mad city rallies around the team. You only have to look at the record fan attendance that the Oilers attract to see this in action. By winning five Stanley Cups, the Oilers have put Edmonton on the map with hockey fans from across the world.

The Oilers play at Rogers Place, which opened in September 2016. The stadium cost over $400 million to build but has contributed over $2.5 billion in downtown development as 10 hectares of land around the stadium were turned into an entertainment hub, dubbed the ICE District.

Rivalries and Memorable Games

The Oilers and Flames can’t stand each other. Every time they meet, it’s dubbed the Battle of Alberta. The Flames moved to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980, and it’s been a neck-and-neck battle ever since. In total, the two teams have met 299 times, with Calgary having a slight edge, 143-133. However, the Oilers have dominated in the postseason, 23-12, and won five Stanley Cups compared to Calgary’s single trophy.

Unforgettable Moments in Oilers’ History

Edmonton absolutely dominated the NHL in the 1980s, winning an incredible five Stanley Cups. Apart from signing Wayne Gretzky, one of the most important moments in the Oilers’ history was game 1 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals against the Islanders. If Kevin McClelland hadn’t scored in the 3rd period, the Oilers may have lost that series and never gone on to win 5 Stanley Cups.

Another incredible moment in the Oilers’ history was game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals. The first time that the Oilers had been tested in the Finals in front of their home crowd, Messier and Kurri came up clutch to seal another Stanley Cup for Edmonton.

The Oilers’ record books are unsurprisingly dominated by Gretzky, who leads the team in goals, assists, and points. Amazingly, Jari Kurri has the second most points of any Oilers player but is still over 600 points behind The Great One.

Ryan Smith holds the record for most games played for the Oilers at 971. Nipping at his heels is the legendary Mark Messier, who scored 392 goals in his 851 games.

Looking Ahead

The Oilers won 49 games in 2023-2024 and went on a fantastic run, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals. After losing the opening three games to Florida, Edmonton rallied to win three in a row and force a game 7. Unfortunately for the Oilers, Sam Reinhart’s 2nd-period goal sealed the series for the Panthers.

With Connor McDavid, who is arguably the best player in the league, being backed up by Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, the Oilers have a fantastic chance to break their drought and win their sixth Stanley Cup.

FAQs

When was the Edmonton Oilers franchise founded?

The Edmonton Oilers franchise was founded in 1972. The team started playing in the World Hockey Association (WHA) before making the jump to the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979, following the merger between the WHA and NHL.

How many Stanley Cups have the Oilers won?

The Edmonton Oilers are one of the most successful NHL teams and have won the Stanley Cup five times. Only five teams have won more Stanley Cups than the Oilers, and they’re all original NHL teams who’ve been a part of the league since 1942.

Why was Gretzky traded, and what was its impact?

The Edmonton Oilers were suffering financially and decided to trade Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings for $15 million. The Oilers managed to win the Stanley Cup in 1990 without Gretzky, but it was their last title. After losing their best player, the Oilers never recaptured the dominance they achieved in the 1980s.

Who are the Oilers’ current stars?

The Oilers’ current stars are Leon Draisaitl, the German who won the Art Ross Trophy in 2020 and last season finished with 41 goals, and Connor McDavid, a four-time NHL all-star who led the Oilers in 2023-2024 with 132 points.

What is the significance of the Battle of Alberta?

The Battle of Alberta pits two hockey-mad cities, Calgary and Edmonton, against each other. The Flames and Oilers always play at 110% in this grudge match with bragging rights for being the best team in Alberta on the line.

How many Canadian players are on the Edmonton Oilers?

There are 14 Canadian players on the Edmonton Oilers, including:

· Calvin Pickard

· Stuart Skinner

· Troy Stecher

· Darnell Nurse

· Brett Kulak

· Travis Dermott

· Evan Bouchard

· Jeff Skinner

· Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

· Connor McDavid

· Zach Hyman

· Adam Henrique

· Connor Brown

Who owns the Edmonton Oilers?

Daryl Katz and his company, Katz Group, own the Edmonton Oilers. Katz, who made his fortune by owning chains of pharmacies, purchased the Oilers in 2008 for $200 million. The Canadian billionaire also owns the Edmonton Oil Kings, a WHL team.

How many Stanley Cups have the Edmonton Oilers won?

The Edmonton Oilers have won five Stanley Cups. The team was incredibly dominant in the 1980s, lifting the trophy in 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, and 1989–90, the Oilers’ last Stanley Cup victory.

What is the Edmonton Oilers mascot?

The Edmonton Oilers mascot is Hunter the Lynx. There are over 10,000 lynx in Canada, however, sightings in Edmonton are rare.