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Edmonton Oilers |
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10 Interesting Facts About the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers were founded on 1971, as one of 12 founding teams in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and played in that league until the WHA folded in 1979 at which time the Edmonton Oilers and 3 other WHA teams (Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Winnipeg Jets) were merged into the NHL. Interestingly of those 4 WHA teams, the Edmonton Oilers are the only club that remain playing in their original city.
While still a part of the WHA in 1978/79, the Oilers had their fortunes changed forever when 17-year old super rookie Wayne Gretzky joined the club after the Indianapolis Racers folded in the middle of the season. The Oilers would go on to finish with a league best 48-30-2 record.
Unfortunately for Gretzky, due to the "merger rules" in the NHL, he was not eligible to be considered for "rookie of the year" honours in his first NHL season due to the fact that he had already spent one season in the WHA. He also lost out on Art Ross Trophy honours to Marcel Dionne, because even though both players had recorded 137 points that season, it was given to Dionne who had scored 2 more goals. However, he did take home the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player, which turned out to be the first of eight in a row that Gretzky would win. Gretzky would also win seven consecutive Art Ross Trophies from 1980–81 to 1986–87 seasons, finishing miles ahead of the second highest scorer in most of those seasons.
When the merge into the NHL happened, the teams were only allowed to protect 2 goalies and 2 skill players (Wayne Gretzky was one of them!), and then an expansion draft was held to build the roster out from there. General Manager/Coach Glen Sather went to work and within three years of that draft, had managed to sign talented young stars such as Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog. The team turned a few heads when they managed to qualify for the playoffs in their first season in the NHL and convinced the rest of the non-believers they were for real when the Edmonton Oilers captured their first Stanley Cup championship just 4 seasons later in 1983-84.
In 1985/86 the Oilers record of 56-17-7 earned them the first Presidents Trophy ever awarded, which goes to the team with the leagues best regular season. That season, the Oilers established themselves as an offensive powerhouse with Kurri, Anderson, and Gretzky all scoring over 50 goals, while Paul Coffey notched 48 to break Bobby Orr's record for defencemen. Suprisingly though, they did not win the Stanley Cup that season losing to the Calgary Flames in the semi-finals. However, they did win 5 Stanley Cups in 7 years through the eighties and are recognized as 1 of 9 "Dynasty teams" by the Hockey Hall of Fame. (Edmonton Oiler Stanley Cup championships: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90).
On August 9, 1988 the hockey world was shocked when Wayne Gretzky along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski were traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three 1st round draft picks (1989, 1991, 1993) and an estimated $15-20 million. Owner Peter Pocklington cited financial problems as the reason for the trade.
The 1989/90 season capped the Oilers dynasty as they won the Stanley Cup for the 5th time in 7 seasons.
The dismantling of the championship team continues in 91/92 as Jari Kurri Grant Fuhr Glenn Anderson and captain Mark Messier find themselves on new teams. The following season Kevin Lowe and Esa Tikkanen follow suit.
In 1997, Edmonton Oilers Craig Mactavish - the last remaining helmetless player in the NHL retired.
The Oilers are one of four teams in the NHL without a mascot. The others are the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
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