Hockey and sports in general can be broken down into moments. Some moments are bigger than others and chart the course of a franchise and an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come. Last Word on Hockey’s Summer series looks at these defining moments. Today we feature the biggest defining moment of the Edmonton Oilers.
Top Edmonton Oilers Defining Moments in Team History
The Oilers have returned to prominence after some struggles in the 2000s. Edmonton was the standard bearer through the 1980s thanks to Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr and other players. The franchise made Edmonton “the City of Champions” thanks to their five Stanley Cup titles.
There were some struggles, but Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and others have turned the team back into a perennial contender. Edmonton has lost twice in a row to the Florida Panthers in the Final. However, the Oilers might be the team to finally break Canada’s Stanley Cup drought.
There have been plenty of memorable happenings in team history. Let’s take a look at the Edmonton Oilers defining moments in team history.
Greatness with 50 Goals in 39 Games
We couldn’t have an Edmonton Oilers defining moments list without Wayne Gretzky being number one. The Oilers didn’t draft Gretzky, but acquired the youngster as a 17-year-old. Gretzky was acquired from the Indianapolis Racers and helped the team to its only WHA Avco World Trophy Final against the Winnipeg Jets.
The young Gretzky was just getting warmed up with 51 and 55 goals in his first two NHL seasons after the merger. However, no one could have expected the sort of greatness that the Brantford, Ontario native had planned.
The Run Up
Gretzky got off to a flying start and was looking to make history. The main record people had their eyes on was him getting 50 goals in 50 games. This was first accomplished by Montreal Canadiens great Maurice Richard in the 1944-45 season. New York Islanders great Mike Bossy was next to do it in the 1980-81 campaign.
Many thought that Gretzky would be a candidate to equal the feat. However, the budding superstar would shatter records left-and-right in the 1981-82 season. Gretzky had 45 goals in 38 games and high-flying 80s had plenty of scoring.
It wasn’t a question of if Gretzky could get 50 goals in 50 games. The question was on when he would hit the milestone and smash the record held by Richard and Bossy.
The Moment
It was December 30, 1981 and the the Oilers were taking on the Philadelphia Flyers. Gretzky was already red-hot entering the matchup with four goals in game 38 of the season. He was five away from the magical number. There was an outside chance that he’d reach the number, but no one was prepared for what the future Great One did.
Gretzky tallied four more goals to get to 49 with the game winding down. However, he’d seal the deal and get number 50 with an empty-net tally. The five-goal game was the perfect way to cap a historic accomplishment.
The 50 in 39 wouldn’t be the only milestone Gretzky would hit that season. He smashed Phil Esposito‘s 76 goals for entire season by registering an eye-whooping 92 goals in the regular season. It’s a mark that will likely never be matched.
The Aftermath
We all know how things turned out with Gretzky in tenure with the club. The Oilers would finally beat the Islanders and win four titles from 1984 to 1988. Gretzky was part of four of these championships and the Oilers were pretty much the team of the decade.
The legendary Gretzky would get 50 goals in 50 games or less two more times in his career. His time with Edmonton would end before the 1989-90 season. However, we’ll get to that in a further installment.
Other Edmonton Oilers Defining Moments
The Luck of the Draw
Edmonton’s time in sun had come and gone after the team was taken apart piece-by-piece. The Oilers did make another Final in 2006, but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.
There were some dark times in Alberta, but one April 2015 night changed all that. Edmonton won the NHL Draft lottery and earned the right to draft Erie Otters superstar Connor McDavid.
The team didn’t become a success story overnight, but there was hope. McDavid would join 2011 top pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl as the building blocks of the current Oilers.
Edmonton has yet to hoist the Stanley Cup again. However, McDavid could change all that. There’s some uncertainty on if McDavid will re-sign, but it’s more than likely he wants to see this quest through.
The Own Goal
Gretzky and the Oilers brought championships to the Oilers in the 1980s. However, one title may have slipped through the franchise’s fingers during their heyday.
It was Game 7 of the Smythe Division Final as the Oilers were locked in a battle with the rival Calgary Flames to advance to the Campbell Conference Final.
Calgary’s Perry Berezan dumped the puck into the Edmonton end as the Flames were going for a line change. Smith got control of the puck and was going to send the pass down to the opposition zone. However, the puck bounced off Fuhr’s skate and went into the net.
This accidental goal gave the Flames’ a 3-2 advantage and the Oilers could not find the game-tying goal. The Flames would advance to lose to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final.
Many blamed Smith for the loss, but Gretzky defended the embattled defender in his autobiography. Gretzky said the Oilers should have won the series and called any blame directed a Smith a “cop-out.” Smith was the first player to touch the Cup in 1987 when the Gretzky handed got the trophy from NHL President John Ziegler.
Honourable Mentions for Edmonton Oilers Defining Moments
There are plenty of other moments that deserve mentioning. Messier leading the team to the 1990 title after the Gretzky deal, breaking through against the Isles in 1984, the 1998 franchise sale, Edmonton’s upset of the Dallas Stars in the 1997 playoffs and Glen Sather becoming hea coach are other great Edmonton Oilers defining moments.
Main photo by: Porter Binks-Imagn Images Archive
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