32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Edmonton Oilers

Alexis Bazydola
May 12, 2020
6 min read

The Location: Edmonton, Alberta

After beginning their tenure playing in Rexall Place, the Edmonton Oilers moved to the newly constructed Rogers Place in 2016. Home to the Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, this arena can seat 18,500 hockey fans. A statue of Wayne Gretzky greets fans outside of the arena. This venue has hosted world class entertainers such as Dolly Parton, Earth Wind & Fire, John Mayer, Lady Gaga and so many more.

Team History

The Edmonton Oilers were founded in 1971 as a part of the World Hockey Association (WHA). They were originally named the Alberta Oilers and planned to split their time between Calgary and Edmonton. The next year however, the team changed its name back to the Edmonton Oilers and played all of their games out of the Edmonton Gardens. They acquired Glen Sather in 1976 who would go on to retire after that season and be the head coach of the team for the next 23 years.

In 1978, the team acquired young Wayne Gretzky from the recently folded Indianapolis Racers. Beginning in the 1979-80 season, the Oilers joined the NHL after the two leagues merged. During this time, the team lost many players but they were allowed to keep Gretzky through a deal owner Peter Pocklington negotiated which had Gretzky sign a 21-year personal services contract. While the team was not incredibly successful the first few years in the league, due to the playoff format at the time, they still made the playoffs each year for their first 13 years.

With high draft picks during their first years in the NHL, the team was able to draft young talent that would contribute for years to come including Mark Messier, Glen Anderson, and Paul Coffey among others. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 1983 where they would ultimately fall to the New York Islanders. Following this season, Gretzky would be named captain.

In 1984, the Oilers would return to the Stanley Cup Finals and face the New York Islanders again. This time, they would beat them and win the first Cup as a franchise. They were the first former WHA team to win the Cup. The next season saw Gretzky become the youngest player ever to score 1,000 points. They would also return to the Stanley Cup Finals again and beat the Philadelphia Flyers. Although they were yet again atop the NHL in the 1985-86 season and won the inaugural Presidents’ Trophy, they were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by the Calgary Flames in seven games.

The next season the Oilers would yet again capture the Presidents’ Trophy. They again returned to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. Although the Flyers forced a game seven, the Oilers won the Cup yet again. Despite losing key players in the 87-88 season including Paul Coffey and Andy Moog, the team would prevail and return to win their second consecutive Cup.

The 1988 offseason sent shockwaves throughout the Oilers community when Gretzky along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski were traded to the LA Kings. They would receive Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and other various draft picks in subsequent years in return. This would cause an immediate impact on the team. Captained by Mark Messier, the Oilers returned to the playoffs that year only to lose in the first round to the LA Kings in seven games. This would mark the first time since 1982 that the team would be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

The next season the Oilers saw many more roster changes but were able to return to the playoffs. They would move on to the Stanley Cup Finals again against the Boston Bruins and win their first Cup without Gretzky. The 1990s would see a decline in the success of the Oilers, however. This decline exposed many holes in the development system as the Oilers did not focus as much on drafting during their successful 80s. For the first time in their time as an NHL franchise, they missed in playoffs in 1993. They would not return again for four seasons.

After this slump, the team would return to the playoffs beginning in 1997. They would be knocked out of the first round, however, in four out of the next six seasons. While Pocklington looked to sell the team to Leslie Alexander, who planned to move the team to Houston, Texas, the Edmonton Investors Group ultimately bought the franchise and kept the team in Edmonton.

With their smaller market status, the team was hurting for talent. They were aided by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) coming out of the 04-05 lockout. This CBA required a salary cap for all teams. The Oilers acquired Chris Pronger and Michael Peca before the beginning of the 05-06 season. With more roster changes throughout the season, Edmonton was able to clinch a playoff spot to face the Detroit Red Wings. They would go on to win their first playoff series since 1998. They then beat the San Jose Sharks in the second round. From there they faced the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and would claim their seventh Western Conference title. Despite extending the Stanley Cup Final series to seven games against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers could not capture another Cup.

The next season brought more roster changes and injury to the Oilers who finished with their worst record since the 95-96 season (32-43-7). The next year was better but still not good enough to qualify for the 2008 playoffs. New ownership took effect during the season with Daryl Katz at the helm. 2008-09 was not much better as the Oilers finished with a record of 38-35-9 and captured 11th place in the Western Conference. Things would continue to decline as the 2009-10 season saw the Oilers as last in the NHL.

With this decline came better draft picks. The Oilers selected Taylor Hall first overall in 2010. Despite Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson all debuting during the 2010-11 season, the Oilers still found themselves near the bottom of the standings. Again, being able to select first overall in the 2011 draft, the Oilers selected Ryan Nugent Hopkins. They would again miss the playoffs even with the added roster changes in the offseason. This would mark the sixth straight season of not making the playoffs.

The 2012 NHL Draft saw the selection of Nail Yakupov first overall. The city of Edmonton voted in 2013 for a new arena for the team: Rogers Place. This year would also come with more changes to the front office, behind the bench and the roster for the Oilers who would yet again miss the playoffs. The 2015 NHL draft sent the Oilers another first overall selection. They would select Connor McDavid. More coaching and GM changes came with the next season as the team continued to look for their competitive spark.

During the 2016 offseason, Taylor Hall was dealt to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson. Connor McDavid was also named team captain before the start of the season. He is the youngest team captain in NHL history. They would make their first playoff appearance in 2017 since 2006. Edmonton eliminated the San Jose Sharks in six games, but ultimately fell to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in game 7. Despite the previous season’s success, the team yet again missed the playoffs in 2018. Ken Holland was appointed General Manager and Dave Tippet was appointed head coach in May 2019. At the season’s pause, the Oilers sit 9th in the league with 83 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

One notable tradition of the Edmonton Oilers is their anthem singer. Since 2013, Robert Clark, an opera singer, has been performing the national anthems. He is the first anthem singer to sing from within the crowd. The Oilers also are cheered on by their mascot, Hunter. Debuted in 2016, this Canadian lynx’s name is attributed to the original owner William “Wild Bill” Hunter. He helps lead the crowd in chants with his drum.

The first cheerleading squad for a Canadian NHL team was introduced in the 2010-11 season. The Oilers Octane also perform cheers for the team throughout the game. The team was discontinued in 2016 after backlash from fans.