Edmonton Oilers

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Edmonton Oilers
Conference	Western
Division	Northwest
Founded	1972
History	Alberta Oilers 1972-73 Edmonton Oilers 1973 - present
Arena	Rexall Place
City	Edmonton, Alberta
Local Media Affiliates	Rogers Sportsnet West CHED (630 AM)
Team Colours	Midnight blue, Copper, Red, White, and Silver
Owner	Edmonton Investors Group Limited Partnership
General Manager	Kevin Lowe
Head Coach	Craig MacTavish
Captain	Jason Smith
Minor League Affiliates	Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Iowa Stars (AHL) Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) Wilkes-Barre Penguins (AHL) Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1989-90
Conference Championships	1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1989-90, 2005-06
Division Championships	1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87

The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are the northernmost franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). When playing against their arch rivals, the Calgary Flames, the matches are often referred to as the Battle of Alberta.

Contents 1 Franchise history 1.1 WHA years 1.2 Dynasty years 1.3 Rebuilding years 1.4 Post-lockout 2005-06 season 1.5 2006 playoff run 1.6 2006 off-season 1.7 2006-07 season 1.8 Jerseys 2 Season-by-season record 2.1 Alberta/Edmonton Oilers (WHA, 1972-79) 2.2 Edmonton Oilers (NHL, 1979-present) 3 Notable players 3.1 Current roster 3.2 Team captains 3.3 Hall of Famers 3.4 Retired numbers 3.5 First-round draft picks 3.6 Franchise scoring leaders 4 NHL awards and trophies 5 Franchise individual records 6 Milestone 7 Miscellaneous 7.1 Other notable figures 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] WHA years

In 1972 the Alberta Oilers joined the World Hockey Association as a founding member. The team was originally owned by Bill Hunter. Hunter had previously owned the Edmonton Oil Kings and founded what would become the Western Hockey League, but his efforts to bring professional hockey to Edmonton had initially been rebuffed by the NHL. Actually, the team had been named the Alberta Oilers as it was planned to split their home games between Edmonton and Calgary after the Calgary Broncos folded. For various reasons, possibly financial or the possibility of allowing easier expansion of either the NHL or WHA to Calgary, the team played all of its games in Edmonton, and changed their name to reflect this the following year.

The team proved popular with the fans, behind stars such as defenceman and team captain Al Hamilton, star goaltender Dave Dryden, and forwards Blair MacDonald and Bill Flett. The team's performance would change for the better in 1978, when new owner Peter Pocklington scored one of the greatest trades in hockey history, acquiring already-aspiring superstar Wayne Gretzky as an under-age player (consequentially, his first year of WHA experience didn't make him an official 1979-80 NHL rookie), as well as goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, from the recently-folded Indianapolis Racers for a token sum.^[1] Gretzky's first and only WHA season, 1978-79, saw the Oilers shoot to the top of the WHA standings, posting a league-best 48-30-2 record. However, Edmonton’s regular season success did not translate into a championship, as they fell to the rival Winnipeg Jets in the Avco World Trophy Final. Young Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko scored the last goal in WHA history late in the third period of the final game.

The Oilers joined the National Hockey League for 1979-80, with fellow WHA teams Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Jets. Of these four teams, only Edmonton has avoided relocation and renaming; the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995, the Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, and the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.

[edit] Dynasty years

The Oilers lost most of the players from the 1978-79 team when the NHL held a reclamation draft of players who had bolted to the upstart league. However, with an incredible core of young players, including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, and Kevin Lowe, the Edmonton Oilers became one of the greatest teams in hockey history with their domination of the NHL in the mid-to-late 1980s. Many experts consider the Oilers from that decade not only to be the best team ever in the long history of the National Hockey League, but also one of the best sports teams ever, as evidenced by a recent Sporting News poll in February 2006 when the 1987-88 Oilers were listed as one of the top-five teams from the last 120 years.^[2]

The Oilers made a name for themselves very early, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their first NHL season (1979-80), but were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers three-games-to-none.

Gretzky’s rookie disappointment hardly extended to the “merger” rule that disqualified him from Calder Memorial Trophy voting — the Los Angeles Kings’ Marcel Dionne defeated “The Great One” in the race for the Art Ross Trophy (point-scoring crown). At the season’s end, they had 137 total points each: Dionne had 53 goals and 84 assists vs. Gretzky’s 51 and 86, and as such, Gretzky lost the crown. “I was always taught that an assist is as good as a goal,”Gretzky claimed..^{[citation needed]}

After a five-point improvement in the 1980-81 regular season, the Oilers stunned the hockey world by sweeping the heavily-favoured Montreal Canadiens in three games and pushing the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders to six games.

In the 1981-82 season, the Oilers made a dramatic leap in the standings--jumping from 74 points (16th overall) in the previous season to 111 points (second overall, behind only the Islanders). Gretzky became the third NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games, joining the Islanders’ Mike Bossy from the previous season and Canadiens legend Maurice Richard from 1944-45, and was the fastest in NHL history to 50 goals, doing it in only 39 games. But youthful lapses of discipline led to a first round defeat at the hands of the Kings, even as Gretzky beat Dionne for the Art Ross — in the 1980-81 to 1986-87 seasons, Gretzky beat Dionne for the award by a colossal average of 66 points. In 1983 they made it to their first Stanley Cup final, but were swept in four games by the three-time defending champion Islanders, who had already-greats like Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies and Denis Potvin.

However, Edmonton's young team would not forever be denied. In 1984, the Oilers roared through the regular season, earning a franchise-record 57 wins and 119 points. They earned a rematch with the Islanders in the Stanley Cup finals, and defeated the four-time defending champions four games to one to win their first Stanley Cup.

Edmonton repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 1985 against the Philadelphia Flyers and star netminder Pelle Lindbergh, who died later that year after a car crash. However, their bid for a third straight championship — “three-peat” — came to an end in game 7 of the 1985-86 Smythe Division Finals against the Calgary Flames. In the third period of a 2-2 tie, rookie defenceman Steve Smith banked his breakout pass off goaltender Grant Fuhr's left skate and into the Oilers' net. The goal stood as the game- and-series-winning goal. In 1987, Edmonton returned to the Stanley Cup Final and again defeated the Flyers in a tense seven-game series, overcoming a Conn Smythe Trophy winning performance by Philly rookie goalie Ron Hextall. But in the midst of the celebrations, fluid blueliner Coffey dropped a bombshell: Pocklington had bought out his contract and sold it to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team in which Mario Lemieux was the main star.

Even without Coffey in 1988 the Oilers made their strongest run to the Cup, losing only two playoff games (the lowest loss total ever for the Cup winners under the "16 wins" playoff format), and sweeping the Boston Bruins to win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. In doing so, the Oilers left their mark as one of the greatest teams of all time. A unique event in Final history occurred in Game Four on May 24. With the score tied 3-3 in the second period, a power outage struck the legendary Boston Garden, forcing cancellation of the whole game. Then-NHL President John Ziegler ordered the game to be scheduled, and, if necessary, played in Boston after the originally scheduled Game Seven in Edmonton. The Oilers would win the next game (originally scheduled as Game Five) back in Edmonton 6-3 to complete the series sweep. All player statistics accrued in the aborted Game Four in Boston are counted in the NHL record books. After the Cup-clinching game, Gretzky implored his teammates, coaches, trainers, and others from the Oilers organization to join at centre ice for an impromptu team photo with the Stanley Cup, a tradition since continued by every subsequent Stanley Cup Champion.

That summer, however, left a bitter taste in the mouths of Oiler fans in the midst of the celebrations. On August 9, 1988, Gretzky, along with fan favourites Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, was traded to Los Angeles for $15 million for two rising young players (Jimmy Carson and Martin Gelinas), and three first-round draft picks. Carson only played two seasons in Edmonton before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Gelinas played five years for Edmonton, never scoring more than twenty goals. The Oilers traded the 1989 pick (Jason Miller) to the New Jersey Devils for defenceman Corey Foster, then used the '91 and '93 picks to select Martin Rucinsky and Nick Stajduhar, respectively, neither of whom were major contributors during their time in Edmonton.

The 1989 season was a troubled one, and for the first time since 1982, the Oilers were out of the playoffs in the first round, losing a seven-game series to Gretzky's Kings; the Cup was ultimately claimed by their provincial rivals, the Flames. Gretzky and Kurri had been the dominant offensive pairing of the 1980s, and many said that Kurri without Gretzky would be ordinary. But in making the NHL Second All-Star Team in his first season without Gretzky, with 44 goals and 58 assists, Kurri proved his critics wrong.

It was seemingly the beginning of the end for Edmonton's brilliance. 1990 seemed set to continue the turmoil for the former juggernaut. All-Star and future Hockey Hall of Fame starting goaltender Grant Fuhr, was injured for most of the season and playoffs with a badly separated shoulder. He would be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991 after publicly acknowledging his cocain problem(which he was suspended an NHL record 60 games for during the 1990-91 season). But the team rallied behind backup Bill Ranford, and despite finishing second in their division, behind Calgary, the Oilers, and Adam Graves, Gélinas and Joe Murphy, their "Kid Line" (not to be confused with the 1931-32 Leafs' Harvey "Busher" Jackson, "Gentleman Joe" Primeau, and "Big Bomber Charlie" Conacher) won their fifth and, to date, final Stanley Cup by again defeating the Bruins, this time in five games. Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff Most Valuable Player for his brilliant goaltending. Kurri claimed, “Just a great load off the backs of us Oilers — we’re not a one-man show, and everybody knows it now, after we won without Wayne.”

[edit] Rebuilding years

The Gretzky trade had opened up a new reality of rapidly climbing salaries in the NHL, and small-market teams like Edmonton simply couldn't compete with salaries offered in large cities, mainly in the USA. This rash of escalating salaries hit the Canadian teams particularly hard; only Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver had the resources to compete in this new environment. In addition, Pocklington's business empire sank under the weight of recession, scandal and corruption.

Messier, Kurri, Fuhr, Anderson, and later Craig MacTavish all left the team in rapid succession, leaving behind an underdeveloped base of young players and unproven prospects, exposing the Oilers' poor drafting through the dynasty years. Despite appearances in the Conference Final in 1991 and 1992, the Oilers were nowhere near the powerhouse that had dominated the previous half-decade. In 1993 the Oilers missed the playoffs for the first time ever, since they entered the league. They would not return for four years, despite the emergence of young centremen Doug Weight and Jason Arnott.

Trouble followed the team off the ice as well. For most of the 1990s, the Oilers were desperately trying to stay alive. In 1998, the team was nearly sold to Houston interests who sought to move the team, but before the sale was finalized, and with just hours left on the deadline, the Edmonton Investors Group, a consortium of 37 Edmonton-based owners, raised the funds to purchase the team, vowing to keep the Oilers in Edmonton. The Oilers received support in this endeavour from the NHL, which had already seen two Canadian teams (the Nordiques and Jets) move to the United States earlier in the decade.

In 1997, the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time in five years, and in the first round, they upset the Dallas Stars, who had compiled the league's second best record, in an exciting seven-game series. Riding on the hot goaltending of Curtis Joseph, the Oilers completed the upset on a breakaway by Todd Marchant in overtime. Another highlight of that playoff series was on April 20. Down 3-0 with just under four minutes to go in Game Three, the Oilers rallied for three goals in the final three minutes of the third period to tie the game and eventually win 4-3 in overtime on Kelly Buchberger's game-winning goal.

Though Edmonton would lose to the defending Cup Champs, Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche, in the next round, fans were ecstatic about the Oilers' return to the playoffs. In 1998, Joseph led the Oilers to another first-round upset. After spotting the Avalanche 3-1 lead, the Oilers held the powerful Avalanche scoreless for eight straight periods en route to winning the series in seven games. Dallas and Edmonton met again in the second round, but this time, the Stars were the victors. This was the start of one of the most unusual rivalries in hockey: between 1997 and 2003 the Oilers and Stars played each other in the playoffs six times, five of them first-round matchups. The only year in which they did not meet was 2002, when neither team made the playoffs. This streak was not formally ended until 2006, when the 2nd-seeded Stars (in the Western Conference) were eliminated in the first round by the Avalanche, while, for the first time in 16 years, the 8th-seeded Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final.

On November 22, 2003, the Oilers hosted the Heritage Classic, the first outdoor hockey game in the NHL's history. The Oilers were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in front of more than fifty-five thousand fans, an NHL attendance record, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

On July 23, 2004, the team announced that its American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Roadrunners, would play the 2004-05 AHL season at the Oilers' home arena of Rexall Place. The decision, an unusual one for a North American professional sports organization, was likely influenced by the expectation that the 2004-05 NHL lockout would wipe out the 2004-05 NHL season. After an unsuccessful year, the Edmonton Road Runners were suspended, and as of 2006, have not yet been revived in any form. Those plans have all but been terminated as the Oilers' long-planned push to own an expansion Western Hockey League major-junior franchise were granted on June 27, 2006. That team will begin play in the 2007-2008 season.

[edit] Post-lockout 2005-06 season

The Oilers struggled with their small-market status for years as big-market teams scooped up high-priced help, but after the wiped-out 2004-05 season, the Oilers looked poised to compete again. 2004-05 NHL lockout negotiations led to a collective bargaining agreement between the NHL owners and players that included a league-wide salary cap, forcing all teams to essentially conform to a budget, as many small-market teams had been doing for years. Sold out buildings and a more reasonable conversion rate of Canadian dollar revenues to US dollar payroll in the new millennium have also helped the Oilers to return to profitability.

Although Edmonton was one of the last teams to make a big splash in the free-agent market, they were able to acquire the rights to and sign former Hart- and Norris Trophy-winner Chris Pronger from the St. Louis Blues to a 5-year/$31.25 million contract, as well as trade for New York Islanders forward Michael Peca, two-time winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. Although the club had to give up Mike York and Eric Brewer to the Islanders and Blues, respectively, fans now hoped the team could at least return to the playoffs, if not to the glory the franchise enjoyed during its late 1980s dynasty era.

However, the team suffered again from inconsistency during the first few months of the regular season, especially in goal and on offence. Goaltender Ty Conklin was injured during training camp, and when he returned, was unreliable in net. Nominal backup Jussi Markkanen showed flashes of brilliance, but still was not quite ready for regular NHL goaltending duty. Edmonton even tried third-string goalie Mike Morrison, called up from the East Coast Hockey League, but after a strong start, he too faded. A streaky goal-scoring production led by left-wingers Ryan Smyth and Raffi Torres had trouble putting pucks in the net at times, but Torres did produce back to back two goal games on his 24th birthday, October 8, 2005 against the Vancouver Canucks and on October 10, 2005 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Chris Pronger also struggled early on with the rule changes restricting the amount of obstruction and front-of-the-net abuse — Pronger's previous specialty — that could be performed without a penalty, while Peca simply had trouble adapting to the Oilers' system and expectations, desperately underachieving. Many called for head coach Craig MacTavish to be fired; others wanted a big trade, some miracle. Nothing major materialized, but by the end of December, the Oilers led the Northwest Division with a 22-18-4 record for 48 points.

However, the Oilers remained inconsistent. By the end of January, the Oilers traded for scoring defencemen Jaroslav Spacek from the Chicago Blackhawks and Dick Tarnstrom from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and both defencemen, Spacek in particular, secured their shaky blue line. However, their goaltending was still in doubt, and the Oilers struggled after the Winter Olympic break. But right before Trading Deadline 2006, the Oilers added 2004 All-Star goaltender Dwayne Roloson from the Minnesota Wild, and speedy forward Sergei Samsonov, a former rookie of the year, from the Boston Bruins. The Oilers gave up a pair of picks for Roloson, and checking centre Marty Reasoner and prospect Yan Stastny (previously acquired from the Bruins) along with a 2006 2nd round draft pick for Samsonov. Reasoner returned to Edmonton after the 2006 playoffs ended.

The new acquisitions paid off, and Edmonton finished the regular season with 95 points, clinching the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference over Vancouver. Oiler youngsters Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, and Jarret Stoll led the way in scoring, with break-out seasons of 77, 73, and 68 points, respectively. Smyth finished with 36 goals and 66 points, the second-best seasons of his career in both respects. Smyth led the team in goal-scoring, with Raffi Torres next on the list at 27.

[edit] 2006 playoff run

In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers played the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings. Though not given much of a chance by experts around the league, the Oilers pulled off a six-game upset, neutralizing Wings' offensive weapons Brendan Shanahan, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, in an "oil press" that MacTavish designed. It was the team's first playoff series win since 1998. Edmonton would meet the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Semifinal. The Oilers weren't expected to win here either, after point champion Joe Thornton (also acquired from the Bruins to go to San Jose) and goal champ Jonathan Cheechoo had tore through Nashville Predators in just 5 games. After trailing the series two-games-to-none, the Oilers won the next four, vaulting them into Conference Final. In Game Six, Roloson had a 2-0 shutout — his first ever — and Michael Peca netted the game- and series-winning goal. In doing so, the Oilers became the first eighth-seeded team to reach a Conference Final since the NHL changed the playoff format in 1994. There the Oilers would beat the sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games, claiming the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for a record seventh time.

Edmonton faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals (marking the first time two former World Hockey Association teams met in Stanley Cup play). Tied at 4 in the first game, Oilers starting goalie Dwayne Roloson was hurt and put out of action for the rest of the playoffs after a collision when Oiler blue-liner Marc-Andre Bergeron knocked 'Canes winger Andrew Ladd into him with under 6 minutes to play in Game One. With Roloson out, Rod Brind'Amour scored the game winner on a mix up by Ty Conklin and Jason Smith with only thirty seconds left. After trailing the series 2-0 and 3-1, the Oilers forced a seventh game while riding backup Jussi Markkanen, and a miracle overtime shorthanded goal in game 5 by local hero Fernando Pisani. They could not complete the comeback, however, as the Hurricanes won the final game 3-1.

[edit] 2006 off-season

Two days after their heartbreaking loss to the Hurricanes, Chris Pronger surprised Oiler fans and management when he issued a trade request on June 21, citing unspecified personal reasons. On July 3, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for sniper Joffrey Lupul, top defensive prospect Ladislav Smid, Anaheim's first round draft pick in 2007, Anaheim's second in 2008, and a conditional first. In addition, many of the Oilers' 2005-06 acquisitions signed for contracts elsewhere: Jaroslav Spacek went to the Buffalo Sabres on July 5, Sergei Samsonov signed with the Montreal Canadiens on July 12, and Michael Peca with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on July 18. In addition, enforcer and fan favourite Georges Laraque, despite offering the Oilers a substantial pay cut in exchange for a no-trade clause, wound up signing with the Phoenix Coyotes, and goaltender Ty Conklin, seeking to rebuild his reputation, signed a two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets the following day. The Oilers also lost 2002-03 New York Rangers acquisition Radek Dvorak to unrestricted free agency as the St. Louis Blues signed him on September 14.

Despite these losses, many of the Oilers' core players were re-signed. Playoff heroes Fernando Pisani and Dwayne Roloson signed as unrestricted free agents (UFAs) on the first day of eligibility, July 1. Jarret Stoll, Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky filed for arbitration as restricted free agents, but all settled for multi-year deals before their hearings came up; Hemsky, in particular, signed for six years and $24.6 million. The Oilers also brought back centre Marty Reasoner, whom they had traded for Samsonov in March, prospect Tom Gilbert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, defenceman Daniel Tjarnqvist from the Minnesota Wild, and defenceman Jan Hejda from Mytishchi Khimik of the Russian Super League, whose rights were acquired from the Sabres for a seventh-round pick. On August 11, Rangers UFA forward Petr Sykora and the Oilers agreed on a one-year contract. Just over a month later, on September 12, Joffrey Lupul and the Oilers agreed to a three-year contract worth $6.935 million.^[3]

[edit] 2006-07 season

On October 12, Ryan Smyth recorded the fastest Oilers hat trick in franchise history at 2:01 minutes against the San Jose Sharks, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record of 2:12 minutes.

On January 2, 2007 the Oilers recorded their 1000th franchise NHL win against the Florida Panthers. They are the 3rd fastest team to reach 1000 wins after the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers.

In early January, the Oilers picked up Petr Nedved off of re-entry waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers.

On February 18, 2007, Defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded with a 2008 3rd round draft pick to the New York Islanders for defenceman Denis Grebeshkov. Grebeshkov is currently in the Russian Super League, and will not join the Edmonton Oilers for the 2006-2007 season.

On February 27, 2007 the Oilers traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for Ryan O'Marra and Robert Nilsson and a 1st round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The blockbuster trade, announced just after the official trade deadline had passed, was sparked after failed contract negotiations to keep Smyth in the copper and blue long term. Rather than possibly allowing him to walk for nothing in return at the end of the season, Kevin Lowe decided to build for the future and trade Smyth. This ironically occurred on the same day that Mark Messier had his number eleven jersey retired by the Oilers, so to avoid disrupting the emotional ceremony with possible harassment from fans, Lowe was not seen on the ice with many of the other Oiler greats.

The Oilers went 12 games without a win (11 regulation losses and 1 overtime loss) immediately following the Smyth trade. That winless streak ended on March 23, 2007 following a shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Due to a rule change in the NHL; overtime losses no longer count as losses but rather "Regulation ties", so the Oilers did not match their franchise record for consecutive losses (11 in 1993-94), however they came close to the franchise record of 14 consecutive winless games (also 1993-94). There is controversy in this as, during the 1993-94 season, overtime losses were worth zero points and were considered losses. The 93-94 Oilers had two overtime losses in their 11 game losing streak.

The Oilers have also been dealing with an incredible amount of injured talent. Jarret Stoll (concussion), Ales Hemsky (shoulder), Ethan Moreau (shoulder), Steve Staios (knee), Ladislav Smid (kidneys), Marty Reasoner (shoulder), Jan Hejda (shoulder), Daniel Tjarnqvist (Inflamed pubic bone), Mathieu Roy (concussion), Tom Gilbert (concussion) and Petr Nedved (knee) have all spent time the club's injured reserve. All of these players, with the exception of Nedved and Staios (due for surgery), are either questionable or doubtful to play in upcoming games.

[edit] Jerseys

The original 1972 design featured the traditional colours of blue and orange, but reversed from their more familiar appearance in later seasons, orange being the dominant colour and blue used for the trimming. For the first few games of the 1972 season, player names weren't displayed on the uniform; rather the word "ALBERTA" was written in that space. Once it became clear, however, that the team would play exclusively in Edmonton, the player names made their appearance. These jerseys also featured the player numbers high on the shoulders, rather than on the upper sleeve.

In the 1975-76 WHA season the jersey was changed to the more familiar blue base with orange trim, but with some minor differences. The logo that appeared on programs and promotional material remained the same, however the logo that appeared on the home jersey had a white oil drop, on a dark orange field, with the team name written in deep blue. The away jersey featured the orange-printed logo that many mistakenly attribute to the entire history of the WHA Oilers. In every other facet, though, the jerseys were identical to the dynasty-era form that is known throughout the hockey world.

When the team jumped to the NHL in 1979, the alternate logos were discarded and the jersey took its most famous form, though the logo did appear slightly different on a few vintages of the jersey (1979, 1986, 1990). The essential design remained untouched until 1996, when the blue and orange were replaced by midnight blue and copper. Other changes made to the jersey at that point were the removal of the orange shoulder bar and cuffs from the away jersey, and the addition of the "Rigger" alternate logo to the end of the shoulder bar on the home jersey, and the equivalent position on the road jersey. A year later, the shoulder bars were removed from the home jersey as well, giving the Oilers' sweater its modern look.

In 2001, the introduction of the third jersey featuring a logo designed by Spawn creator and Oilers co-owner, Todd McFarlane, and Brent Ashe, was a controversial move, given the negative reactions to many other teams' designs. While there remains some disdain towards both the "Rigger" logo and McFarlane's "Blades" logo — meant to symbolize elements of the Oilers' past — the navy, silver, and white design is generally considered a success, though there are no plans for it to become the basis for the team's primary jerseys, as has been done previously by the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. The jersey became a a big hit with the fans and became the best-selling third jersey in NHL History. McFarlane spoke about the jersey to the Edmonton Journal on the day it was unveiled, saying, "We wanted it to be a hockey jersey but also a good wear if you were just walking down the street." The logo was designed to represent what the Oilers were all about. "Sharp, blade-like shapes signify the blades of a hockey skate ... the five rivets around the oil drop represent the five Stanley Cups won by the Oilers ... inner and outer gear shapes signify force and reinforce the concept of teamwork and industriousness." McFarlane also mentioned, "The oil drop is derived from the original logo. It's turned on its side to suggest speed in the new logo and it has been given a highlight to emphasize the difference from the original."

In accordance with the NHL announcement of new jerseys to be used for all 30 NHL teams, the Oilers will unveil their new jersey during the latter part of the 06-07 season.[1]

[edit] Season-by-season record

[edit] Alberta/Edmonton Oilers (WHA, 1972-79)

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of September 12, 2006.^[4][5]

Season	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1972-73	78	37	35	6	80	259	250	843	4th, West	Did not qualify
1973-74	78	44	32	2	90	332	275	1273	3rd, West	Lost Preliminary Round
1974-75	78	36	38	4	76	279	279	896	5th, Canadian	Did not qualify
1975-76	81	27	49	5	59	268	345	991	4th, Canadian	Lost Quarterfinal
1976-77	81	34	43	4	72	243	304	1319	4th, West	Lost Quarterfinal
1977-78	80	38	39	3	79	309	307	1296	5th, WHA	Lost Preliminary Round
1978-79	80	48	30	2	98	340	266	1220	1st, WHA	Lost Avco World Trophy Final
Totals	556	264	266	26	554	2030	2026	7838	—	—

[edit] Edmonton Oilers (NHL, 1979-present)

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses/Shootout Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of February 6, 2006.^[6]

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1979-80	80	28	39	13	—	69	301	322	1528	4th, Smythe	Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-3 (Flyers)
1980-81	80	29	35	16	—	74	328	327	1544	4th, Smythe	Won in Preliminary Round, 3-0 (Canadiens) Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Islanders)
1981-82	80	48	17	15	—	111	417	295	1473	1st, Smythe	Lost in Division Semifinals, 2-3 (Kings)
1982-83	80	47	21	12	—	106	424	315	1771	1st, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 3-0 (Jets) Won in Division Finals, 4-1 (Flames) Won in Conference Finals, 4-0 (Black Hawks) Lost in Finals, 0-4 (Islanders)
1983-84	80	57	18	5	—	119	446	314	1577	1st, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 3-0 (Jets) Won in Division Finals, 4-3 (Flames) Won in Conference Finals, 4-0 (North Stars) Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Islanders)
1984-85	80	49	20	11	—	109	401	298	1567	1st, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 3-0 (Kings) Won in Division Finals, 4-0 (Jets) Won in Conference Finals, 4-2 (Black Hawks) Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Flyers)
1985-86	80	56	17	7	—	119	426	310	1928	1st, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 3-0 (Canucks) Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (Flames)
1986-87	80	50	24	6	—	106	372	284	1721	1st, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 4-1 (Kings) Won in Division Finals, 4-0 (Jets) Won in Conference Finals, 4-1 (Red Wings) Stanley Cup Champions, 4-3 (Flyers)
1987-88	80	44	25	11	—	99	363	288	2173	2nd, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 4-1 (Jets) Won in Division Finals, 4-0 (Flames) Won in Conference Finals, 4-1 (Red Wings) Stanley Cup Champions, 4-0 (Bruins)
1988-89	80	38	34	8	—	84	325	306	1931	3rd, Smythe	Lost in Division Semifinals, 3-4 (Kings)
1989-90	80	38	28	14	—	90	315	283	2046	3rd, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 4-3 (Jets) Won in Division Finals, 4-0 (Kings) Won in Conference Finals, 4-2 (Blackhawks) Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Bruins)
1990-91	80	37	37	6	—	80	272	272	1823	3rd, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 4-3 (Flames) Won in Division Finals, 4-2 (Kings) Lost in Conference Finals, 1-4 (North Stars)
1991-92	80	36	34	10	—	82	295	297	1907	3rd, Smythe	Won in Division Semifinals, 4-2 (Kings) Won in Division Finals, 4-2 (Canucks) Lost in Conference Finals, 0-4 (Blackhawks)
1992-93	84	26	50	8	—	60	242	337	2027	5th, Smythe	Did not qualify
1993-94	84	25	45	14	—	64	261	305	1858	6th, Pacific	Did not qualify
1994-951	48	17	27	4	—	38	136	183	1183	5th, Pacific	Did not qualify
1995-96	82	30	44	8	—	68	240	304	1709	5th, Pacific	Did not qualify
1996-97	82	36	37	9	—	81	252	247	1368	3rd, Pacific	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Stars) Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Avalanche)
1997-98	82	35	37	10	—	80	215	224	1690	3rd, Pacific	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Avalanche) Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Stars)
1998-99	82	33	37	12	—	78	230	226	1373	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Stars)
1999-00	82	32	26	16	8	88	226	212	1344	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Stars)
2000-01	82	39	28	12	3	93	243	222	1287	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Stars)
2001-02	82	38	28	12	4	92	205	182	1267	3rd, Northwest	Did not qualify
2002-03	82	36	26	11	9	92	231	230	1203	4th, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Stars)
2003-04	82	36	29	12	5	89	221	208	1220	4th, Northwest	Did not qualify
2004-052	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005-063	82	41	28	—	13	95	256	251	1178	3rd, Northwest	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Red Wings) Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-2 (Sharks) Won in Conference Finals, 4-1 (Mighty Ducks) Lost in Finals, 3-4 (Hurricanes)
2006-07	82	32	43	—	7	71	195	248	1090	5th, Northwest	Did not qualify
Totals	2129	1001	813	262	47	2311	7767	7137	41378	—	—

¹ Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.

² Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

³ As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games tied after a 5 minute overtime will be decided in a shootout; SOL (Shootout losses) will be recorded as OTL in the standings.

[edit] Notable players

[edit] Current roster

As of April 8, 2007. [2]

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
30		Jussi Markkanen	L	2004	Imatra, Finland
35		Dwayne Roloson	L	2006	Simcoe, Ontario

Defencemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2		Matt Greene	R	2002	Grand Ledge, Michigan
5		Ladislav Smid	L	2006	Frýdlant v Čechách, Czechoslovakia
21		Jason Smith - C	R	1999	Calgary, Alberta
24		Steve Staios - A (Injured)	R	2001	Hamilton, Ontario
25		Jan Hejda (Injured)	L	2006	Prague, Czechoslovakia
29		Daniel Tjarnqvist (IR)	L	2006	Umea, Sweden
36		Mathieu Roy (Injured)	R	2003	St-Georges, Quebec
40		Danny Syvret	L	2005	Millgrove, Ontario
76		Bryan Young	L	2004	Ennismore, Ontario
77		Tom Gilbert	R	2004	Bloomington, Minnesota

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
10		Shawn Horcoff - A	C	L	1998	Trail, British Columbia
14		Raffi Torres	LW	L	2003	Toronto, Ontario
15		Joffrey Lupul	RW	R	2006	Edmonton, Alberta
16		Jarret Stoll (IR)	C	R	2002	Melville, Saskatchewan
18		Ethan Moreau - A (IR)	LW	L	1999	Huntsville, Ontario
19		Marty Reasoner	C	L	2006	Honeoye Falls, New York
20		Toby Petersen	RW	L	2004	Minneapolis, Minnesota
22		Jean-Francois Jacques	LW	L	2003	Terrebonne, Quebec
26		Brad Winchester	LW	L	2000	Madison, Wisconsin
28		Patrick Thoresen	LW	L	2006	Oslo, Norway
34		Fernando Pisani	RW	L	1996	Edmonton, Alberta
46		Zack Stortini	RW	R	2003	Elliot Lake, Ontario
71		Petr Sykora	C	L	2006	Plzen, Czechoslovakia
78		Marc-Antoine Pouliot	C	R	2003	Quebec City, Quebec
83		Ales Hemsky	RW	R	2001	Pardubice, Czechoslovakia

[edit] Team captains

Note: This list includes Oiler captains from both the NHL and WHA.

[edit] Hall of Famers

Players

• Paul Coffey, D, 1980-1987, inducted 2004
• Grant Fuhr, G, 1981-1991, inducted 2003
• Wayne Gretzky, C, 1978-1988, inducted 1999
• Jari Kurri, RW, 1980-1990, inducted 2001
• Jacques Plante, G, 1974-75, inducted 1978
• Norm Ullman, C , 1975-77, inducted 1982

Builders

• Glen Sather, Head coach/GM, 1977-2000, inducted 1997

Broadcasters

• Rod Phillips, 1973 - present, inducted 2003

[edit] Retired numbers

• 3 Al Hamilton, D, 1972-80, number retired in 1980 (jersey ceremony April 4, 2001)
• 7 Paul Coffey, D, 1980-87, number retired October 18, 2005
• 11 Mark Messier, C, 1979-91, number retired February 27, 2007
• 17 Jari Kurri, RW, 1980-90, number retired October 6, 2001
• 31 Grant Fuhr, G, 1981-91, number retired October 9, 2003
• 99 Wayne Gretzky, C, 1978-88, number retired October 1, 1999

[edit] First-round draft picks

Note: This list does not include selections from the WHA.

[edit] Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Oilers player

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Wayne Gretzky	C	696	583	1,086	1,669	2.40
Jari Kurri	RW	754	474	569	1,043	1.38
Mark Messier	C/LW	851	392	642	1,034	1.22
Glenn Anderson	RW	845	417	489	906	1.07
Paul Coffey	D	532	209	460	669	1.26
Doug Weight	C	588	157	420	577	.98
Ryan Smyth	LW	770	265	284	549	.69
Esa Tikkanen	LW	490	178	258	436	.89
Kevin Lowe	D	1,037	74	309	383	.37
Charlie Huddy	D	694	61	287	368	.53

[edit] NHL awards and trophies

[edit] Franchise individual records

WHA (1972-79)

• Most Games, career: Al Hamilton, 456
• Most Goals, career: Rusty Patenaude, 126
• Most Assists, career: Al Hamilton, 258
• Most Points, career: Al Hamilton, 311
• Most Penalty Minutes, career: Doug Barrie, 620
• Most Wins, career: Dave Dryden, 112
• Most Shutouts, career: Dave Dryden, 8

NHL (1979-present)

• Most Goals in a season: Wayne Gretzky, 92 (1981-82)
• Most Assists in a season: Wayne Gretzky, 163 (1985-86)
• Most Points in a season: Wayne Gretzky, 215 (1985-86)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Steve Smith, 286 (1987-88)
• Most Points in a season, defenceman: Paul Coffey, 138 (1985-86)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Jari Kurri, 75 (1980-81)
• Most Wins in a season: Grant Fuhr, 40 (1987-88)
• Most Shutouts in a season: Curtis Joseph; Tommy Salo, 8 (1997-98; 2000-01)
• Fastest Hat-Trick in a Game: Ryan Smyth, 2 mins 1 second (2006-07)

[edit] Milestone

On January 4, 2007, the Oilers got their 1000th franchise win. They were the 3rd fastest team to do that after Philadelphia and Montreal.

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Other notable figures

• Peter Pocklington, owner of the Oilers from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. Pocklington had a number of business deals that went sour and was responsible for the trade of Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
• Joey Moss, official Dressing Room Attendant for the Oilers. Moss, who was born with Down Syndrome, is the brother of singer Vicki Moss, whom Gretzky began dating in 1979. Gretzky asked Joey to come work for the Oilers in the early 1980s, and Moss has remained with the team ever since. Every year an intra-squad game called the "Joey Moss Cup" is held in early September. In 2003, Moss was honoured by the NHL Alumni Association with its “Seventh Man Award”, honouring those for their dedication and service behind the scenes^[7]
• Todd McFarlane, artist and creator of the comic book Spawn, is a part-owner of the franchise. In late 2001, McFarlane revealed a new logo for the Edmonton Oilers. This logo is featured on the team's Third Jersey. His company McFarlane Toys also makes action figures for the NHL.
• Nelson Skalbania, who owned the Edmonton Oilers WHA franchise in the mid 1970s before selling the team to Peter Pocklington. Ironically, it was Skalbania who, as owner of the Indianapolis Racers, would eventually sell the contracts of three players to Pocklington in 1978 for $700,000. One of these players was Wayne Gretzky.
• Rod Phillips, the Oilers' play-by-play broadcaster for all games on 630 CHED. Alongside Morley Scott, Phillips has only missed one Oiler game in 30 years of broadcasting. In 2003, he was the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his great play-by-play work. Oiler fans consider Phillips to be as good as the great hockey broadcasters like Bob Cole and Chris Cuthbert.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• List of Edmonton Oilers players
• Head coaches of the Edmonton Oilers
• Edmonton Oilers Records
• Battle of Alberta
• World Hockey Association
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta

[edit] External links

• Official website of the Edmonton Oilers
• Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website

Preceded by New York Islanders	Stanley Cup Champions 1983-84, 1984-85	Succeeded by Montreal Canadiens
Preceded by Montreal Canadiens	Stanley Cup Champions 1986-87, 1987-88	Succeeded by Calgary Flames
Preceded by Calgary Flames	Stanley Cup Champions 1989-90	Succeeded by Pittsburgh Penguins

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