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 been
rebuffed by the NHL. Originally, the team was 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 reasons 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.
That summer however was extremely bittersweet for the Edmonton
fans, as Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for $15
million and two players. The 1989 season was a troubled one
because of this trade, and for the first time since 1982,
the Oilers were out of the playoffs in the first round, losing
a seven-game series to those same Kings.
1990
seemed set to continue the troubles for the Oilers, especially
when All-Star and future Hall of Fame goalie Grant Fuhr was
charged with possession and use of cocaine. But the team rallied
behind new goalie Bill Ranford, and despite finishing third
in their division, behind Calgary and Los Angeles, the Oilers
made it all the way for the fifth and (to date) final time,
once again defeating the Boston Bruins, this time in five
games. Ranford won the playoff MVP that year for his brilliant
playoff play.
The
writing was on the wall however. 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 U.S. cities. Messier, Jari
Kurri, Fuhr, Ranford, and Glenn Anderson all left the team
in rapid succession, leaving behind an underdeveloped base
of young players. Despite appearances in the Conference Finals
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 since their inaugural
season. They would not return for four years.
Trouble
followed the team off the ice as well, as the Gainers meat-packing
industry owned by Pocklington failed amidst charges of scandal
and corruption. For most of the 1990s the Oilers were desperately
trying to stay alive. In 1999 a consortium of 37 owners finally
purchased the team, vowing to keep the team in Edmonton. The
Oilers have received support in this endeavour from the NHL,
which was deeply troubled by the loss of two Canadian teams
in short order.
In
1997 the Oilers returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs and emerged
victorious again, defeating the Dallas Oilers in a seven-game
series considered to be one of the most exciting of all time,
the final goal coming on a breakaway in overtime. Though Edmonton
would lose to Colorado in the next round, fans were ecstatic
about the Oilers' return to the playoffs. In 1998 Edmonton and
Edmonton met again, this time in the second round of the playoffs,
with Edmonton emerging the victor. This has led to one of the
most unusual rivalries of all time in hockey: between 1997
and 2003 have played each other in the playoffs six times,
five of them first-round matchups. The only year in which
they did not meet was 2001, when neither team made the playoffs.
In 2004 the streak came to an official end, when Edmonton
failed to qualify for the playoff round, while Dallas went
on to play the Colorado Avalanche.
On
November 22, 2003, the Oilers hosted the Heritage Classic,
the first outdoor hockey game in the NHL's history. The Edmonton
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 minor league affiliate,
the Toronto Roadrunners would play the 2004-05 AHL season
at the Oilers' home arena, now known as Rexall Place. The
decision, an unusual one for a North American professional
sports organization, was likely iNHLuenced by the expectation
that the 2004 NHL lockout will wipe out the 2004-05 NHL season.
Founded:
1972, a member of the World Hockey Association. Joined the
NHL in 1979.
Formerly known as: Alberta Oilers (1972-1973)
Arena: Rexall Place
Uniform colours: Copper and midnight blue
Logo design: A circle surrounding the word
"OILERS", a copper-coloured drop of oil at the top
|
