Sportblis presents you with the History and Facts of the Edmonton Oilers. This article consist of the History, Trophies, Net Worth, Home Arenas, Greatest Players, and Coaches of the Oilers Hockey team.
The Edmonton Oilers is a professional ice Hockey team that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are based in Edmonton and belong to the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
Edmonton Oilers’ History:
The Edmonton Oilers was founded on the 1st day of November 1971 by Wild Bill (W.D) Hunter and Dr. Chuck Allard. However, the team did not take part in any professional hockey games until they played their first season in 1972.
The Oilers were one of the first founding franchises of the World Hockey Association (WHA) which operated from 1972 to 1979.
At the earliest days of the Oilers’ inception, the team bore the name Alberta Oilers for a single year and later changed its name back to the Edmonton Oilers.
After a few years of competing in the WHA, the Oilers became absorbed into the NHL through the merger that occurred between WHA and NHL in 1979.
Prior to the merging of the WHA and the NHL, the Oilers recorded a grand achievement by playing and winning the first-ever Hockey game played in the WHA.
They recorded this resounding history by winning the Ottawa Nationals with a 7-4 goal margin. Notwithstanding, the franchise would end up making a poor performance for the next few years after their first win.
The Transfer of Ownership:
In the year 1976, the founders of the Oilers, Hunter and Allard sold the franchise to Nelson Skalbania, a real estate tycoon.
However, Nelson did not remain the owner of the team for a long time as he soon sold the Oilers to Peter Pocklington barely a year later.
Upon their move into the NHL in 1979, the Oilers continued to put on their mediocrity performances and finished 16th and 14th in their first two seasons.
Funny enough, the team only won one playoff in their first three seasons after joining the NHL. As time goes on, the Oilers gained prominence in the NHL and showcased astonishing performances in their games.
Finally, in the 1982-83 season, the Oilers made a mind-blowing record and finished third overall in the NHL. Subsequently, he finished first overall in the 1983-84 season with a total point of 119 from 57 games.
Since then, the Oilers have consistently put on several outstanding performances that have left Hockey lovers bewildered.
Edmonton Oilers’ Trophies and League Titles:
Do you know?… The Edmonton Oilers have made over 21 NHL Playoff Appearances in their first forty seasons in the History of the NHL.
Hence, the team has amassed a ton of trophies and awards over the years. Below is a comprehensive list of Edmonton Oilers’ Trophies and Awards.
Trophies and Titles:
| Stanley Cup: | 5 |
| NHL League Championship: | 1 |
| Presidents' Trophy: | 2 |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | 7 |
| Art Ross Trophy: | 10 |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | 4 |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | 10 |
| Jack Adams Award: | 1 |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | 2 |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy: | 3 |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | 2 |
| NHL Man of the Year Award: | 1 |
| NHL Plus-Minus Award: | 4 |
| Ted Lindsay Award: | 8 |
| Vezina Trophy: | 1 |
Edmonton Oilers’ Net Worth:
After many years of participating in major competitions, the Oilers have stocked up a lot of financial proceedings. At the time of writing this History, the Edmonton Oilers have an estimated Net Worth of $575 Million.
The team has been ranked by Forbes as the 14th most valuable franchise in the NHL. Following the financial breakdown of the Oilers’ Team Value, it was revealed that their annual revenue is an estimated sum of $154 Million.
Edmonton Oilers’ Home Arenas History:
Since the inception of the Oilers, the franchise has played its home games in different Arenas. Below is the history of each home ground utilised by the NHL Franchise.
Edmonton Gardens (1972 – 1974):
The Edmonton Gardens was the first home ground used by the Edmonton Oilers. Moreso, it was the first indoor hockey arena built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The Arena has a spectator capacity of 5,200 seats. The Oilers utilised it for only two years before they moved to Northlands Coliseum in 1994.
Northlands Coliseum (1974 – 1995):
After leaving Edmonton gardens, the Oilers started using Northlands Coliseum for their home games. The Coliseum which is currently an unused indoor arena is also located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
After using the Arena for a year, the name of the Coliseum was changed from Northlands Coliseum to Edmonton Coliseum and remained so from 1995 to 1998.
In the year 1998, the coliseum’s name was still changed to Skyreach Centre (1998 – 2003) and later Rexall Place (2003 – 2016). After changing the name of the coliseum repeatedly, the arena’s name was finally changed back to its original name, Northlands Coliseum in 2016.
Rogers Place (2016 – present):
In the year 2016, the Edmonton Oilers moved into utilizing Rogers Place as their home ground. Rogers Place is an indoor multi-use arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It took two years of construction to complete the arena in 2016.
Being opened for use on the 8th of September 2016, Rogers Place has an 18,500 seating capacity for Hockey games. Do you know?… The total estimated cost of constructing the arena is $450 million.
Edmonton Oilers’ Greatest Players in History:
The Edmonton Oilers have recorded quite a number of talented players throughout the team’s history. Some of these players perform so well that they make it look like they were born for the game.
1. Wayne Gretzky (Centerman):
It goes without any doubt that Wayne Gretzky has made one of the most unforgettable impacts in the Oilers History. As a matter of fact, it will be difficult to talk about the NHL at large without mentioning the name of the Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky.
During his glorious days, Gretzky saw the Edmonton Oilers into winning four championships. Besides that, his royal wedding to Janet Jones was equally phenomenal. Arguably, Wayne Gretzky is believed to be one of the greatest players the NHL has ever seen.
Major achievements with the Edmonton Oilers: During his career in playing ice Hockey with the Oilers, Wayne Gretzky holds about 61 official NHL records.
Most notably, he became the first and only player to crack above 200 points (4 times) in a season during his days. He scored a record-breaking 50 goals in 39 games, thereby reaching a 51 game point streak.
In Summary, Wayne Gretzky stacked up 1669 regular-season points in the 696 games he played for the Oilers during his career.
He also won 7 Art Ross trophies, 4 Stanley Cups, 8 Hart Trophies, and 2 Conn Smythe with the Oilers. Am sure Wayne Gretzky is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time in the History of the Edmonton oilers.
2. Mark Messier (Centerman):
Another Hockey prodigy that has left a lasting impression in the heart of the Oilers fans is Mark Messier. Unbelievably, Mark Messier played in the NHL with the Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks for 25 years.
The Canadian former professional hockey player is feared for his deadly skills whenever he steps into the arena.
Major achievements with the Edmonton Oilers: Throughout his career life with the oilers, Mark Messier has racked up 1122 PIM and 1034 points in the 851 games he played for the team.
With the Oilers, Messier won the Conn Smythe Trophy and Hart trophy as well as the five Stanley Cups. Playing alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mark messier displayed an astonishing performance that may never again be seen in the NHL.
Do you know?… Mark Messier is the only player that has captained two teams to win the Stanley Cup championships.
3. Jari Kurri (right winger):
The ice hockey right winger has made quite an impact in the NHL to the extent of inking his name in one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
As a matter of fact, Jari was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. Do you know?… Jari Kurri would always be remembered as one of the deadliest snipers in the NHL.
Major achievements with the Edmonton Oilers: Jari Kurri scored over 50 goals in four consecutive seasons. During his career with the Oilers, Kurri became the 2nd all-time highest goal scorer and pointer.
Hence, he recorded 474 points and 1043 goals with the Edmonton Oilers. Furthermore, Jari Kurri won five championships with the Oilers.
4. Connor McDavid (Center):
Over the past few years, many people have argued that the professional ice hockey centre, Connor McDavid, is the best player in the world. However, their assertion is only based on their point of view.
Notwithstanding, in December 2017, Sports Network declared Connor McDavid the most highly developed hockey player of all time.
Major achievements with the Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid have won 2 Art Ross Trophies, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and 2 Ted Lindsay Awards.
During his appearance in all the aforementioned competitions, McDavid finished as the best player voted by other NHL players.
5. Paul Coffey (Defenceman):
Interestingly, the Canadian ice hockey defenceman has played for 9 different teams in the NHL. Throughout his career, he has put on many astonishing performances to earn the rank of the second-all time defenceman in the NHL.
As a matter of fact, Coffey holds the record for the most goals scored by a defenceman in a single season – 48 goals in the 1985/86 season.
Major achievements with the Oilers: Paul Coffey also holds the record for most assists by a defenceman in the NHL. During his seven-season career life with the Oilers, Coffey won 3 Stanley Cups.
Honourable Mentions:
Other notable players that have hugely influenced the improvement of the Edmonton oilers include Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Ryan Smyth, Doug Weight, and Esa Tikkanen to mention a few.
Edmonton Oilers’ Greatest Coaches in History:
1. Glen Sather:
Glen Sather has achieved a lot with the Oilers to be regarded as their greatest coach of all time. Do you know?… The Edmonton Oilers won four Stanley Cups in five years under the management of Sather.
The best strategy that helped Glen Sather record such success with the Oilers was his utilization of young players while coaching the team.
2. John Muckler:
John Muckler also recorded several successful seasons with the Oilers. He even led the team into winning one Stanley Cup Championship in the 1989-90 season.
Having amassed 50 years’ experience in ice Hockey Muckler went on to nice records with the Oilers in the space of two years.
Edmonton Oilers’ Facts:
To wrap up the History of the Edmonton Oilers, below are a few facts that would help you get a complete grasp of the NHL team.
1: The Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to feature three players who scored above 50 goals. The players are Kurri, Anderson, and Gretzky.
2: One of the Edmonton Oilers’ players, Gretzky became the youngest player to score a thousand points in the History of the NHL.
3: The NHL team was named Oilers because where it is located -Edmonton, Alberta – is the centre of Canada’s petroleum industry.
4: The Oilers are ranked at 6th position for the NHL team with the most Stanley Cup wins since 1915.
Conclusion:
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