The Edmonton Road Runners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They played in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada at Rexall Place .
159-671: After the 2003–04 season the Edmonton Oilers announced that the Toronto Roadrunners would play the 2004–05 season in Edmonton, where they were based in the Oilers' own arena, Rexall Place . The NHL team's decision to re-locate its affiliate to Edmonton was an unusual one for a North American professional sports organization, and was likely influenced by the expectation that the 2004–05 NHL lockout would wipe out
318-702: A Stanley Cup champion team is Kenora , Ontario; the town had a population of about 4,000 when the Kenora Thistles captured the Cup in January 1907. Led by future Hall of Famers Art Ross and "Bad" Joe Hall , the Thistles defeated the Montreal Wanderers in a two-game, total goals challenge series. The Thistles successfully defended the Cup once, against a team from Brandon, Manitoba . In March 1907,
477-458: A Stanley Cup championship game, nor did he ever present the Cup. Although his term as Governor General ended in September 1893, he was forced to return to England on July 15. In April of that year, his older brother Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby died, and Stanley succeeded him as the 16th Earl of Derby . During the challenge cup period, none of the leagues that played for the trophy had
636-405: A first-round draft pick in 2011 (used to select Oscar Klefbom ) and a conditional third-round pick in 2012 . At the end of the season, the Oilers were at the bottom of the standings and received the right to choose first overall in the upcoming 2011 NHL entry draft . The Oilers selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first overall selection, along with several other "blue chip" prospects. During
795-511: A formal playoff system to decide their respective champions; whichever team finished in first place after the regular season won the league title. However, in 1894, four teams out of the five-team AHAC tied for the championship with records of 5–3–0. The AHAC had no tie-breaking system. After extensive negotiations and Quebec's withdrawal from the championship competition, it was decided that a three-team tournament would take place in Montreal, with
954-473: A goal by Todd Marchant in overtime . However, the Oilers' surprise playoff run failed to continue, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated them in the next round. In 1997–98 , Joseph led the Oilers to another first-round upset. After Colorado took a 3–1 series lead, the Oilers held them scoreless for eight straight periods en route to winning the series in seven games. Dallas and Edmonton met again in
1113-497: A good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion [of Canada]. There does not appear to be any such outward sign of a championship at present, and considering the general interest which matches now elicit, and the importance of having the game played fairly and under rules generally recognized, I am willing to give a cup which shall be held from year to year by
1272-519: A height of 89.5 centimetres ( 35 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) and weighs 15.6 kilograms ( 34 + 1 ⁄ 2 lb). Like the Grey Cup , and unlike the trophies awarded by the other major professional sports leagues of North America, a new Stanley Cup is not made every year. The winners originally kept it until a new champion was crowned, but winning teams currently get the Stanley Cup during
1431-474: A player and seven times as management for a total of seventeen times. Twenty women have had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. The first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup is Marguerite Norris , who won the Cup as the president of the Detroit Red Wings in 1954 and 1955. The only Canadian woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup is Sonia Scurfield who won the Cup as
1590-524: A playoff year, with 19. However, Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy after setting the record for most points in a playoff year (47). The 1984–85 Oilers were voted as the greatest NHL team of all-time during the league's centennial celebrations in 2017. Despite off-season legal issues, the Oilers were again the top team in the NHL during the 1985–86 season , with 56 wins and 119 points. They won
1749-758: A professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers it to be one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The trophy was commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and is named after Lord Stanley of Preston , the Governor General of Canada , who donated it as an award to Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. The entire Stanley family supported
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#17327872419761908-549: A record 24 times and are the most recent Canadian-based team to win it, doing so in 1993 ; the Detroit Red Wings have won it 11 times, the most of any United States–based NHL team, most recently in 2008 . The current holders of the cup are the Florida Panthers after their victory in 2024 . More than 3,000 different names, including the names of over 1,300 players, had been engraved on it by 2017. After
2067-743: A resolution at the annual meeting of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) to allow professional players to play alongside amateurs. The Cup trustees agreed to open the challenges to professional teams, because the ECAHA was the top hockey league in Canada at the time. The first professional competition came one month later during the Wanderers' two-game, total goals challenge series, which they won 17 goals to 5. The smallest municipality to produce
2226-520: A result of the 1953–1965 band only containing 12 teams prior to its removal), depending on the order they are engraved on the relevant band. There have only been four official Stanley Cup engravers. The fourth and current one, Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques, has held the position since 1988. Currently, the Cup stands at 89.5 centimetres ( 35 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches) tall and weighs 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 kilograms ( 34 + 1 ⁄ 2 lb). By its 125th anniversary in 2017,
2385-474: A rose bowl, made in Sheffield , England, and sold by London silversmith G. R. Collis and Company (now Boodle and Dunthorne Jewellers), for ten guineas , equal to ten and a half pounds sterling, US$ 48.67, which is equal to $ 1,650 in 2023 dollars. He had the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" engraved on one side of the outside rim, and "From Stanley of Preston" on the other side. The name "Stanley Cup"
2544-684: A season (with forty exactly). The team scored a total of 446 goals as a team, an NHL record. The Oilers were so determined to win the Stanley Cup that they hired Roger Neilson as a video analyst. They started the playoffs strongly by sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in the Smythe Division semifinals. They faced a tougher test in the Calgary Flames , but they defeated them in seven games in the division finals. They then swept
2703-449: A second band onto the Cup. Despite the new room, the 1910 Wanderers and the 1911 Senators did not put their names on the Cup. The 1915 Vancouver Millionaires became the second team to engrave players' names, this time inside the bowl along its sides. The 1918 Millionaires eventually filled the band added by the 1909 Senators. The 1915 Ottawa Senators, the 1916 Portland Rosebuds and the 1918 Vancouver Millionaires all engraved their names on
2862-471: A second band), teams left their mark on the bowl itself. The 1907 Montreal Wanderers became the first club to record their name on the bowl's interior surface, and the first champion to record the names of 20 members of their team. In 1908, for reasons unknown, the Wanderers, despite having turned aside four challengers, did not record their names on the Cup. The next year, the Ottawa Senators added
3021-553: A trade request for personal reasons. Pronger was subsequently traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Joffrey Lupul , Ladislav Smid , and three draft picks. Several Oilers left via free agency and during the season, long-time Oiler Ryan Smyth was traded to the New York Islanders for Ryan O'Marra , Robert Nilsson and a first-round pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft (used to select Alex Plante ). However,
3180-657: Is followed by Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer of the Canadiens with ten championships, Claude Provost of the Canadiens with nine, and three players tied with eight: Red Kelly (four with the Red Wings, four with the Leafs, the most for any player who was not a member of the Canadiens) and Canadiens players Jacques Lemaire , Maurice Richard . Beliveau's name appears on the Cup more than any other individual, ten times as
3339-581: Is removed and retired to be displayed in the vault of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The four bands below it are slid up one place and a new blank band added to the bottom. The first winning team engraved on the newest band is thus, in theory (see Engraving section below) , displayed on the trophy for the next 65 years. It has been referred to as The Cup , Lord Stanley's Cup , The Holy Grail , or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug . The Stanley Cup
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#17327872419763498-519: Is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions , the oldest of which is the winning team drinking champagne from it. Since the 1914–15 season, the Cup has been won a combined 106 times by 21 current NHL teams and five teams no longer in existence. It was not awarded in 1919 because of the Spanish flu epidemic and in 2005 because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout . It was held by nine different teams between 1893 and 1914. The Montreal Canadiens have won it
3657-484: Is the head coach as of November 12, 2023 , and Stan Bowman was named general manager on July 24, 2024. The Oilers are one of two NHL franchises based in Alberta , the other being the Calgary Flames . Their proximity has led to a fierce rivalry known as the " Battle of Alberta ". The Oilers were founded in 1971 by W. D. "Wild Bill" Hunter and Dr. Chuck Allard and played its first season in 1972–73 as one of
3816-511: The 2004–05 NHL season . The expectation proved accurate, as the season was officially cancelled on February 16, 2005. With no NHL hockey for the season, the team proved highly successful at the gate, finishing third in the AHL in attendance at 8,854 fans per game despite a disappointing season plagued by injury. Despite the franchise's short term success, the Oilers' owners realized that Edmonton could probably not support both NHL and AHL franchises in
3975-474: The 2015 NHL entry draft held in Sunrise, Florida, on June 26. On April 24, Craig MacTavish was removed from his position as general manager and was replaced by former Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli , who was also appointed president of hockey operations as part of other related changes. In Chiarelli's first transactions as Oilers general manager, he traded a first and a second-round pick during
4134-617: The Boston Bruins in four games. The fourth game had to be re-played because of a cancellation. With the score tied 3–3 with 3:23 to play in the second period, a power outage hit the Boston Garden , forcing cancellation of the entire game. The Oilers won the next game (originally scheduled as game five) back in Edmonton 6–3 to complete the series sweep. However, all player statistics for the aborted game four in Boston are counted in
4293-530: The Carolina Hurricanes . During Game 1, the Oilers blew a 3–0 lead, lost Dwayne Roloson for the series after he suffered a knee injury, and ultimately lost 5–4 when Carolina's captain Rod Brind'Amour scored the winning goal in the final minute after backup goalie Ty Conklin misplayed the puck. From that game forward, the Oilers used Jussi Markkanen in net. Despite trailing the series 2–0 and 3–1,
4452-671: The Chicago Blackhawks , Detroit Cougars (now called the Detroit Red Wings ), and New York Rangers joined the NHL. With the NHL now firmly established in the largest markets of the Northeastern United States, and with the Western teams having been stripped of their best players, the PHL was deemed to be a "minor league" unworthy of challenging the NHL for hockey supremacy. The PHL lasted only two seasons. Over
4611-631: The Clarkson Cup was created instead. Meanwhile, a group in Ontario, also known as the "Wednesday Nighters", filed an application with the Ontario Superior Court, claiming that the Cup trustees had overstepped their bounds in signing the 1947 agreement with the NHL, and therefore must award the trophy regardless of the lockout. On February 7, 2006, a settlement was reached in which the trophy could be awarded to non-NHL teams should
4770-744: The Minnesota North Stars in the conference finals to earn a rematch with the Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals . The Oilers split the first two games in Long Island but then won three in a row in Edmonton to become the first former WHA team to win the Stanley Cup. After the series, Mark Messier was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The following season , the Oilers finished second overall in
4929-593: The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), and became the founder of ice hockey in Great Britain. Arthur and Algernon persuaded their father to donate a trophy to be "an outward and visible sign of the hockey championship". Stanley sent the following message to the victory celebration held on March 18, 1892, at Ottawa's Russell House Hotel for the three-time champion Ottawa Hockey Club : I have for some time been thinking that it would be
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5088-578: The Pittsburgh Penguins , in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft . Before his trade, Schultz endured the worst season of his professional career, with just 10 points in 45 games. Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup ( French : La Coupe Stanley ) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to
5247-642: The Victoria Cougars won the Cup, the last team outside the NHL to do so. The WHL folded in 1926 and was quickly replaced by the Prairie Hockey League . However, in the meantime, the NHL (which had entered the U.S. only two years before) bought up the contracts of most of the WHL's players and largely used them to stock the rosters of three new U.S. teams. In what would turn out to be its most significant expansion of its pre- Original Six era,
5406-613: The Western Hockey League (WHL)). Hunter's efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL. So, he looked to the upstart WHA instead. It was Hunter who chose the "Oilers" name for the new WHA franchise. This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s. Hunter also served as head coach during 1972–73, 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons. After
5565-478: The world champions. The Cup was awarded every year until 2005, when a labour dispute between the NHL's owners and the NHL Players Association (the union that represents the players) led to the cancellation of the 2004–05 season . As a result, no Cup champion was crowned for the first time since the flu pandemic in 1919. The lockout was controversial among many fans, who questioned whether
5724-476: The 2005–06 season, which was confirmed when the owners and players agreed on July 13, 2005, to a new six-year collective bargaining agreement. Though the Oilers chose first to maintain split AHL affiliations in 2005–06 and 2007–08, then make a conventional agreement with the Springfield Falcons for the next three seasons, they retained the rights to the dormant Road Runners franchise. The franchise
5883-595: The 2011 off-season, the team again made several moves to bolster the offence and defence, re-acquiring fan favourite Ryan Smyth from Los Angeles for Colin Fraser and a seventh-round draft pick. The team also traded with the Anaheim Ducks to acquire Andy Sutton for Kurtis Foster . Sheldon Souray , who played the entire 2010–11 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears ,
6042-512: The AHAC, Montreal was the best team in Canada. Naturally, the Ottawas were upset by the decision because there had been no challenge games scheduled and because the trustees failed to convey the rules on how the Cup was to be awarded prior to the start of the season. As a result, the Cup trustees issued more specific rules on how the trophy should be defended and awarded: Lord Stanley never saw
6201-725: The Cup came the next year by the Winnipeg Victorias , the champions of the Manitoba Hockey League. On February 14, 1896, the Winnipeg squad defeated the champions 2–0 and became the first team outside the AHAC to win the Cup. As the prestige of winning the Cup grew, so did the need to attract top players. Only nine months after winning the Cup, in March 1906, the Montreal Wanderers pushed through
6360-410: The Cup in the event the 2012–13 season were cancelled, which it was not. In 2007, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) formalized the " Triple Gold Club ", the group of players and coaches who have won an Olympic Games gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup. The term had first entered popular use following the 2002 Winter Olympics , which saw the addition of
6519-635: The Cup. One year later, the Montreal HC and the Montreal Victorias, the two remaining amateur teams, left the ECAHA, and the ECAHA dropped "Amateur" from their name to become a professional league. In 1910, the National Hockey Association (NHA) was formed. The NHA soon proved it was the best in Canada, as it kept the Cup for the next four years. Prior to 1912, challenges could take place at any time or place, given
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6678-508: The Cup. Also included was the 1918–19 no decision between the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans. Since 1958, the Cup has undergone several minor alterations. The original collar and bowl were too brittle, and were replaced in 1963 and 1969, respectively. The modern one-piece Cup design was introduced in 1958, when the old barrel was replaced with a five-band barrel, each of which could contain 13 winning teams. Although
6837-473: The Cup. By this time, all Cup trustees were longtime NHL loyalists, and under the direction of NHL president Clarence Campbell the WHA's challenge for the Cup was blocked. However, notwithstanding the aforementioned legal obligation, the NHL (considering not only the WHA's presence but also the rising caliber of European ice hockey leagues) quietly stopped calling its champions the world champions . Nevertheless,
6996-689: The Cup. Sweetland and Ross first presented the trophy in 1893 to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association on behalf of the affiliated Montreal Hockey Club, the champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC), since they "defeated all comers during the late season, including the champions of the Ontario Association" (Ottawa). Sweetland and Ross also believed that the AHAC was the top league, and as first-place finishers in
7155-539: The East and the West each year, with alternating games played according to NHA and PCHA rules. The PCHA's Vancouver Millionaires won the 1915 series three games to none in a best-of-five series. Prior to organized ice hockey expanding to any serious extent outside Canada, the concept that the Stanley Cup champion ought to be recognized as the world champion was already firmly established – Stanley Cup winners were claiming
7314-531: The Edmonton Investors Group. The Oilers announced a restructuring of their hockey operations on July 30, 2008, which saw the promotion of Kevin Lowe to the role of president of hockey operations and was replaced by Steve Tambellini . The 2008–09 season saw the Oilers finish with a record of 38–35–9, but that was only good enough for 11th in the West. However, one bright spot during the season
7473-723: The Edmonton Oilers became 1 of the 12 founding WHA franchises. The original owners were "Wild Bill" Hunter (1920–2002) and partner, Dr. Charles A. "Chuck" Allard (1919–1991) (father of Vancouver lawyer Peter Allard ) who, a decade later, also brought the SCTV sketch comedy TV series to Edmonton. Hunter also owned the Edmonton Oil Kings , a junior hockey franchise, and founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (now known as
7632-434: The Edmonton Oilers the following year. They won the first game in WHA history 7–4 over the Ottawa Nationals . The Oilers drew fans with players such as defenceman and team captain Al Hamilton , goaltender Dave Dryden and forwards Blair MacDonald and Bill Flett . However, a relatively little-noticed move in 1976 had an important impact on the history of the franchise. That year, journeyman forward Glen Sather
7791-414: The Jets following a merger agreement between the two leagues. 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. The Oilers lost most of the players from 1978–79 when the NHL held a reclamation draft of players who had bolted to
7950-399: The Lord Stanley of Preston was appointed by Queen Victoria as Governor General of Canada on June 11, 1888, he and his family became highly enthusiastic about ice hockey. Stanley was first exposed to the game at Montreal 's 1889 Winter Carnival, where he saw the Montreal Victorias play the Montreal Hockey Club . The Montreal Gazette reported that he "expressed his great delight with
8109-401: The Los Angeles Kings in six games. However, their success did not continue into the conference finals, as they lost in five games to the Minnesota North Stars. The final star players from the Oilers left before the 1991–92 season . Fuhr and Glenn Anderson were traded to Toronto, Steve Smith was traded to Chicago, and Kurri was traded to Philadelphia. Charlie Huddy was claimed by Minnesota in
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#17327872419768268-412: The Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans to cancel the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals after game five, marking the first time the Stanley Cup was not awarded. The series was tied at 2–2–1, but the final game was never played because Montreal Manager George Kennedy and players Joe Hall , Billy Coutu , Jack McDonald , and Newsy Lalonde were hospitalized with influenza . Hall died four days after
8427-422: The NHL came under pressure to allow its champion to play the WHA champion. Eventually, following the establishment of the Canada Cup as the first best-on-best international hockey tournament, NHL president Clarence Campbell (who was a vocal opponent of the tournament) made public overtures to establish a true world professional championship in ice hockey, "just like the World Series ". Under Campbell's proposal,
8586-402: The NHL champion would have played the WHA champion for the right to face the European champion. In the end, Campbell's proposal went nowhere – eventually, the NHL resolved the WHA challenge by agreeing to merge with its rival , by which time the older league had quietly withdrawn its support for the idea. Neither the NHL nor any other professional hockey league makes a claim to its champions being
8745-402: The NHL had exclusive control over the Cup. A website known as freestanley.com (since closed) was launched, asking fans to write to the Cup trustees and urge them to return to the original Challenge Cup format. Adrienne Clarkson , then Governor General of Canada, alternately proposed that the Cup be presented to the top women's hockey team in lieu of the NHL season. This idea was so unpopular that
8904-399: The NHL in 1979 as one of four franchises absorbed through the NHL–WHA merger . After joining the NHL, the Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup on five occasions: 1983–84 , 1984–85 , 1986–87 , 1987–88 and 1989–90 . Along with the Pittsburgh Penguins , they are tied for the most championships won by any team since the NHL–WHA merger, as well as the most won by any team that joined
9063-457: The NHL point-scoring race, while Messier was fourth. Edmonton returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and faced the same opponent as they had in 1985, the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers took a three-games-to-one lead in the series. However, strong goaltending by Flyers' rookie Ron Hextall forced a Game 7, which the Oilers won, 3–1. In the post-game celebration, Gretzky immediately passed the Stanley Cup to Steve Smith, vindicated after his costly miscue
9222-410: The NHL record books. Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the playoffs in scoring with 43 points. 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. This started a tradition since continued by every subsequent Stanley Cup champion. After the season, Fuhr
9381-506: The NHL to inscribe the name of Vladimir Konstantinov , whose career ended after a car accident on June 13, 1997, on the Stanley Cup after Detroit defended their title in 1998. With the Montreal Canadiens having won by far the most Cup championships of any team, the list of the players who have been engraved on the Cup the most often is dominated by Montreal players. Henri Richard of the Canadiens, with his name engraved eleven times, played on more Stanley Cup champions than any other player. He
9540-424: The NHL with 49 wins and 109 points. Gretzky led the NHL in goals with 73, and Kurri was close behind with a career-high 71. Gretzky also became the youngest player in NHL history to score one thousand points. In the playoffs, the Oilers swept the Kings in the opening round and Jets in round two. They won the first two games of the conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks but lost the next two before winning
9699-464: The NHL). They won only one playoff series in their first three NHL seasons, though, upsetting the Montreal Canadiens in 1980–81 . Gretzky set new NHL records in 1980–81 for assists (109) and points (164). Also, they still had great draft positions. This allowed the Oilers to put together a young, talented, experienced team quickly. Within three years, Sather and chief scout Barry Fraser had drafted several players who would have an important role in
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#17327872419769858-403: The NHL, the Oilers were placed in the Campbell Conference's Smythe Division. They were mediocre during the regular season in their first two seasons, finishing sixteenth and fourteenth respectively. However, because 16 of the 21 NHL teams made the playoffs at the time, the Oilers were still able to get their young players experience in the playoffs (they made the playoffs for their first 13 years in
10017-408: The NHL. Messier had 45 goals and 84 assists for 129 points, good for second in the NHL scoring race (behind only Gretzky). In the first round, the Oilers faced the Winnipeg Jets. Trailing the series 3–1 and trailing Game 5 by an identical score, the Oilers rallied to win the next three and take the series. In the division final, the Oilers met Los Angeles for the second straight season. Edmonton swept
10176-442: The North American major professional sports. For their overall success in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Oilers team of this era has been honoured with dynasty status by the Hockey Hall of Fame . The Oilers began to struggle after coming up short in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals , missing the playoffs for the subsequent ten seasons. The Oilers have made nineteen first-round selections in the NHL entry draft since 2007: ten within
10335-436: The Oilers elected to begin the 2015–16 season without a team captain; this marked the first time they had done so since entering the NHL, in 1979. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Andrew Ference, who had served as team captain the previous two seasons, were all named as alternate captains. On February 27, 2016, mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the Oilers traded defenceman Justin Schultz to
10494-483: The Oilers failed to win their third-straight Stanley Cup, as the Calgary Flames defeated them in seven games in the second round. In the third period of a 2–2 tie during Game 7, Steve Smith , a rookie for the Oilers, accidentally sent the puck into his own net on his birthday. This goal stood as the series-winning goal. The 1986–87 season saw the Oilers capture their second straight Presidents' Trophy with 50 wins and 106 points. Gretzky and Kurri were first and second in
10653-445: The Oilers finish first in the WHA standings, posting a league-best 48–30–2 record. However, Edmonton failed to win the championship, as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the Avco World Trophy finals. Dave Semenko of the Oilers scored the last goal in WHA history in the third period of the final game, which they lost 7–3. The Oilers joined the NHL for 1979–80 , along with fellow WHA teams Hartford Whalers , Quebec Nordiques and
10812-409: The Oilers finished first overall in the NHL, winning a franchise record 57 games and earning 119 points (15 points ahead of the second-place Islanders). They were the first team to feature three players with 50 goals (Gretzky, Kurri, and Anderson). Gretzky started strong by scoring at least a point in the first 51 games of the season. Paul Coffey became the second defenceman ever to score forty goals in
10971-444: The Oilers finished third overall in the NHL. They advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals (losing only once in the process) before getting swept by defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders . During this season, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and Kurri all topped 100 points, with Coffey not far behind at 96. After the season, Lee Fogolin resigned as captain of the Oilers, picking Gretzky as his successor. In 1983–84 ,
11130-414: The Oilers forced a Game 7 with a 2–1 win in Game 3, a Fernando Pisani short-handed overtime winner in Game 5 and a 4–0 shutout for Markkanen in Game 6. However, the Oilers could not complete the comeback as the Hurricanes won Game 7 3–1 to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup. In the 2006 off-season, many Oilers left the team. Four days after their loss to the Hurricanes, Chris Pronger surprisingly issued
11289-400: The Oilers had a 16–21–4 record after the first half of the season. They improved in the second half of the year, however, going 25–14–2 in 41 games for a final record of 41–35–6. Nonetheless, this was not enough to qualify for the playoffs, as the Oilers finished three points out in ninth place. During the season, Daryl Katz , owner of the Rexall pharmaceutical company , purchased the team from
11448-476: The Oilers hosted the 2003 Heritage Classic , the first regular season outdoor hockey game in the NHL's history and part of the celebrations of the Oilers' 25th season in the NHL. They were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in front of more than 55,000 fans, an NHL attendance record, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The Oilers failed to make the playoffs in the 2003–04 season . The Oilers struggled with their small-market status for several years, but after
11607-583: The Oilers released a statement that their affiliation with the Barons would cease at the end of the season. Following Edmonton's decision not to renew affiliation with the Barons, the Oilers relocated their AHL franchise from Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , to Bakersfield, California . This move was announced on January 29, 2015, as part of the AHL's new Pacific Division, which included the Oilers' affiliation in Bakersfield. The following month, on February 25,
11766-531: The Oilers were able to re-sign Dwayne Roloson and Fernando Pisani. Having lost so many players, the Oilers posted a 32–43–7 record in 2006–07 , their worst record since the 1995–96 season, and eventually finished in 11th place in the Western Conference. Throughout the season, the Oilers lost various players to injury and illness; at one point, they had 11 players out of the lineup and had to rely on emergency call-ups to fill their roster. In 2007–08 ,
11925-537: The Oilers were only able to finish in third place in their division. Mark Messier was chosen to succeed Gretzky as captain. Coincidentally, the Oilers' first-round playoff opponent was Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton took a commanding 3–1 series lead, but Gretzky and the Kings fought back to win the series, winning Game 7 6–3 in Los Angeles. It was the first time since 1982 that the Oilers had been eliminated from
12084-483: The Oilers won the game 3–2 when Klima—benched for much of the game and thus the only player on either team who was not exhausted—scored at 15:13 of the third overtime. The Oilers defeated the Bruins in five games and won their first Cup without Gretzky. For his superlative goaltending, Bill Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Oilers lost another important player before the 1990–91 season , as Jari Kurri chose to play
12243-479: The Oilers' longest-serving player by this point. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson all made their NHL debuts for the team. Despite the influx of their young talent, Edmonton still found themselves at the bottom of the standings. In an attempt to gain valuable prospects and draft picks, Dustin Penner was traded from the Oilers to Los Angeles on February 28, 2011, in exchange for Colten Teubert ,
12402-461: The Oilers' unexpected run in the playoffs came to a crashing halt, as the Blackhawks dominated every game and swept the series. The departures of the stars from the 1980s exposed serious deficiencies in the Oilers' development system. They had done a poor job of drafting during the dynasty years, and the younger players had not had enough time to develop before the core of the 1980s dynasty left
12561-600: The Ottawa team receiving a bye to the final because they were the only road team. On March 17, in the first Stanley Cup playoff game, the Montreal Hockey Club (Montreal HC) defeated the Montreal Victorias, 3–2. Five days later, in the first Stanley Cup Finals game, Montreal HC beat the Ottawa Hockey Club 3–1. In 1895, Queen's University was the first official challenger for the Cup, although it
12720-799: The San Jose Sharks, mutually agreed to part ways on April 20 after the Sharks failed to qualify for the 2015 playoffs . More coaching changes came on June 4 when Keith Acton and Craig Ramsay were relieved of their duties. In addition to these coaching changes, the Oilers also made some changes to their scouting staff on June 22, which saw both head amateur and professional scouts Stu MacGregor and Morey Gare relieved of their duties. Amateur scouts Brad Davis and Kent Hawley, and professional scouts Dave Semenko and Billy Moores , who served as director of coaching and special projects, were also relieved of their duties. Further changes came on October 7, when
12879-660: The Smythe Division with 36 wins and 82 points. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers again met the Los Angeles Kings. Again, for the third time since the Gretzky trade, the Oilers defeated the Kings. In the next round, the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in six games to return to the conference finals for the third straight season, this time facing the Chicago Blackhawks. However,
13038-709: The Stanley Cup continued styling themselves as the world champions just like in baseball. Two years later, the Rosebuds became the first American-based team to play in the Stanley Cup Finals, although all its players were Canadians. In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first American-based team to win the Cup. After that season, the NHA dissolved, and the National Hockey League (NHL) took its place. The Spanish influenza epidemic forced
13197-519: The Stanley Cup had had 3,177 names engraved on it; of those, 1,331 belong to players. Currently, to qualify for automatic engraving, a player: However, since 1994 teams have been permitted to petition the NHL Commissioner , to be considered on a case-by-case basis, to engrave a player's name on the cup if the player was unavailable to play due to "extenuating circumstances". For example, the Detroit Red Wings received special permission from
13356-414: The Stanley Cup trustees on March 17, that the trustees would not let the Stanley Cup travel west, as they did not consider Victoria a proper challenger because they had not formally notified the trustees. However, on March 18, Trustee William Foran stated that it was a misunderstanding. PCHA president Frank Patrick had not filed a challenge, because he had expected Emmett Quinn of the NHA to make all of
13515-430: The Stanley Cup, although there has been dispute as to whether the league has the right to own trademarks associated with a trophy that it does not own. The original bowl was made of silver and is 18.5 centimetres ( 7 + 5 ⁄ 16 in) high and 29 centimetres ( 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 in) in diameter. The current Stanley Cup is topped with a copy of the original bowl, made of a silver and nickel alloy. It has
13674-574: The Wanderers challenged the Thistles to a rematch. Despite an improved lineup, the Thistles lost the Cup to Montreal. In 1908, the Allan Cup was introduced as the trophy for Canada's amateurs, and the Stanley Cup started to become a symbol of professional hockey supremacy. In that same year, the first all-professional team, the Toronto Trolley Leaguers from the newly created Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL), competed for
13833-578: The appropriate rink conditions, and it was common for teams to defend the Cup numerous times during the year. In 1912, Cup trustees declared that it was to be defended only at the end of the champion team's regular season. In 1914, the Victoria Aristocrats from the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) challenged the NHA and Cup champion Toronto Blueshirts . A controversy erupted when a letter arrived from
13992-501: The arrangements in his role as hockey commissioner, whereas the trustees thought they were being deliberately ignored. In any case, all arrangements had been ironed out and the Victoria challenge was accepted. Several days later, trustee Foran wrote to NHA president Quinn that the trustees are "perfectly satisfied to allow the representatives of the three pro leagues (NHA, PCHA, and Maritime ) to make all arrangements each season as to
14151-455: The bands were originally designed to fill up during the Cup's centennial year in 1992, the names of the 1965 Montreal Canadiens were engraved over a larger area than allotted and thus there are 12 teams on that band instead of 13. When the bands were all filled in 1991, the top band of the large barrel was preserved in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a new blank band was added to the bottom so the Stanley Cup would not grow further. Another new band
14310-748: The cancelled game, and the series was abandoned. The format for the Stanley Cup Finals changed in 1922 , with the creation of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). Three leagues competed for the Cup: two league champions faced each other for the right to challenge the third champion in the final series. This lasted three seasons as the PCHA and the WCHL later merged to form the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 . In 1924–25
14469-442: The changes, the Oilers placed third overall in the NHL. Grant Fuhr started a league-record 75 games (which has now been broken) and posted a team-record 40 wins. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers dispatched the third-place Winnipeg Jets in five games. The Oilers then defeated first-overall Calgary in a sweep. In the conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings , the Oilers prevailed in five games. The Oilers then swept
14628-465: The conference semifinals. After trailing the series two games to none, the team won the next four and became the first eighth-seeded team to reach a conference final since the NHL changed the playoff format in 1994 . There, the Oilers beat the sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games, claiming the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for a seventh time. In the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals , Edmonton met
14787-469: The crowning of the 2017–18 champions, the Washington Capitals , the band listing the 1953–54 to 1964–65 winners was removed in September 2018, with a new band for the 2017–18 to 2029–30 champions added to the bottom of the cup. Since the introduction of the five-band cup, each engraved team is displayed on the trophy between 52 and 65 years (though in practice, this was reduced by one year as
14946-505: The emergence of young centremen Doug Weight and Jason Arnott . In the 1993–94 season , the Oilers were placed into the Western Conference's Pacific Division. In 1996–97 , the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time in five years, thanks to stellar goaltending by Curtis Joseph . In the first round, they upset the Dallas Stars , who had compiled the league's second-best record, in a seven-game series. The Oilers won game seven on
15105-587: The ending of the 2011–12 season , the Oilers announced they would not renew the contract of head coach Tom Renney. The following month, Edmonton selected Nail Yakupov as the first overall pick at the 2012 NHL entry draft . A week later, Ralph Krueger was named as the Oilers' new head coach on June 27, being promoted from his role as associate coach the season previous. Three days later, Edmonton announced they had agreed to terms with sought-after free agent defenceman Justin Schultz . The 2012–13 season start
15264-494: The entire season with Devils Milano . Grant Fuhr was suspended for 60 games for drug abuse. The season itself was not great for the Oilers, who finished with 37 wins and 80 points, in third place in the Smythe Division. In the playoffs, the Oilers met the Flames in the opening round, winning a thrilling series in seven games, led by seven goals by Esa Tikkanen . Despite injuries suffered in the series with Calgary, they next defeated
15423-559: The expansion draft, and Mark Messier was traded to the New York Rangers a day after the season began. The Oilers even lost their head coach, as John Muckler left to become head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres . Ted Green replaced Muckler as head coach, and Kevin Lowe succeeded Messier as captain. Despite the number of changes, the Oilers produced a comparable season to 1990–91, finishing third in
15582-404: The final two and returning to the Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton lost the first game to Philadelphia but won the next four to win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. Paul Coffey had a playoff performance to remember, setting records for most goals (12), assists (25), and points (37) ever by a defenceman in a playoff year. In addition, Jari Kurri tied Reggie Leach 's record for most goals in
15741-616: The first Canadian members. In March 2017, to commemorate the Stanley Cup's 125th anniversary, the original Cup and the current Stanley Cup were the focus of a four-day tour of Ottawa, including a stop at Rideau Hall. The Royal Canadian Mint produced two commemorative coins to mark the anniversary. The first is a roll of Canadian quarters with an image of the Stanley Cup, the word Stanley Cup in English and Coupe Stanley in French with two ice hockey players and "125 years/ ans " on
15900-609: The first day of the 2015 NHL entry draft to the New York Islanders, in exchange for defenceman Griffin Reinhart . Chiarelli again made trades the following day and traded another second-, a third- and a seventh-round draft pick to the New York Rangers, to acquire goaltender Cam Talbot and the Rangers' seventh-round draft pick. On May 19, Todd McLellan was named the new head coach of the Oilers. He and his former team,
16059-556: The first player in NHL history to score 200 points (with 212). Gretzky's accomplishments helped the Oilers become the first team to score 400 goals in a season, a feat they accomplished for five straight years. However, they were upset by the Los Angeles Kings in five games (Game 3 of this series, the Miracle on Manchester , saw the Oilers take a 5–0 lead into the third period, only to lose 6–5 in overtime). In 1982–83 ,
16218-416: The first ten picks overall, six within the first four picks, and four the first overall selections. With those first overall picks, Edmonton selected Taylor Hall , Ryan Nugent-Hopkins , Nail Yakupov and Connor McDavid ; of these, Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid remained with the team, helping them reach the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games. On November 1, 1971,
16377-657: The franchise to Vancouver real estate tycoon Nelson Skalbania , who later became notorious for flipping property, both real and franchised . Skalbania soon made local businessman Peter Pocklington a full partner, then sold his shares to him the following year. The team's fortunes improved dramatically in 1978 when Pocklington acquired underage player Wayne Gretzky , as well as goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll , for cash, from Skalbania's recently folded Indianapolis Racers . His first year of WHA experience prevented Gretzky from being an official 1979–80 NHL rookie; his first and only WHA season, 1978–79 , saw
16536-501: The game of hockey and the expertise of the players". During that time, organized ice hockey in Canada was still in its infancy and only Montreal and Ottawa had anything resembling leagues. Stanley's entire family became active in ice hockey. Two of his sons, Arthur and Algernon, formed a new team called the Ottawa Rideau Hall Rebels . Arthur also played a key role in the formation of what later became known as
16695-484: The inaugural Presidents' Trophy , the trophy given to the team with the best regular season record. Gretzky, Kurri, and Anderson each scored 50 goals again. Kurri led the NHL in goals with 68, finishing with 131 points. Paul Coffey set a new record for most goals in a season by a defenceman (48) and just missed setting a new record for points by a defenceman with 138 ( Bobby Orr scored 139 in 1970–71 ). Gretzky also set records for assists (163) and points (215). However,
16854-485: The lack of any interleague championship. In doing so, the NHL copied a policy that had been adopted by the then still-fledgling National Football League from its start in 1920 (and which the National Basketball Association also asserted upon its founding in 1946). Finally in 1947, the NHL reached an agreement with trustee J. Cooper Smeaton to grant control of the Cup to the NHL, allowing
17013-489: The league in or after 1967. Among all NHL teams, only the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times since the league's 1967 expansion. The Oilers also won six straight division titles from 1981–82 through 1986–87 . Notably, however, the Oilers have not won a division title since 1987, a drought that includes their most recent two Stanley Cup wins and is the longest division title drought in all of
17172-446: The league not operate for a season. The dispute lasted so long that, by the time it was settled, the NHL had resumed operating for the 2005–06 season , and the Stanley Cup went unclaimed for the 2004–05 season. Furthermore, when another NHL lockout commenced in 2012 the trustees stated that the 2006 agreement did not oblige them to award the Cup in the event of a lost season, and that they were likely to reject any non-NHL challenges for
17331-874: The league to reject challenges from other leagues that may have wished to play for the Cup: This agreement was amended on November 22, 1961, substituting the Governors of the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario with the Committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario as the group to name the two Canadian trustees, if need be. In the 1970s, the World Hockey Association sought to challenge for
17490-614: The long term, and Edmonton was never intended to be a permanent location for the Roadrunners. The eventual plan was to re-locate the Roadrunners to Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan as part of a transaction that would have re-located the Western Hockey League 's Saskatoon Blades to Edmonton in exchange. However, an agreement could not be reached with the owners of the Blades. Without their backing Credit Union Centre
17649-490: The new arena on December 3, 2013; the new 18,641-seat arena was called Rogers Place . After 41 games into the shortened season and with the Oilers mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for a seventh successive time, Edmonton terminated Steve Tambellini's contract as general manager, where he was replaced with former head coach Craig MacTavish. Following the end of the season, on June 8, MacTavish fired Ralph Krueger after just one season as head coach. Two days later, it
17808-553: The newly founded Calgary Broncos folded before the commencement of the inaugural WHA season, the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers as it was planned to split their home games between Edmonton and Calgary . Possibly for financial reasons or to allow for a less complicated return of the WHA to Calgary, though, the team ultimately played all of its home games in the Edmonton Gardens and changed its name back to
17967-402: The next two decades other leagues and clubs occasionally issued challenges, but none were accepted by the Cup's trustees. Since 1926, no non-NHL team has played for the Cup, leading it to become the de facto championship trophy of the NHL. In addition, with no major professional hockey league left to challenge it, the NHL began calling its league champions the world champions , notwithstanding
18126-665: The off-season to begin the rebuild of the club around their young talent. Patrick O'Sullivan was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Jim Vandermeer , Robert Nilsson was bought out of his contract and Oilers captain Ethan Moreau was placed on waivers and claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets . Along with these players, several others were allowed to enter free agency, including Mike Comrie , Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Ryan Potulny . Also during
18285-463: The off-season, radio announcer Rod Phillips announced his retirement. Phillips had been the Oilers' play-by-play announcer since 1973–74 . Phillips called ten specific games in 2010–11 before calling it quits. The 2010–11 Edmonton Oilers season is documented in the series Oil Change . The 2010–11 season brought a new look to the Edmonton Oilers line-up, when Shawn Horcoff was selected to succeed Ethan Moreau as team captain. Horcoff had become
18444-566: The other way, but Heatley refused a trade to Edmonton and was later acquired by San Jose. Following the season, Tom Renney replaced Quinn as the Oilers head coach. The one advantage to such a bad season was that the Oilers were able to make the first pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft . The Oilers selected two-time Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy winner Taylor Hall from the Windsor Spitfires with their pick. They used
18603-428: The playoffs in the first round. The Oilers underwent more changes during the 1989–90 season . John Muckler replaced Sather, who remained general manager and became the Oilers' president, as head coach of the team. During training camp, Grant Fuhr came down with a severe case of appendicitis. He missed the first ten games of the season and when he returned he suffered a shoulder injury that eventually sidelined him for
18762-505: The previous season. Hextall won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Oilers began losing star players in 1987–88 . Paul Coffey sat out the first 21 games of the season before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins . Andy Moog also failed to report; he was tired of being the backup goalie. Moog played for the Canadian Olympic team in the 1988 Winter Olympics before getting traded to the Boston Bruins for Bill Ranford . Despite
18921-494: The remainder of the season. This marked the emergence of Bill Ranford as a starter. Four games into the season, Jimmy Carson decided the pressure of playing in Edmonton was too intense and he was traded to Detroit with Kevin McClelland in exchange for Petr Klima , Adam Graves , Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples . The Oilers improved on their previous season, finishing with 38 wins and 90 points, good for fifth place overall in
19080-469: The reverse and an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse using plated steel. The second coin was designed with the Stanley Cup on the reverse and an effigy of Elizabeth II, "Stanley Cup" in English and " Coupe Stanley " in French and "50 dollars" above the effigy. It was made using 99.9% silver. In October 2017, the Lord Stanley's Gift Monument , commemorating the donation of the Stanley Cup,
19239-524: The season with 95 points and clinch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference over Vancouver. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers played the Detroit Red Wings (winners of the Presidents' Trophy). Despite Detroit's much better regular season record, the Oilers pulled off a six-game upset for their first playoff series win since 1998. Edmonton then met the San Jose Sharks in
19398-454: The second round, but this time, the Stars were the victors. The Oilers made the playoffs in four of the next six years, but they were defeated after the first round every time. Despite their success over the past two seasons, the Oilers were in trouble off the ice. Owner Peter Pocklington had explored moving the Oilers to Minnesota during the 1990s. In 1998, Pocklington almost made a deal to sell
19557-403: The series 4–0, outscoring the Kings 22–10. The Oilers then met the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference finals and fell behind 2–1 in the series. However, the Oilers won the next three games to earn a rematch of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals with Boston. The series is remembered for Game 1, still the longest Stanley Cup Finals game played in the modern NHL. Despite being soundly outshot by the Bruins,
19716-538: The series of matches to be played for the Cup". One year later, when the Maritime league folded, the NHA and the PCHA concluded a gentlemen's agreement in which their respective champions would face each other for the Cup, similar to baseball 's World Series , which is played between the American League and National League champions. Under the new proposal, the Stanley Cup Finals series alternated between
19875-462: The shortened season a day later, on January 20. On January 23, to ensure the health of the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton and for the planned revitalization of downtown Edmonton , the City of Edmonton council voted 10–3 to approval a deal that saw a new $ 480 million arena built in Edmonton's downtown core for the start of the 2016–17 season. Rogers Communications announced it had the naming rights to
20034-469: The spelling-corrected "Permanent Cup" on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever the Presentation Cup is not available. While the NHL has maintained control over the trophy itself and its associated trademarks, the NHL does not actually own the trophy but uses it by agreement with the two Canadian trustees of the cup. The NHL has registered trademarks associated with the name and likeness of
20193-471: The sport, the sons and daughters all playing and promoting the game. The first Cup was awarded in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club , and winners from 1893 to 1914 were determined by challenge games and league play. Professional teams first became eligible to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1906. In 1915, the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA),
20352-400: The summer and a limited number of days during the season. Every year since 1924, a select portion of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff names are engraved on its bands, which is unusual among trophies. However, there is not enough room to include all the players and non-players, so some names must be omitted. Between 1924 and 1940, a new band was added almost every year that
20511-440: The team and its players has been an unbroken annual tradition. Originally, a new band was added each year, causing the trophy to grow in size. The "Stovepipe Cup", as it was nicknamed because of its resemblance to the exhaust pipe of a stove, became unwieldy, so it was redesigned in 1948 as a two-piece cigar-shaped trophy with a removable bowl and collar. This Cup also properly honoured those teams that did not engrave their names on
20670-563: The team to Leslie Alexander , the owner of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who would have moved the team to Houston, Texas . On March 14, 1998, hours before the deadline to keep the team in Edmonton, the Edmonton Investors Group agreed to pay $ 70 million to buy the club. The EIG were spearheaded by Cal Nichols , who committed to retaining NHL hockey in Edmonton. The deal
20829-604: The team was given its new identity, the Bakersfield Condors . On April 2, the Condors released their new logo. Off-season moves failed to help the Oilers as they finished behind Arizona in the NHL during 2014–15 . It was also easily their worst season as an NHL team. The Oilers won the 2015 draft lottery on April 18, moving them from the third-overall pick to first, marking their fourth lottery win in six seasons. The Oilers selected Connor McDavid first overall in
20988-417: The team's success, including Mark Messier , Glenn Anderson , Jari Kurri , Paul Coffey , Kevin Lowe , Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog . The Oilers improved in 1981–82 , finishing second overall. Grant Fuhr emerged as the starting goaltender and he set a rookie record by going undefeated in 23 straight games. However, Gretzky stole the show by setting the single-season record for goals with 92 and becoming
21147-422: The team. This did not become apparent for a few years; as noted above, the Oilers still had enough heft to make the conference finals two years in a row. However, it was obvious that they were nowhere near being the powerhouse that had dominated the league in the previous half-decade. In 1992–93 , they missed the playoffs for the first time as an NHL team. They did not return to the postseason for four years, despite
21306-528: The title of world champions by no later than the turn of the century. After the Portland Rosebuds , an American-based team, joined the PCHA in 1914, the trustees promptly issued a formal statement that the Cup was no longer for the best team in Canada, but now for the best team in the world. Ice hockey in Europe was still in its infancy at this time, so it was without much controversy that winners of
21465-509: The trade. None of this was public knowledge at the time. However, the Oilers and their fans were still upset. Nelson Riis , the New Democratic Party leader in Canada's House of Commons , went so far as to ask the government to block the trade. Several of the Oilers considered launching a team-wide strike and even considered demanding that Pocklington sell the team. The loss of Gretzky had an immediate impact in 1988–89 , as
21624-476: The trophy even though they did not officially win it under the new PCHA-NHA system. They had won the title of only the previous champion's league and would have been crowned as Cup champions under the old challenge rules. The winners in 1918 and 1920 to 1923 did not put their winning team name on it. No further engraving occurred until 1924, when the Canadiens added a new band to the Cup. Since then, engraving
21783-410: The trophy was awarded, earning the nickname "Stovepipe Cup" due to the unnatural height of all the bands. In 1947, the cup size was reduced, but not all the large rings were the same size. In 1958, the modern one-piece Cup was designed with a five-band barrel which could contain 13 winning teams per band. Every 13 years when the bottom band of the Stanley Cup is filled with names of champions, the top band
21942-603: The twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association (WHA). They were intended to be one of two WHA Alberta teams along with the Calgary Broncos . However, when the Broncos relocated and became the Cleveland Crusaders before the WHA's first season began, the team was named the Alberta Oilers . They were renamed the Edmonton Oilers the following year and subsequently joined
22101-436: The two main professional ice hockey organizations, reached an agreement in which their respective champions would face each other annually for the Stanley Cup. It was established as the de facto championship trophy of the NHL in 1926 and then the de jure NHL championship prize in 1947. There are actually three Stanley Cups: the original bowl of the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup", the authenticated "Presentation Cup", and
22260-438: The upstart league as they were allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skaters. Originally, Gretzky was not eligible to be protected; under the rules of the time, he normally would have been placed in the entry draft pool. However, Pocklington had signed him to a 21-year personal services contract in 1979 and Pocklington used the contract to force the NHL to admit the Oilers and allow the Oilers to keep Gretzky. Upon joining
22419-446: The winning team. I am not quite certain that the present regulations governing the arrangement of matches give entire satisfaction, and it would be worth considering whether they could not be arranged so that each team would play once at home and once at the place where their opponents hail from. Soon afterwards, Stanley purchased what is frequently described as a decorative punch bowl , but which silver expert John Culme identified as
22578-451: The wiped-out 2004–05 season, they were aided by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NHL owners and players. This included a league-wide salary cap that essentially forced all teams to conform to a budget, as the Oilers had been doing for years. A more reasonable conversion rate of Canadian dollar revenues to US dollar payroll in the new millennium also helped the Oilers to return to profitability. Because of this, Edmonton
22737-578: Was Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson, as he became the oldest goaltender to play 60 NHL games in one season. After the season, the Oilers fired head coach Craig MacTavish and hired Pat Quinn as his replacement. Roloson left via free agency at the end of the season, and the Oilers replaced him in goal with Nikolai Khabibulin . The Oilers also worked out a trade with the Ottawa Senators for star right wing Dany Heatley , which would have seen Dustin Penner , Ladislav Smid and Andrew Cogliano go
22896-645: Was able to acquire Chris Pronger (former winner of the Hart and Norris Trophies) and Michael Peca (two-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner) before the 2005–06 season . The team suffered from inconsistency during the first few months of the regular season, especially in goal and offence. Goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen were unreliable in net and Peca also struggled with offence. However, in-season acquisitions, such as defencemen Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom , goaltender Dwayne Roloson and left winger Sergei Samsonov , helped Edmonton finish
23055-443: Was acquired by the Oilers. It turned out to be his final season as a player and he was named player-coach late in the season, moving to the bench full-time after the season. Sather was the coach or general manager of the Oilers for the next 23 years. Although the Oilers' on-ice performance for most of the WHA's history was mediocre, they remained well-supported and financially stable by WHA standards. In 1976, Hunter and Allard sold
23214-690: Was announced Krueger was to be replaced by former Toronto Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins . One of MacTavish's first player moves as Oilers' general manager came at the 2013 NHL entry draft , as Edmonton used their seventh overall selection to draft defenceman Darnell Nurse . More moves came on July 5, during free agency, which saw MacTavish trade captain Shawn Horcoff to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Philip Larsen . MacTavish also signed Andrew Ference, Boyd Gordon , Jason LaBarbera , Will Acton , Ryan Hamilton and Jesse Joensuu . Ference
23373-748: Was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. In a surprising and shocking trade, Gretzky, along with enforcer Marty McSorley and centre Mike Krushelnyski , were traded to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988. In exchange, the Oilers received US$ 15 million, young star Jimmy Carson , 1988 first-round draft choice Martin Gelinas , and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991, and 1993. The trade occurred because Pocklington did not want to risk Gretzky leaving Edmonton without getting anything in return. Gretzky had converted his chance at free agency and refused, which ultimately led to
23532-401: Was bought out of the last year of his contract. These moves, coupled with the signings of Eric Belanger , Cam Barker , Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk , changed the complexion of the team, to add "grit and toughness". However, the Oilers were again unable to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth-straight season, as they finished 14th in the Western Conference. On May 17, 2012, a month after
23691-497: Was ceremoniously named team captain. On December 15, 2014, after 31 games of the 2014–15 season , MacTavish announced Dallas Eakins had been terminated as head coach. MacTavish assumed the role of interim coach while Todd Nelson transitioned into the role for the remainder of the season. Nelson was previously serving as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons , the Oilers' then-AHL affiliate. Three days later,
23850-503: Was controversial. The Montreal Victorias had won the league title and thus the Stanley Cup, but the challenge match was between the previous year's champion, Montreal HC, and the university squad. The trustees decided that if the Montreal HC won the challenge match, the Victorias would become the Stanley Cup champions. The Montreal HC won the match 5–1 and their cross-town rivals were crowned the champions. The first successful challenge to
24009-515: Was delayed from its original date of October 11, 2012, due to a labour lock-out imposed by the NHL franchise owners after the expiration of the NHL's CBA. After a new labour agreement was reached between the owners and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), training camps opened on January 13, 2013, and a 48-game season (reduced from 82 games) commenced on January 19. The Oilers played their first game of
24168-626: Was erected in Ottawa at Sparks Street and Elgin Street, near the location of the dinner party announcing the Cup at the Russell House, which has since been demolished. Like the Grey Cup , awarded to the winner of the Canadian Football League , the Stanley Cup is engraved with the names of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff. However, this was not always the case: one of Lord Stanley's original conditions
24327-405: Was finalized on May 5, and thus prevented them from being the third Canadian team to move in the 1990s and the fourth former WHA team to move in successive years (Quebec had moved in 1995, Winnipeg in 1996 and Hartford in 1997). The Oilers received support from the NHL for this very reason. In the 1998–99 season, the Oilers joined the Western Conference's Northwest Division. On November 22, 2003,
24486-443: Was given to it as early as May 1, 1893, when an Ottawa Journal article used the name as a title. Originally, Stanley intended that the Cup should be awarded to the top amateur hockey team in Canada, to be decided by the acceptance of a challenge from another team. He made five preliminary regulations: Stanley appointed Sheriff John Sweetland and Philip D. Ross (who went on to serve an unsurpassed 56 years) as trustees of
24645-503: Was later announced as the 14th captain in Oilers NHL franchise history on September 29. Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth, who after the Horcoff trade became the last remaining members of the Oilers' 2006 Stanley Cup finalists still with the team, departed the Oilers franchise, as Hemsky was traded to the Ottawa Senators on March 5, 2014. Smyth (who had previously left the Oilers in 2007, but had returned in 2011) announced his retirement on April 11, playing his final NHL game on April 13, where he
24804-404: Was resurrected as the Oklahoma City Barons in the 2010–11 season. Affiliates Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton . The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . They play their home games at Rogers Place , which opened in 2016. Kris Knoblauch
24963-413: Was scheduled to be added to the bottom of the cup following the 2004–05 season, but was not added because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout. After the 2005–06 champion Carolina Hurricanes were crowned and the new bottom ring was finally added (along with the retiring of the band listing the 1940–41 to 1952–53 champions), the cancelled season was acknowledged with the words "2004–05 Season Not Played". Following
25122-417: Was that each team could, at their own expense, add a ring to the Cup to commemorate their victory. Initially, there was only one base ring, which was attached to the bottom of the original bowl by the Montreal Hockey Club. Clubs engraved their team names, usually in the form "TEAM NAME" "YEAR WON" , on that one ring until it was full in 1902. With no more room to engrave their names (and unwilling to pay for
25281-427: Was unavailable to the Roadrunners as the terms of the Blades' lease precludes its abrogation save for the relocation of an NHL team to the facility. As a result, the team announced on June 6, 2005 that they were requesting permission from the American Hockey League to suspend team operations. The decision was likely motivated by the improving lockout negotiations and the widespread belief that the Oilers would be back for
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