Edmonton Oilers Paying For Wayne Greztky’s Greatness
Oilers Dynasty and Current Catastrophe Both a Result of Gretzky
The city of Edmonton and the Oilers logo is recognized world wide because of Wayne Gretzky.
In the early 1980s, before localized Sports Illustrated covers and in an era where there was no such thing as ‘going viral’, Gretzky put Edmonton and all of the National Hockey League on the map while rewriting the NHL record book.
At the Oilers 84 Reunion, Mark Messier was asked how he thought that first Oilers’ Stanley Cup Champion team would stack up against the best teams in today’s NHL.
Oct 9, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers great Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier watch the action against the Calgary Flames in the first period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports
“I would argue to say that because of the guy sitting to my left here (Gretzky), I would stack us up against any team on any day in any era and I would take our chances.”
Past Glory Led to Today’s Tragedy
If Peter Pocklington hadn’t shelled out $700, 000 and future considerations in exchange for Gretzky, Peter Driscoll and Eddie Mio back in 1978, the World Hockey Association Edmonton Oilers may not have even been part of the NHL’s expansion a year later and that great Oilers dynasty that was celebrated back in October would never have happened.
The Oilers first round draft pick in 1979, Kevin Lowe, may have eeked out a decent NHL career, but I doubt that Lowe, Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri and Grant Fuhr would have been slam dunk Hockey Hall of Fame inductees if they hadn’t played along side The Great One.
The same can be said for legendary Director of Scouting, Barry Fraser.
Without Gretzky leading these draft picks to dynasty status, Fraser wouldn’t have been able to rest on the success of the picks he made from 1979 to 1983 until he was fired in 2000.
“I would argue to say that because of the guy sitting to my left here, I would stack us up against any team on any day in any era and I would take our chances.” – Mark Messier on Wayne Gretzky
The only significant, long term pieces his draft record added to the line up over his last 16 years with the Oilers were Kelly Buchberger (9th round, 1985), Ryan Smyth (1st round, 1994) and Shawn Horcoff (4th round, 1998).
One of Fraser’s best picks, poor, “I just wasn’t into it” Jason Arnott (1st round, 1993), was forced to carry a terrible team for four seasons. Eventually Arnott was traded to the New Jersey Devils, and in NHL Playoffs of 2000 he joined the likes of Bill Barilko, Bobby Orr and Bob Nystrom when he scored the overtime goal that won the Stanley Cup for a franchise that Gretzky once labelled as Mickey Mouse.
The worst part of Fraser’s tenure was that success the scouting staff tasted in it’s first four NHL seasons. It gave the whole organization this false sense of invincibility, one that has resulted in the crippling, delusional attitude that hockey operations can re-invent the way to properly build a winner. It would have been nice if Fraser and the rest of the Oilers of that era were humble enough to realize that all their success was because of the scrawny kid from Brantford.
Katz Must Go
Without Gretzky, a young Daryl Katz would never had the chance to rub shoulders with NHL greatness during the glory years in the 1980s and the idea to someday own an NHL franchise may never have crossed his mind. He certainly would never have befriended Kevin Lowe and created a culture of entitlement where how well someone performs has no bearing on their job security.
The immunity that Glen Sather allowed Barry Fraser to operate under for those sickening sixteen years laid the foundation for the lack of accountability that runs rampant in the Oiler offices at the corner of Kingsway and Princess Elizabeth Avenues.
How else does Kevin Lowe keep his job as the General Manager/Executive Vice President/President of Hockey Operations of an organization that has made the playoffs just three times in his 13 years as an architect of dysfunction let alone get promoted into management after just one season as an NHL Head Coach?
How else does Assistant Coach Kelly Buchberger remain employed after his Head Coaches Craig MacTavish, Pat Quinn, Tom Renney and Ralph Krueger all got fired? Not only that, but after failing year after year as an assistant coach, Buchberger was handed a job with the Oilers in player development once he was eventually replaced behind the bench.
The Rewinding Rebuild
Dec 3, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Dustin Byfuglien (33) celebrates after he scores on Edmonton Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens (30) during the third period at MTS Centre. Winnipeg wins in overtime 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
The aforementioned attitude that they can re-invent hockey and are smarter than the rest of NHL executives continues to set the franchise back year after year.
Rather than supporting their young players with an experienced Head Coach and a proven NHL goaltender like the Calgary Flames did with Bob Hartley and Jonas Hiller, MacTavish foolishly hired a rookie coach and brought in two cast off netminders thinking that the Oiler mystique from the 1980s would magically rub off on Dallas Eakins, Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth.
The current 11 game losing streak and the absolute destruction of this team’s psyche indicates that everyone involved in this installment of the rebuild is dumber than the rest of the NHL.
Until Daryl Katz realizes that none of the past accomplishments of Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Mark Messier, Kelly Buchberger and the rest of his Oiler inner circle would have been possible without the greatness of Wayne Gretzky, the best shot the Edmonton Oilers have at returning to past glory is entering the NHL Draft Lottery each year hoping another Great One falls on their lap.