Oilers: The Top Five Longest Tenured Captains In Team History
The Edmonton Oilers have had some pretty historic captains in franchise history, but which stand out from the pack as the longest-tenured?
A team is only as good as its captain. Throughout the entire history of the Edmonton Oilers, the team has had 15 different captains. Those captains have been spread out over the course of the franchise’s 42 seasons and counting.
We are not debating who the best captain in team history is. Yesterday I already talked about the best coaches in franchise history, today it is the longest-tenured captains in team history that I want to highlight.
I cannot believe the amount of one or two-year captains the franchise has. So being able to highlight the five that all was captain for at least 200 some odd games will be nice to see.
We begin with the third captain in team history.
5. Lee Fogolin 1980-1983
Lee Fogolin was with the Edmonton Oilers from 1979-1987. During that time he won two Stanley Cups with the team, but he was only the captain for a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, not a Stanley Cup victory.
Fogolin was a great defenceman for the team and as the team captain put up 77 points. Fogolin was team captain for 232 NHL games over the course of three seasons. He is the only captain on this list to not wear the C for over 250 games.
4. Kelly Buchberger 1995-1999
Kelly Buchberger’s path to the NHL is rather interesting. After getting drafted in the ninth round in 1985 he made his NHL debut two seasons later in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final no pressure right?
Buchberger was a member of two Stanley Cup Champion teams in 1987 and 1990 before becoming captain of the team in 1995. He was a gritty player who captained the team for 297 games. That number could have been bigger if he was not taken during the expansion draft by the Atlanta Thrashers in the summer of 1999.
3. Connor McDavid 2016 – Present Day
Connor McDavid will be moving up this list this coming season. Arguably the most skilled NHL player ever, McDavid has been the captain for 362 games in Edmonton. His teams might not have had a lot of success, but he definitely has having won two Hart Memorial Trophies, and three Art Ross Trophies, and Ted Lindsay Awards.
During his time as captain, the Oilers have not had as much success as a team as McDavid probably would have hoped. But seeing that he will be the captain for the next handful of seasons, that can definitely change. McDavid has worn the C on his jersey for 362 games, and it definitely going to be staying there for a while.
2. Jason Smith 2001-2007
Jason Smith was captain of the Edmonton Oilers for five seasons during which time he managed to lead the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. Smith was a great leader in Edmonton and after being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2007 summer, he walked in and captained that franchise for a season as well.
While Smith’s teams in Edmonton were not that remarkable, he did captain the team for five full seasons, the same number as Wayne Gretzky. Smith wore the C for 368 games.
1. Wayne Gretzky 1983-1988
I do not know what else can be said about Wayne Gretzky. If Connor McDavid is the most skilled player ever, Gretzky is still the greatest player ever. He wore the C on his jersey for five seasons. 377 games had Gretzky wear the C on his jersey, and during those games, he put up a remarkable 960 points.
Gretzky put up 960 points in just five seasons. I honestly had to double-check my math on that to make sure I was not mistaken. He won’t be the longest-tenured captain in franchise history for much longer as McDavid just needs 15 games to tie him, but Gretzky definitely will always be remembered as the best of the best.
It is hard to imagine what hockey would have been like in Edmonton if Gretzky was not traded to the Los Angeles Kings after the 1988 season, but one would have imagined more than one more Stanley Cup would have been won by the team.