10 fun Oilers facts that will never be forgotten
As we edge ever closer to training camp, here are 10 fun facts about the Edmonton Oilers that, once you know them, are hard to forget.
One thing which is clear about the Edmonton Oilers, is that they have a long and successful history which the fans should be proud of. Outside of the 'Original Six' there's not much competition for how much they've won.
The great thing about the Oilers history as well, is that whether you're new to them or a longstanding fan, there's always something for you to learn. Here are 10 things you may or may not know about Edmonton's hockey team:
1) Since the Oilers entered the NHL in 1979-80, they have made the most trips to the Stanley Cup Final with eight, with their most recent visit this past season. Their five Stanley Cup wins in this time period are also tied for most with the Pittsburgh Penguins, albeit the last championship was back in 1989-90.
The Great One
2) Wayne Gretzky hold the record for the most points in a season, with 215 during the 1985-86 campaign. In fact he has the only 200+ point seasons in NHL history with four overall, with the other three times coming in 1981-82 (212), 1984-85 (208) and 1983-84 (205).
3) The Hart Memorial Trophy has been won 13 times by a member of the Oilers, which has them tied second all time with the Boston Bruins, four behind the Montreal Canadiens. Individually speaking Gretzky has won the MVP award a record nine times -- including eight with the Oilers -- while to date, Connor McDavid has taken the trophy home on three occasions.
4) Gretzky's 10 Art Ross trophies are also the most in NHL history, four ahead of second place. McDavid is in tied-fourth place with five Art Ross Trophies to date, while Leon Draisaitl has also won it once, in 2019-20.
5) Still on Gretzky, he was unsurprisingly one of those named as the NHL's 100 greatest players in the league's first 100 years. Other Oilers on the list included Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri and Mark Messier. (Duncan Keith, Adam Oates and Chris Pronger are others on the list, but all only played one season for the Oilers.)
The best team of all time
6) As per CBC Sports, during the NHL's centennial celebrations in 2017, the league also named the 1984-85 Oilers as the league's greatest team of the first 100 years. In fact four of their championship teams were named overall among the top 10 NHL teams of all time, with the others being the 1987-88, 1986-87 and 1983-84 rosters.
7) Despite the adulation lauded on the 1984-85 Oilers, it's actually their teams on either side in 1983-84 and 1985-86 which have the most single season points in franchise history, both at 119. (They totaled 109 in 1984-85.) The 1983-84 squad also has the most goals in team history in a single season, with 446.
8) The Oilers have retired eight jersey numbers during their history, which includes their time in the WHA between 1972-73 and 1978-79. This jersey numbers are 3 - Al Hamilton, 4- Kevin Lowe, 7 - Coffey, 9 - Glenn Anderson, 11 - Messier, 17 - Kurri, 31 - Fuhr and 99 - Gretzky. (The NHL also retired 99 overall, in 2000 at the All-Star Game.)
9) In NHL All-Star history, 32 different Oilers have been selected for a total of 81 times. Gretzky and Messier were both selected eight times, while McDavid is one behind -- so far -- with seven selections.
Next. Oilers now face new proposition negotiating Skinner's next deal. Oilers now face new proposition negotiating Skinner's next deal. dark
10) Kris Knoblauch has the best regular season winning percentage among head coaches in Oilers history at .703, albeit after less than one season in charge. Glen Sather leads the way in the playoffs with a .705 winning percentage, no surprise given he led the team to four Stanley Cups.
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