| In
the 1980s a hockey team emerged that captured the imagination
of both Canadian and American hockey fans. The Edmonton
Oilers of the 80s were full of young talent that could
not be matched by the rest of the teams in the National
Hockey League.
In
the mid to late 1980s, from 1984-1989, the Edmonton
Oilers won 4 out of 5 Stanley Cups. They were led by
"The Great One" Wayne Gretzky. Joining Gretzky
were many other great players including Mark Messier,
Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson,
and Grant Fuhr.
The
Oilers were absolutely dominant as they won the Cup
in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Gretzky won the Art Ross
award 7 straight times. He also won many Hart Trophies.
He broke the record for most assists and most points
in a season. He would reset the assists record 3 more
times and the record for most points once more.
It
was amazing to watch the Edmonton Oilers as they skated
circles around their competition during their dominant
years. The Oilers came very close to beating the Calgary
Flames in 1986. Had they done that, they may very well
have won the Cup that year too.
The
Oilers lost to the Flames in a very competitive 7 game
series. In fact, game 7 was decided when rookie defensemen,
Steve Smith, tried to clear the puck and bounced it
off Oilers' goalie, Grant Fuhr, and into the Edmonton
net. That was the deciding goal in a 3-2 loss.
That's
how close the Oilers came to winning 5 straight Stanly
Cups. But they had to settle for 4 out of 5. And after
winning their fourth Cup, major changes were about to
occur.
In
August of 1988, team captain Wayne Gretzky was traded
to the Los Angeles Kings. That would lead to the Edmonton
Oilers being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Adding insult to injury, it was Gretzky's team, the
Kings, that defeated the Oilers.
However,
led by Mark Messier and many young players including
Adam Graves and Joe Murphy, the Oilers won the Stanly
Cup in 1990. It was their fifth championship in seven
years. It seemed to prove that the Oilers didn't need
Grtezky to be successful, but it would be the last Stanley
Cup the Oilers would win.
Eventually
many other great players would leave Edmonton. Messier,
along with other Oilers' greats like Graves, Kevin Lowe,
Glenn Anderson, and Craig MacTavish, won a Stanley Cup
with the New York Rangers in 1994.
Gretzky
joined the Rangers late in his career but would never
again win another Stanley Cup. Gretzy finished his career
with the 4 Stanley Cups he won with the Oilers, 10 scoring
titles, and 9 Most Valuable Player Awards.
The
talent the Oilers possessed during the mid and late
1980s is proven by the fact that they won 4 of 5 Stanley
Cups and the fact that the players went on to achieve
individual and team success past their time with the
Edmonton.
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