![]() Hunter also served as head coach during the 1972–73, 1974–75, and 1975–76 seasons.Īfter the newly founded Calgary Broncos folded prior to 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. This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s. It was Hunter who chose the "Oilers" name for the new WHA franchise. So, he looked to the upstart WHA instead. Hunter's efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL. Hunter also owned the Edmonton Oil Kings, a junior hockey franchise, and founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (now known as the Western Hockey League (WHL)). "Chuck" Allard (1919–1991) (father of Vancouver lawyer Peter Allard) who, a decade later, also brought the SCTV sketch comedy TV series to Edmonton. The original owners were "Wild Bill" Hunter (1920–2002) and partner, Dr. On November 1, 1971, the Edmonton Oilers became 1 of the 12 founding WHA franchises. Main article: History of the Edmonton Oilers WHA years (1972–1979) ![]() In the NHL Entry Draft, Edmonton selected Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, and Connor McDavid with those first overall picks of these, only Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid remain with the team as of 2023. The Oilers have made twelve first-round selections since 2007: ten within the first ten picks overall, six within the first four picks overall, and four first overall selections. The Oilers began to struggle after coming up short in their most recent trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, missing the playoffs for the subsequent ten seasons. 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. 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 currently the longest division title drought in all of the North American major professional sports. The Oilers also won six straight division titles from 1981–82 through 1986–87. Among all NHL teams, only the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times since the league's 1967 expansion. 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 the league in or after 1967. They returned to their current name in the following year, and subsequently joined the NHL in 1979 as one of four franchises absorbed through the NHL–WHA merger.Īfter 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. However, when the Broncos relocated and became the Cleveland Crusaders before the WHA's first season began, the team was renamed the Alberta Oilers. They were originally intended to be one of two WHA Alberta teams, along with the Calgary Broncos. ![]() Chuck Allard, and played its first season in 1972 as one of the twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association (WHA). The Oilers are one of two NHL franchises based in Alberta, the other being the Calgary Flames their close proximity to each other has led to a fierce rivalry known as the " Battle of Alberta". Their current head coach Jay Woodcroft was hired on February 11, 2022, and Ken Holland was named as the general manager on May 7, 2019. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which opened in 2016. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |