First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! We hear at the Oilers Rig hope you have an amazing day today filled with family, friends and full of cheer. Since the Oilers Rig began exactly six months ago you have come to this site read, and commented on our blogs and helped make the site among the top viewed Oilers blogs out there. On behalf of Alex, Jeremy, Jackie, Madison, Troy and myself a sincere thank you and Merry Christmas. Here’s to your’s and our continued enjoyment and success in the New Year.
We’ve been over our list for Santa the last 11 days, but today perhaps is the most important request we have from Saint Nick to bring the Oilers. Today we ask that Santa can bring the Edmonton Oilers – More Stanley Cups.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxQKe_Kq0Ps]
When the Oilers entered the NHL in 1979 they did so with the greatest player ever to play the game, and over the next few seasons continually drafted future Hall of Famers. The team, built around Gretzky, added Messier, Lowe, Anderson, Kurri, Coffey, and goalies Fuhr and Moog. Putting the pieces together to begin the Dynasty that was the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980’s.
That team managed to win their first Stanley Cup in the spring of 1984 defeating the New York Islanders in 5 games. They won it again in 1985, lost with the infamous own goal in ’86 then won three more cups, in ’87, ’88, and 1990.
Since then the Oilers have entered dark, dark times. In ’91 and ’92 the Oilers made the conference finals but were no challenge for the Minnesota North Stars, and Chicago Black Hawks respectively. After those two seasons the Oilers wouldn’t make the playoffs again until the spring of 1997.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYRWxRXROag]
The team went on a bit of a playoff roll, making the post season five of the next seven seasons. They however didn’t much success only making it past the first round twice. It showed the decline and that the team didn’t have talent it took to make an impact in the post season.Drafting and the ability to sign high profile free agents became the major issue in Edmonton, as the team was constantly getting snubbed by highly touted players who didn’t want to play in the NHL’s northernmost city.
It wasn’t until after the lockout of 2004 that then general manager pulled of nothing short of a miracle, trading for defenseman Chris Pronger and signing defensive center Mike Peca before the start of the ’05-’06 season. That year was glorious, hopes were high amongst the fans coming out of the lockout with our new franchise pieces. But no one expected what was to come.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGXqj2SDgdA]
The Oilers finished in 8th place in the Western conference that year with 95 points and pulled off another miracle in the post season, getting by Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose enroute to the Stanley cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes. It marked the first time the Oilers had been to the finals in 16 years. It was a glorious time as a fan, fans partied it up every other night while watching the Oilers and hoping for a return to glory. It wasn’t meant to be that season as the first game of the finals saw and injury to Dwayne Roloson, the MVP of the team throughout the playoffs, and the Oilers lost in seven games.
That was the last time we’d see the Oilers in the post season, and as you know it’s never been worse in Oil country. The team is about to miss the playoffs for the eight consecutive season. This team needs the return to glory, the fans need it too, and we need it bad.
Santa, if you can only bring us one gift this year please bring us more Stanley Cups. We know it won’t be this season, and maybe not even next, but please bring us some hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. Please leave a note in the Oilers stalking hanging above our fireplaces that says the one day, and sooner than later the Edmonton Oiler will return to glory and the Stanley Cup will be paraded down Jasper Avenue once again.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cqHcTZfGGs]
Thanks For Reading, and once again Merry Christmas
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