The third and final night of the Oilers all-decade teams brings us to a different time in Oilers history. The 1980’s were the dynasty years, while the 1990’s were an up and down time where legends left and blue-collared kids took over. The 2000’s were a decade like no other in Oiler history.
The team started out with that blue-collar identity, battling just to sneak into the playoffs during the first few years of the new decade. Then, then the rinks went silent for 2004-05, a full season lost to a work stoppage. 2005-06 was pure magic, but it’s been dark times since then.
Forwards:
Left Wing: Ryan Smyth – Just like the 1990’s, Ryan Smyth finds himself on the left side. The gritty forward was Edmonton’s franchise face until his trade at the 2007 trading deadline. He led Edmonton’s offense after Doug Weight was traded in the summer of 2001.
Smyth was Edmonton’s franchise face at the time, a grizzled veteran who played a tough, power-forward game. He was simply the best in front of the net, and he could change a game by frustrating the goaltender. He scored more goals with his body than with his stick, that I’m convinced of.
Smyth would score 30 goals on three occasions in the 2000’s, including during the magical 2005-06 season. Smyth also had two memorable playoff moments that spring. In game three against San Jose, he set-up Shawn Horcoff’s triple OT winner after taking a puck to the face and missing a significant portion of the game earlier on.
The other moment? Smyth’s gritty game-winning goal against Carolina in game three of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Center: Shawn Horcoff – Horcoff represented Edmonton’s lone real constant at the center position during the decade. Horcoff joined the Oilers during the 2000-01 season, and then proceeded to play the rest of the decade for the team.
Horcoff emerged as a real offensive talent in the middle of the decade, scoring 73 points during the 2005-06 regular season and adding another 19 in the playoffs. Horcoff would score at least 50 points in each of the next three seasons, including 50 in 53 games during an injury shortened all-star season in 2007-08.
Horcoff also had some memorable moments during Edmonton’s playoff run in 2006, scoring the triple OT winner in game three against San Jose, and scoring the last playoff goal at Rexall Place in game six of the Finals.
Right Wing: Ales Hemsky – Hemsky was the most talented player of the decade in Edmonton. His ability to maneuver the puck through the offensive zone was, quite frankly, amazing. He was inconsistent at times, but he was a tremendous playmaker and a real weapon on the power-play.
Hemsky joined the team in 2002 and would play the rest of the decade in Oiler silks. His best season was in 2005-06, when he scored 77 regular season points, but he wasn’t a flash in the pan. Hemsky would score at least 50 points in each of the next three seasons before injuries derailed his career a bit in 2009.
Hemsky would score 53 points in 2006-07, 71 points in 2007-08, and 66 points in 2008-09. 2009 was a down year, only 22 points, but that came in 22 games before Hemsky suffered a season ending shoulder injury that altered his career. His numbers never were the same.
Hemsky had 17 points in 24 playoff games in 2006, including the game tying and winning goals in game six against Detroit in the opening round. Hemsky’s heroics late gave Edmonton their first playoff series win since 1998.
Defenders:
Number One Defender: Chris Pronger – He’s hated in Edmonton, and for good reason, but Chris Pronger’s contributions cannot be denied. In terms of an all-around defender, you can argue he was the best to ever wear the Oiler jersey.
In 2005-06, Pronger was a monster, playing in all situations and playing 25+ minutes a night. He registered 56 points in 80 games, and gave Edmonton a complexion on the back end that they had never had before. He simply made the Oilers a better team.
Pronger’s 2006 playoff performance was sensational. He scored 21 points in 24 games and played the most minutes of anyone in the NHL during the annual tournament. Remember Duncan Keith’s performance this spring? That was Pronger in 2006. I remain convinced to this day that had the Oil won, Pronger would have won the Conn Smythe trophy.
Number Two Defender: Steve Staios – This one was tough, but Staios edged out Jason Smith by just a little bit for me. Staios was a longer-term Oiler, and I thought one of the most underrated players to ever wear the jersey. He never posted a ton of offense, but he was a terrific shut-down defender for Edmonton.
He was a steady second-pairing defender who was physical and who was a warrior. Not to mention, he was a beast for Edmonton on the PK throughout his entire tenure with the team. Staios earned the nickname “Steady Steve” for a reason, he was just an all-around steady and sound defender.
Goaltender:
Starting Goalie: Dwayne Roloson – Goaltending was lean during the 2000’s, as only Tommy Salo and Roloson stood out as options. Salo was good, but he fell apart early in the decade and never had a performance like Roli in the 2006 playoffs.
Roloson came to Edmonton at the 2006 trade deadline and served as the starting goalie until the end of the 2008-09 season. Roli posted SV%’s of .905 (05-06), .909 (06-07), .901 (07-08), and .915 (08-09) for some pretty average Oiler teams.
Roloson nearly carried the Oilers to the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, but the team fell short in both campaigns. When he did reach the playoffs in 2006, Roloson was tremendous for Edmonton until he blew out his knee in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals, a moment that still haunts me.
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