On Tuesday night, the MLB did something really cool before their annual All-Star Game, they revealed the top four players in franchise history for all of the league’s teams. No other sport has truly done this, although we’ve all had bar conversations about it.
It’s the dog days of summer, so it got me thinking, who are the best four Oilers of all-time? If we are going by pure talent, then every player is from the 1980’s dynasty era. That said, I didn’t look at it that way.
There has been too many great players to not have snubs, and going by pure talent is almost impossible. So, I decided to do my four franchise Oilers based on a few different things. Talent is obviously up there, but so isn’t fan popularity, time served, contributions to the organization and a few other things.
Basically, I asked this question, when you think of the Oilers, who comes to mind?
What four did I come up with? Let’s take a look.
Wayne Gretzky:
He was the greatest player to ever play the game, and the greatest Oiler to ever wear the jersey. Gretzky joined the Oilers in 1978 while the team was still in the WHA, and stayed with the Oilers until his trade to Los Angeles in 1988.
In Edmonton, Gretzky won all four of his Stanley Cups, and took over a massive amount of records in the record books. He had his best years in Edmonton, scoring 92 goals in 1981-82, an NHL record. He also has the record for most assists in a season with 163, and points with 215, both coming in the 1985-86 season.
Gretzky put the Oilers on the map, and is the name always connected with the franchise. When you think Oilers, you think Gretzky. I don’t need to list off all of his stats, you know them by now.
Wayne Gretzky was the greatest Oiler ever, and was the easiest player to slot on this list.
Mark Messier:
If Gretzky is number one, then Messier is easily number two. Mess won five Stanley Cups with the team, playing in the City of Champions from 1979 until 1991. He was an Oiler captain, and was arguably the best leader to ever wear the jersey.
Like Gretzky, his best seasons came in Edmonton. He had his lone 50 goal season in 1981-82, and achieved his career high in points in 1989-90, amassing 129 en route to a fifth Championship.
The man nicknamed Moose took Edmonton out of a dark time when Gretzky was traded, and led them to another Stanley Cup while being one of the game’s most dominant players. His size and skill combination might never be seen again, while his mean streak and leadership is craved by every team.
Messier is still involved, as he currently works for the Oilers in some sort of advising capacity. In fact, he was a major supporter of Cam Talbot in New York, and some think he may have been consulted on that trade this past June.
Ryan Smyth:
Here is where the debate begins. For fans of my generation, Ryan Smyth is Mr. Oiler, he is the face of the franchise. Smyth joined Edmonton during the dark years post-dynasty, selected 6th overall in 1994, Smyth was the poster child for blue-collar hockey.
He was gritty, he was greasy, he was Ryan Smyth. Smyth has played the second most games of any Oiler in franchise history, and was a catalyst for the under-talented but hardworking teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. He played a huge role in Edmonton’s playoff upsets of Dallas and Colorado in 1997 and 1998 as well.
In 2006, he was Edmonton’s leader up front, and set-up arguably the most memorable goal of the magical run to the finals. After losing teeth earlier in the game, Ryan would return and set Shawn Horcoff up for the triple OT winner that brought Edmonton back from the ashes against San Jose.
Smyth scored 30 goals four times for Edmonton, and scored 20 another four times. He was, to say the least, productive for this franchise. On top of that, he is tied for the franchise record for power-play goals scored, no easy feat.
Why Smyth? In addition to everything I mentioned above, he was the face for a generation of Oiler fans. I simply couldn’t leave him off the list, he was just too impactful and loved to be left off.
Kevin Lowe:
Yup, don’t look twice, I wrote Kevin Lowe. Listen, Lowe has taken a lot of heat from a lot of people, myself included, but he loves the Oilers. He scored the franchise’s first goal back in 1979, was their first ever NHL draft choice, and was the only glory year Oiler to return and finish his career in Edmonton while still being productive.
He won five Stanley Cups as an Oiler, and had his best statistical seasons as an Oiler. He was a stalwart, the best shut-down defender Edmonton had during the dynasty era. He was a key cog, one that the machine really needed. As a player, he was likely underrated, but he was a sensational defender,
He also coached the Oilers for a brief time, and was the GM of the organization until 2008. Under Lowe, Edmonton reached the 2006 finals, a year in which he brought both Chris Pronger and Micheal Peca to Edmonton.
Love him or hate him, Lowe has also been President of Hockey Operations for a number of years, and is now on the business side of things with owner Daryl Katz. Yes, Lowe had a rough end to his Hockey Ops days, but he’s been a great Edmonton Oiler.
He played his best days as an Oiler, retired an Oiler, coached as an Oiler and managed as an Oiler. He’s played the most games EVER as an Oiler too, a pretty damn big deal.
Kevin Lowe was a great player and has always been associated with the team. Forget the recent years and look at the large picture.
So, Oiler fans, tell me, who are the franchise four in your minds?
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