Arriving in the NHL in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers made a swift impact on the league, winning its first Stanley Cup just five years after joining.
Before the decade was out, the Oilers would add another three trophies and one more to open the 1990s. It’s during this era that the franchise put together one of the greatest teams of all time.
Not only did the lines feature a bunch of the greatest players in Edmonton Oilers history, but some of the greatest to play their positions – and, of course, the greatest player of all time. These are the players who rank in the top five.
1) Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky is the only choice for the number one spot on the list ranking the Edmonton Oilers’ all-time greatest players and, indeed, the same list when looking at the whole NHL.
The Great One strung together an immense 20-season career that saw him sit atop 61 NHL records at the time of his retirement with nine Hart Memorial, ten Art Ross, and two Conn Smythe Trophies – as well as four Stanley Cups.
To this day, Gretzky’s shadow looms heavily over even the NHL’s most prolific players. The league’s current best player, Connor McDavid, hit 100 assists this season, but the media couldn’t help but point out that Gretzky achieved the feat 11 times.
It’s quite incredible that a player who has collected 982 points in 645 games, is still only 27-years-old, and is invariably backed to get a point in the live betting of every game may not even get close to Gretzky’s headline records.
2) Paul Coffey
Paul Coffey was incredibly influential in the changing of the blueliner position, validating its potential as a true offensive weapon. As it stands, he’s 16th in all-time regular season points scoring with 1,531 points in 1,409 games.
The only defenseman ahead of Coffey in the points table is Ray Bourque, who scored 48 points more in 203 additional games.
By the end of his career, Coffey had taken his absurd mobility and playmaking talents around the NHL, playing for nine different teams to set over 35 records in the regular season and postseason and win the Cup four times.
Three of those four Stanley Cup wins were with the Oilers in 1984, 1985, and 1987, and even though he only played 532 games in Edmonton, his 669 points in that time rank him eighth in franchise history.
3) Mark Messier
Still third in the all-time points leaders ranks with 1,887 points in 1,756 games and second for playoffs scoring with 295 points in 236 games, Mark Messier is, undoubtedly, one of the best NHL players of all time.
Messier was central to the dynastic success of the Oilers alongside the likes of Gretzky, Kurri, and Coffey, finishing his time in Edmonton with 1,034 points in 851 games.
The Alberta native would further his legacy with the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks to become the only player to captain two different teams to the title and finished with a haul of six Cups.
While his leadership skills and relentless scoring, particularly in Edmonton, highlight his career, it was his sheer determination and longevity that enabled the former 48th overall pick to finish just nine games behind what was Gordie Howe’s games played record of 1,767.
4) Jari Kurri
Much like McDavid is bolstered in the hockey odds thanks to having another elite-tier forward in the form of Leon Draisaitl on the team, Gretzky also benefitted from the skill set of Jari Kurri.
Drafted 69th overall in 1980, the Finnish sniper may not have been the most hyped pick of the class, but he went on to become the highest-scoring player who was born and trained in Europe.
A trailblazer in every regard, Kurri became the first Finn to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, has had his No. 17 retired by the Oilers and Finnish national team, and remains the second-highest goal and point scorer for the Oilers with tallies of 474 and 1,043, respectively.
Having starred alongside Gretzky for the better part of a decade, Kurri was pivotal to the Oilers making it five titles in seven years; plus, the 1990 triumph came two years after The Great One was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
5) Grant Fuhr
A six-time All-Star, five-time Stanley Cup winner, and one-time Vezina Trophy winner, Grant Fuhr held the crease for ten seasons in Edmonton, which includes a mammoth effort in 1987/88.
That season, Fuhr played 75 games, won 40, kept four shutouts, and held a .881 save percentage (good for 13th among goalies with 40 or more games) in the regular season and won 16 of 19 games in the playoffs to win another Cup.
Expectations were high for Fuhr when he was drafted eighth overall in 1981, but unlike what we often see today, he was thrown straight into the NHL crease and performed admirably with 48 games for 28 wins and a .899 save percentage.
To showcase his quality when it truly matters, Fuhr ended his spell in Edmonton with a playoffs record of 74-32, only having a losing record in the 1988/89 posteason (3-4) which came after he’d played 153 games since the start of the season prior.
There were many other all-time greats to choose from for this Edmonton Oilers rankings, and it won’t be too long before at least two more are considered for places on this list.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
