The 1985-1990 Edmonton Oilers
Yeah, I think this team qualifies
And we move on to one of the more iconic teams of my lifetime, the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s
Categories
Rings
The Oilers won the Stanley Cup in1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Five Cups in seven years (18/20)
Non-Championship Years
The Oilers famously were swept in the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals to the Islanders before sweeping past them the next year.
In 1986, the Oilers lost in the Smythe Division finals to their provincial rival Calgary Flames, who went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 1989, their first year after trading Gretzky, they lost to his Kings in the first round. They won their division in 1991, but lost the conference finals. They were always in the mix. (8/10)
Peak Performance
The 1984 team posted a then-record 119 points, and went 15-4 in the playoffs (with the Flames pushing them to a 7 game series in the Smythe Division Finals). (9/10)
Star Power
Yeah, they had some stars:
Wayne Gretzky, considered the greatest hockey player of all time
Mark Messier, considered the best leader
Paul Coffey, the most accomplished scoring defenseman
Jari Kurr, Glenn Anderson and other wingers who capitalized getting to play on lines and power plays with the above
They were so powerful that they won the 1987 Stanley Cup, scored 22 goals in the seven games (never fewer than 2), yet the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP went to Flyers goalie Ron Hextall. (10/10)
Coaching / Innovation
Glen Sather was considered a good coach, but I’m not sure he had any innovations other than having great players and letting them play. (3/5)
Legacy
The team came over from the WHA, and then established themselves as perennial championships. Sadly, the team was being dismantled even as it was still winning championships, with the shocking (at least to 13 year-old me) Gretzky trade int he summer of 1988.
And so, the Oilers did not parlay this success into becoming a powerhouse franchise.
Gretzky went on to re-write the record book. Messier captained the New York Rangers to the curse-ending 1994 Stanley Cup. Coffey would win two more Cups with the Penguins (4/5)
The Competition
In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers first ended the Islanders run, then beat the Flyers twice, then the Bruins twice. Those Flyers and Bruins teams did not get to other finals, and were probably not legitimate threats to beat them.
Their closes competition was probably the Flames, who would win the 1989 Stanley Cup. The NHL playoffs were structured then such that there were divisional playoffs, and the Flames and Oilers could never face each other later than the second round.
In general, the league at that time was still adjusting to the expansion of the previous decade and the WHA acquisition, and there were several poorly run franchises. (3/5)
Achilles Heel
I suppose Grant Fuhr and the other goaltenders were not quite at the level of the skaters. They were not considered a great defensive team, but could always outscore the competition. (4/5)
Bias Check
It’s true that the Oilers beat my Flyers for two of their titles, but while we liked those teams, at the time I did not consider them to be legitimate Cup contenders, even if they did push the Oilers to seven games. (0)
Summary
59 points, same as their preceding Islanders. Maybe I gave the Isles too much credit for their four Cups coming consecutively versus the Oilers winning 4 in 6 years. But pretty darn good.