The 2018/19 journey for Lord Stanley’s cup begins in only a few hours for the Edmonton Oilers and I think there’s no better time to remember past season openers than now!
I have an atrocious memory for these sort of things and so I crowdsourced this one. I asked some people who I know have followed the Oilers a helluva lot closer than I have since they came into the league in the 1979/80 season for their favorite Oilers season opener memories and the following is what they so graciously provided me.
THE FIRST ONE
The first goal against Edmonton came from John Marks, a tally Oilers goalie Dave Dryden said shouldn’t have counted because Marks “kicked my pad over the line” thus beginning a 40-year love-hate relationship between Edmonton fans and NHL referees. Kevin Lowe scored the first goal in franchise history, scoring after a pass from Brett Callighen (via Wayne Gretzky) on the power play about 10 minutes into the team’s first NHL period. – Lowetide
This snippet is from LT’s latest post from The Athletic. It’s behind a pay-wall and I encourage all of you to subscribe as they’ve always got a deal going on to make it cheaper for everyone. You can subscribe here and full disclosure, if you do, The Athletic will let me have a $10 Amazon credit for helping them out.
THE FIRST GOAL AND A KO YOU’LL NEVER FORGET
2010 – Following the worst season in Oilers history at that time, Oilers fans felt that change was on the horizon. It was the debut of prized pick Taylor Hall, however, it was World Juniors hero Jordan Eberle who stole the show. I was sitting at Chili’s in Calgary Airport surrounded by Flames fans waiting for my flight home to Saskatoon from university for Thanksgiving break. Then, it happened. Eberle scored one of the most beautiful first goals in NHL history, which sent Rexall Place into a frenzy! Edmonton crushed the Flames 4-0 and Steve MacIntyre knocked a guy out in the third period, but it’s Eberle’s goal that we all remember. – Eric Friesen
CAN YOU REMEMBER A BETTER OPENING NIGHT HATTY?
2017 – The dominant performance in game 1 last year against the flames. Expectations were sky high and they proceed to shut the flames out. Talbot was fantastic and McDavid with a hattie including that crazy speed and power goal down the right side with a roof job. – Original Pouzar
A SIGN OF GREAT THINGS TO COME
2005 – It had been 17 or 18 months since I had seen the Oilers play (due to the lockout) and it was the first time in my life the Oilers had ADDED some star power to their team (Pronger and Peca). The team didn’t disappoint either as Horcoff scored a goal late in the third to give them a 4-3 victory over the Avs. Little did I know, it was a sign of great things to come that season. – Ryan Robinson
NOT A SEASON OPENER BUT A MESS OF A HOME OPENER
1979 – For Mark Messier, his first career goal and point was an unexpected moment in the spotlight, but he took to it rather well. By the time his career wound down a quarter century later, he had passed the greatest Red Wing of them all, “Mister Hockey” Gordie Howe, to rank second all-time on the NHL career scoring list, where he remains the only player to be within 1000 points of the incomparable Wayne Gretzky. Turns out the two youngest players on that Oiler team — and indeed, in the entire NHL — were both bound for what Peter Gzowski called “the pantheon” of greatness. For this hockey-starved young fan and thousands of others in the Coliseum that night, it was the start of a wild and unforgettable ride. – Bruce McCurdy
Watch the game in its entirety below! Also, Bruce wrote an entire article on this evening. You can check that our here.
A big thank you to LT, Bruce, Eric, OP, and Ryan for helping out! Be sure to follow them this season!
What are your favorite memories of Oilers season openers? Let us know in the comments below!
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According to Oilers blogger Ryan Batty, it has been 10,000 days since the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup.
I’m glad he did the legwork on that because I sure as hell wouldn’t have. I’m not even sure if that’s accurate but if I do the lazy math it sounds about right.
Now in 1990 I was ten years old and dominating minor hockey in Camrose, AB and if I can recall correctly, I had more of an interest in hockey cards and playing street hockey than I did watching actual hockey games. I mean my dad would take me to watch the local college team (Go Vikings!) at the old Rec Centre (it’s now called the Max McLean I think or maybe it’s part of the Enmax centre…) but I never spent much time in my seat. I was too busy chasing pucks that went over the glass, buying hockey cards out of those coin-operated machines, or playing “kick hockey” in the hall by the dressing rooms.
But in 1990, my dad somehow got his hands on tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals and I can’t exactly remember what game it was. All I can remember is Andy Moog deflecting pucks into the crowd every time he kicked his leg out to make a save, Ray Bourque’s unforgettable playing style, and Bill Ranford be as electrifying as he ever was.
Anyways, I worked some magic and present to you the Edmonton Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs courtesy of the NHL VHS movie they put out that year. It’s basically just the parts of the movie that feature the Oilers. Enjoy and don’t forget to subscribe to our Beer League Heroes Youtube Channel for more sweet videos!
If a question like this interests you, your next stop should be www.GearGeek.com, the world’s first online database of NHL equipment. Recently launched, the site has more than 3,500 equipment items used by all 700-plus active NHL players. You can slice and dice the information just about any way you want, and see the results within a couple of seconds.
It’s an Oilers fan’s paradise — and one that has been much in demand, since previously it has been quite difficult to get accurate and comprehensive information about player equipment. Speaking of accurate, GearGeek updates its site daily so Oilers fans can keep track of equipment changes their favorite players make during the season.
Specific pieces of equipment GearGeek monitors include sticks, gloves, pants, skates, helmets, blockers, pads and masks. The site also details player stats for the past/current season. It’s free to use and requires no registration or login. It’s a highly “bookmark-able” site for any hockey player or Oilers fan who enjoys being in the know about pro equipment.
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Yesterday the alumni rosters were announced for the 2016 Heritage Classic game on Oct.23rd between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets, which I will say, are on par with the jersey unveils. Meaning that the Oilers seriously missed a perfect opportunity to raise some more skrilla to pay for their new arena and that the Jets roster is left wanting. Whilst the Oilers alumni roster is always amazing and the Jets unis are f*cking gorgeous. I’ll never buy one because they belong to the Jets but great looking nonetheless. Let’s talk about it below.
Defensemen: Paul Coffey, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, *Kevin Lowe, Marty McSorley
Forwards: Glenn Anderson, Kelly Buchberger, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Ken Linseman, Blair MacDonald, *Craig MacTavish, Mark Messier, Dave Semenko, Craig Simpson, Ryan Smyth, Esa Tikkanen
Also, according to the article on NHL.com,
Grant Fuhr will be attending but not player.
Kevin Lowe will be on the bench as an assistant coach.
Craig MacTavish will also be on the bench as an assistant coach.
More players are expected to be added later. Personally I’m hoping to see a whole whack of ex-players like Todd Marchant, Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Bill Guerin, Roman Hamrlik, Boris Mironov, or Curtis Joseph make an appearance on the Oilers side of the ice.
But how on Earth are the Oilers going to win this game with so many left-handed dmen?…
JETS ALUMNI
Coaches: Tom McVie, Serge Savard
Goaltenders: Bob Essensa… (Yup just Bobby here… No Pokey Reddick or Daniel Berthiaume.)
Defencemen: Dave Babych, Dave Ellett, Mike Ford, Jim Kyte, Mario Marois, Moe Mantha, Teppo Numminen, Tim Watters
Forwards: Laurie Boschman, Mike Eagles, Dale Hawerchuk, Kris King, Morris Lukowich, Andrew McBain, Brian Mullen, Teemu Selanne, Darrin Shannon, Doug Smail, Thomas Steen, Ron Wilson
Surprised Dallas Eakins didn’t get the call here. Surely there are no other reasons to play, right? He’d love to be on the ice for another Teemu Selanne shotgun goal celebration, no? I think he could Nail down catching that glove again.
But more seriously, where’s Dave Christian and Keith Tkachuk? If Dave Hunter can get a pair of skates on, Tkachuk should have no problem. Randy Carlyle how about? For the love of Christ, can I get a Phil Housley? Mark Messier was still playing in the NHL when he played in the alumni game versus the Habs back in 2003… I mean Tie Domi would at least make it interesting.
Anyways, If you’re really bored you can read our alumni roster predictions we made back in March here.
Until then we wait…
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Well folks, the Oilers are getting their outdoor game against the Jets. Now, putting aside the fact that the Jets are actually the Atlanta Thrashers and have virtually no classic alumni, the NHL seems content letting them ice the greatest hits of the Phoenix Coyotes. So, who can we expect to see on the ice for the Oilers?
First off, we need to pick players who are still physical able to compete. Let’s start with the Oilers.
This was the roster for the original 2003 Heritage Classic game. In net were Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford and Andy Moog. At forward was Gretzky, Andersen, Chipperfield, Hunter, Kurri, Linseman, Lumley, Semenko, Simpson and Tikkanen. On defense, there was Beukeboom, Coffey, Fogolin, Gregg, Huddy, Lowe, McSorley and Muni.
Starting with the goaltenders, there is Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford, Andy Moog, but there are also the other possibles in Tommy Salo or Dwayne Roloson. Grant Fuhr has been retired since 2000, and played in the 2003 Heritage Classic, so that’s 13 years off the ice as a player. He was a goaltending coach until 2009, so that’s not quite as bad as it seems, since he probably logged some time on the ice in his coaching capacity, and he’s 53, so he’s not too old to lace them up. Based on his age I could see him being in a reduced role.
Bill Ranford is 49, has been retired since 2000, and played for the Oilers in the 2003 Heritage Classic. In 2004 he was the goaltender stunt double for the movie Miracle. And at this time he is still the goaltending coach for the Los Angeles Kings, so he’s likely still able to put the pads on and not be too rusty, he could be the starter.
Andy Moog, at 56, I expect to be off the roster this time, with one of Tommy Salo, Curtis Joseph or Dwayne Roloson taking the ice. Now, Tommy Salo logged more games, but Dwayne Roloson’s cup run has made him a fan favorite in Edmonton. He’s 46, and played until 2012, so he’s only 4 years off the ice at this point. There’s also Curtis Joseph, the immortal CuJo, but in some ways he’s viewed as more of a Toronto Maple Leaf, so I would guess we see Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford and Dwayne Roloson in net.
Moving on to our defensemen, we should all rejoice in the fact that, once again, we will see an NHL defense playing in Oilers jerseys. I’d guess by the time this game rolls around Chiarelli will have revamped the existing one to the point it will be competitive, but in the meantime.. We can safely expect to see Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy, Jeff Beukeboom, Marty McSorley and Craig Muni out there. It’s likely that both Lee Fogolin (61 with no real involvement in hockey since his 1987 retirement) and Randy Gregg (60 and out of the sport since 1992) will be the ones replaced.
As a result, this opens the door for two of the more beloved Edmonton Oilers defensemen of the last little while, Steve Smith and Jason Smith. Other than the Chris Pronger effect, these are two of the most memorable “newer generation” Oilers defensemen to take the ice, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them both don the alumni silks for this game. Now, for all of you wondering what a power play quarterback looks like, we can sit back and relax and enjoy watching Paul Coffey once again (as we search for his replacement and pray to whichever gods we hold dear that St. Peter manages to obtain Kevin Shattenkirk for us, amen).
And that takes us to our forwards. Although we all now worship the McJesus and the collection of amazing young talent we have here, once upon a time the Oilers had some pretty good forwards too. We can expect to see McDavid 1.0, Wayne Gretzky, take the ice, along with his entourage of Glenn Anderson, Dave Hunter, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Esa Tikkanen and Dave Semenko on the ice. The only possibility is the fact that Semenko may have some lingering resentment to how the organization discharged him last summer, so if he can’t go, I would expect George Laraque to be the fan-favorite enforcer alternative here.
Now, there were a total of 10 forwards for the last Alumni game, so we now have 3 spots open. The names that jump to mind are Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, and Ryan Smyth. All three are much beloved members of the organization, experienced success here to some degree, and seem logical choices to flush out the heritage roster. There’s also the possibility of Todd Marchant, another character player loved by the organization, to step in as an alternate here.
So fans, that’s who I’d expect to see on the ice for the next Heritage Classic, who would you like to see lace ’em up for the alumni game? Let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to the TENTH edition of the BLH Sunday Night Pint! This evening we have Zach Laing (@loweded), Rob Cooke (@Just Oil78), and Corey Mitchel (@corn_cwm) with us to talk about what is now old news, specifically what was the 3-headed monster in net. We’re also going to touch on how the boys would make the team “heavier” in the words of Peter Chiarelli and our final thoughts as the preseason closes out. So let’s get started shall we?
1. What Will Come of This Three-Headed Monster In Net?
ZL: Yikes. This is a extremely tough call. All three of the goaltenders have played very well up until this point in the preseason. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet has been saying for sometime now that he feels Ben Scrivens will end up being the starting goaltender for Edmonton. Marek is uncertain of Talbot, and thinks Scrivens has enough fight to earn that starter spot. Given that Anders Nilsson doesn’t need to clear waivers in order to be sent down, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get sent down. Talbot and Scrivens will be able to push each other moving forward, and Nilsson could be called up if an injury occurs.
CM: Oh, the three headed goalie monster. Remember the classic Conklin-Morrison-Markannen conflict? We don’t need another one of those. Looking at things, my guess is that it’s going to be between Scrivens and Nilsson in regards to a goalie move. Looking at what Chiarelli was willing to give up for Talbot, he didn’t make that move just to put Talbot on waivers. Talbot will be on the team to start the season. There’s a very real chance that, as ideal as it may not be, the Oilers start the year with three goalies. Hopefully that isn’t the case. If you aren’t starting the year with a bonafide starter, then you start the year with two guys capable of battling it out for the job. I expect that at some point before the season starts, we see one of Scrivens or Nilsson on waivers. If it’s me, I move away from Scrivens, simply because he was here prior to Chiarelli, who added two guys for his net.
RC: Obviously the choice comes down to Nilsson or Scrivens. No chance that Peter Chiarelli brought in Talbot to only send him to the minors. He is the starter and won’t be going anywhere this season. This should be an open and shut case of which netminder has performed better to this point in the season. If that is the case, then Anders Nilsson is our back-up goalie and we can say good-bye to the Professor now.
Unfortunately play this fall isn’t the only thing to consider when McLellan and Chiarelli are deciding between the two. There are a couple things that bear consideration before a decision is reached. Experience in the NHL will definitely be a factor. Between Talbot and Nilsson the Oilers would have 80 games of NHL experience. Scrivens has over 100 games by himself. Another item to note is the waiver requirements for the two. Scrivens will require to clear waivers before he could be reassigned and Nilsson would not. Not that I see any team claiming Ben even if he is waived but you get the point. If I have to guess, which is the point of the question it would appear, I would say that Chiarelli is trying to move out Scrivens and his 2.3 million dollar cap but barring a trade I think we see Scrivens as the back-up in hopes that his play rebounds and teams come calling.
BLH: Well I have the distinct advantage of answering this question after the news came out about Ben Scrivens’ demotion. But had you asked me before hand I would’ve said the would keep Scrivens because it would’ve cost to much to move him AND Nikitin to the minors but that’s exactly what they’ve done. What will they do with all that cash tied up in Bakersfield? It’s definitely Chia’s and McLellan’s team now and the die has been cast. It’s their way or the highway.
2. How Would You Make the Oilers a “Heavier” Team?
ZL: In order for the Oilers to become “heavier”, the team needs to play a tougher style of game. When I think of heavy teams to play against, I think of teams like the LA Kings when they recently won their Stanley Cups. They play a game driven by strong fore-checking and lots of physical play which forces other teams off of the puck, allowing them to get good scoring chances. The Oilers need to play a game that is driven by the strong fore-check in order to create better scoring opportunities. I think at this point in the preseason, we have seen under McLellan’s system a much stronger fore-check and thus the Oilers have had greater scoring opportunities.
CM: As many people have talked about, it looks like the “enforcer” role is all but done with. So how does this team get heavier? Well, you aren’t about to go out and add a guy to your roster that’s going to play 4-6 minutes a game, and really have little effect on things. The Oilers have Luke Gazdic still, although he may not get too many games this year. The addition of Eric Gryba address things a bit as well, although he could see limited time, much like Gazdic. That being said, you don’t need to be “heavy” to play “heavy”. At this point, it’s going to take another slight culture change. This team has gone from blue collar, hard working, to high skill and speed. Now they need to add that heavy aspect as well. In short, what I’m trying to say is, the players the Oilers have need to learn to play heavy, even if that means taking a bad penalty here or there to establish that the Oilers aren’t going to get pushed around this season.
RC: This is a little bit of a misleading question. You would have had to watched the MacKenzie interview to understand what Peter really means by heaviness. He doesn’t mean heavier players necessarily. What he means is that he wants the team to play a more physical style. He wants his team to be dogged in their pursuit of the puck and to be willing to go into the dirty areas and come out with the puck. I for one do not see the Oilers as being able to play that style of game. The bottom six may be able to and with Pouliot and potentially Slepyshev on the top two lines it would give some of what Chiarelli is asking for. The skilled guys in the top six have never played that style and I don’t know that they ever will be really effective at it. Adding some grit and toughness to the top six is the only route I can see the team going at this stage.
BLH: Well personally I think Chiarelli will take a shot at either Milan Lucic or Kyle Okposo over the course of the season. They would add an element that the Oilers do not have. A guy who can score, hit, and open up the ice for the skillers. I read that Jordan Staal has been linked to the Oilers too. Not sure how reliable that is though. Surely the Canes would like to hold on to the younger Staal, what about the older one though?
With that said, the Oilers have been planning on this for some time. The additions of Anton Slepyshev and Leon Draisaitl, Lauri Korpikoski, and Mark Letestu show us the kind of forward the Oilers are looking to gravitate to. Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba on defence are also some big boys who can play a mean game but the sacrifice being how bad they’re going to get caught out on the road when the other team has last change.
3. Your Thoughts on the Oilers 2015/16 Preseason.
ZL: So far, I’m impressed. Our training camp has been much improved under McLellan and granted this is just preseason, the players seem to be responding well to his coaching. I mean, we are 6-1 in the 7 games we have played leading up to the season opener on Thursday. All of the comments have been very positive from the players and from McLellan himself. It will be interesting to see how the team performs through the first 20 games, and then the last 60. Everyone remembers how last season started, so let’s hope this year is much different.
CM: I think the Oilers are exactly what I thought they would be after the offseason. High skill on the front, big questions on the back. McDavid has been an absolute joy, and I can’t wait to watch him as the season starts. Draisaitl has been a very pleasant surprise for me personally., I had him pegged to start the year in the AHL, but he has totally earned the right to start the year on that top line with Hall and McDavid. Reinhart has also been a nice story, and I hope the preseason helped to show everyone who thought the Oilers paid too much for him, that they were mistaken. But the preseason is what it is, and means zero in the grand scheme of things. Let’s drop the puck on this season, and go from there.
RC: I like what I have seen from most of the players so far this season with some very obvious exceptions. McDavid appears as advertised, his speed off the wing is truly amazing to behold. Leon is showing that he is ready for full-time NHL action this season. Slepyshev has been a very nice surprise this fall. We knew he had some offensive ability but I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how good this young man was going to be coming from the bigger ice of the KHL. Anders Nilsson has been perfect so far in 120 minutes of game action and appears poised for a decent NHL career. Justin Schultz has been far superior to his previous seasons and on most nights has been the best defenseman on the team. Andrej Sekera seems to come as advertised. Aside from a couple defensive lapses against the Canucks on Thursday he has played fairly well in a very small sample size. Those are some of the positives.
The negatives are just as obvious as the positives. Andrew Ference has shown that he does not have enough left in the tank to compete with the younger faster players in the NHL. Captain or not, it is time for Andy to hang up the skates in my opinion. The other player that has proven to be a really bad choice for the opening night roster is Nikita Nikitin. Last season he was apparently injured for the majority of the year and that supposedly affected his performance greatly. Well then the guy must still be injured because I have seen no improvement what so ever from last year. He is too slow, can’t seem to make a pass exiting the defensive zone and more often than not his bomb from the point is finding the end boards instead of the net.
BLH: I’ll tell you what. Every year I am stoked because there’s a new crop of players and a new season is upon us but as we can all tell this isn’t just any season coming up. The new players have come to play this year and there’s no doubt in any of them. But the story of the preseason for me is what looks like the re-emergence of Nail Yakupov and, from my eye at least, the failing experiment that is Taylor Hall and Connor McDavid.
Yakupov looks to have his swagger back. He’s working hard, he’s shooting again, and it just looks like he’s loving hockey like he used to. As for Hall, he’s my whipping boy, so anything he does wrong gets magnified and anything he does right goes unnoticed because that’s what should be happening. But he looks way behind McDavid in terms of on-ice thought processes. Draisaitl looked better on 97’s wing to be honest. So we’ll have to keep an eye on this one.
BONUS: Who’s Your Favorite Captain of All-Time?
ZL: I am a big fan of Mark Messier. After Wayne Gretzky left, Moose stepped in and took the team to a Stanley Cup Championship. He helped prove to everyone that the Oilers could do it without Wayne, and they did just that. Considering he has an NHL award named after him – the Mark Messier Leadership Award – as well as the fact that he is the only player to Captain two teams to a Stanley Cup Champion.
CM: Do I get crucified if I don’t say Messier? Because I’m going totally bias here, and I’m saying Mario Lemieux. The sexy picks might be a Mark Messier or a Jonathan Toews, but the question is “favorite captain”. I can’t help it if my all time favorite player was a captain. Also, second best player of all time, and lead the Pens to back to back Cups. Just saying.
RC: How anyone could say anyone other than Mark Messier is beyond me. I mean come on the guy has an award named after him! The Mark Messier leadership award is named that way because of the respect that anyone that has ever played against or watched the man play the game. He led the right way. He was a fierce competitor and demanded the same from all his teammates. If you gave less than your all then you had Moose to deal with in the locker room! There hasn’t been many players in the league that were as widely respected and feared as Mess. He earned and deserves the award that bears his name and there should be no question as to who is the greatest NHL captain of all-time!
BLH: My Favorite captain of all-time (which is basically code for the time I’ve been alive) would be Wendel Clark. About the time I started following hockey more closely was when the Leafs were having those runs in the 90s. He played that old brand of Canadian hockey. Tough and fearless and a wrist shot that hasn’t been matched by many. And how could you not respect the handlebar mustache? Mario Lemieux was my favorite player but I’m not sure he was my favorite captain. Maybe in the 2002 Olympics is when he really shone as a captain. I think Steve Yzerman could be nominated too for how he went from highly skilled 100pt per season player to elite defensive center after numerous knee surgeries.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below with your thoughts on this week’s SNP topics!
Oh and don’t forget to catch up with is on the Socials!
