The Edmonton Oilers—From WHA To NHL

The Oilers entered the 1973-74 season with a new name. President Bill Hunter’s vision of having the team split games between Edmonton and Calgary never materialized, and the franchise wisely decided to drop "Alberta" in favour of "Edmonton" in the team name.

This second World Hockey Association (WHA) season saw the Edmonton Oilers play in the old Edmonton Gardens for the last time. The club finished the season one game over 500, with Ron Climie leading the way with a 38-goal campaign. However, just like in 1973, the 1974 Oilers post-season was short-lived thanks to the Minnesota Fighting Saints beating the Oilers in their first-round playoff series.

In 1974, the Oilers played NHL competition for the first time. During the preseason, the WHA and National Hockey League (NHL) agreed to allow clubs the opportunity to face each other as part of their exhibition schedules. On October 6, 1974, the Oilers met the Vancouver Canucks, narrowly losing by a 4-3 count. Over the next five seasons the Oilers would play exhibition games against NHL teams eleven times, with Edmonton finishing with a respectable five wins and six losses. The Oilers first win against an NHL club--albeit a pre-season game for both teams--came over the St. Louis Blues on October 3, 1977.

The 1974-75 season saw the best and worst of the Oilers. The team’s home opener against the Cleveland Crusaders saw the grand opening of Northlands Coliseum; a state-of-the-art arena that was triple the size of the old Edmonton Gardens, and would become a key factor to the Oilers admission into the NHL in 1979. Even though the new arena brought gleam to the city and goaltending legend Jacques Plante was between the pipes, the Oilers sunk in the standings. That year the Oilers finished in last place in the Canadian Division and missed the playoffs.

Through the next three seasons, the Oilers made the playoffs, but each time they lost in the first round. During that time, individual performers drew the crowds. In 1975-76, Rusty Patenaude wowed fans with a 42-goal campaign, and in 1977-78 Bill Flett registered 41 goals.

Soon, Zane Feldman and Charles Allard, who had partnered with Hunter in bringing the team to Edmonton, turned the Oilers over to new owners Nelson Skalbania and Peter Pocklington. Pocklington eventually became sole owner of the club, as Skalbania pursued the purchase of the Indianapolis Racers.

Skalbania’s decision to pursue the Racers would soon make a major impact on the Oilers. Before the 1978-79 season, Skalbania agreed to sign 17-year-old Ontario junior hockey star-player Wayne Gretzky. But Gretzky only lasted a month in Indianapolis before Skalbania sold Gretzky's contract to his old buddy Pocklington.  At the time, the Racers were in serious financial trouble. Gretzky became an Oiler in November of 1978, and led the team to a first overall finish.  That year Dave Dryden backstopped the team in net, and finished the year with a 2.89 goals against average.

The Oilers got to the Avco World Trophy Championship final for the first (and only) time in team history. The final series was bitter for fans, who already knew that the World Hockey Association would fold at the end of the series and the Oilers, along with three other WHA survivors—the Winnipeg Jets, the New England Whalers (who would become the Hartford Whalers) and the Quebec Nordiques—would join the NHL. The Oilers met their long-time rival Winnipeg Jets in the final, with Jets upsetting the Oilers in six games.

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