Edmonton Is Playoff Country

From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, the Edmonton Oilers were the most dominant team in the NHL. With Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe and Grant Fuhr on the roster, the Oilers were never underdogs. Although there were times when the Oilers were not favoured by the experts—like the 1990 Cup upset over Boston—the Oilers ability to score meant the team could compete in any series.

As the team emerged from the doldrums of the mid-1990s to the upstart, youth-laden squad of the late 1990s, the Oilers and their fans relished the role of underdog. In 1997, Oiler fans who may have been too young to savour the team’s 1980 upset of the Canadiens learned what it was like to cheer on what seemed to be a hopeless cause.

In both 1997 and 1998, the Oilers pulled off major playoff upsets that are remembered with almost the same reverence as the team’s championship years. Key overtime goals and great goaltending propelled a young team into the consciousness of the NHL.

These were not championship seasons, but they featured highlight memories. Visions of Todd Marchant’s heroic Game 7 goal to eliminate Dallas in 1997 or goaltender Curtis Joseph’s shutout streak against Colorado in 1998 that will be long remembered in a city that was once spoiled by hosting the greatest hockey team that ever played.

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