Kelly Buchberger—True Grit

While the Oilers have had many superstars since they joined the National Hockey League in 1979, the team has shown commitment to hard work and perseverance.  This is evident in Kelly Buchberger. 

Born on December 2, 1966, in Langenburg, Saskatchewan, Buchberger was never known as a goal-scorer or set-up man. Instead, he is a solid winger, ready to take the body and drop the gloves if need be. In his final season of junior hockey in 1985-86, Buchberger earned just 36 points in a full season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League.

The Oilers selected Buchberger in the eighth round of the 1985 draft and believed that he could develop within their system and would become a gritty role player for the team.

He spent the 1986-87 season with the Oilers’ farm team in Nova Scotia. His work ethic and hard-nosed play led coach and general manager Glen Sather to call Buchberger up to the Oilers in time for the Stanley Cup finals.  Buchberger played in three of the seven games the Oilers needed to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers. He earned his first Stanley Cup ring by playing just three games the entire season.

Buchberger played 19 regular-season games for the Oilers the next season. In the playoffs, he never saw any ice-time and is not on the 1988 roster that was engraved into the Stanley Cup.

In 1989, the team’s first NHL season without Gretzky, Buchberger became a full-time Oiler. As Buchnberger got more ice-time fan and teammates appreciated his appreciation, and soon he became a favourite in the stands and locker room. In 1990, he won his second Cup with the team

Buchberger never earned an NHL job with his awe-inspiring talent; instead, through his work ethic, he became a leader through example.  Buchberger would play a key role in the Oilers’ rebuilding process of the 1990s, as he would show the kids coming into the lineup the dedication needed to play in the league. He also represented a link to the Oilers glory years, as one of the few remaining Cup winners on the team.

In 1995, the Oilers named him the captain of the team. Leadership came naturally to Buchberger. When he broke his arm during the 1998-99 season, he was out of the lineup for 30 consecutive games, but continued to come  to the rink for each and every practice when the team was not on the road.

"I came to the skates and worked out with the team, to make sure that they were working hard every day," he said at the time. "I tried to show them that even when things get tough, you’ve got to show up and be ready to play."

At the end of the 1998-99 season, the Atlanta Thrashers plucked Buchberger from the Oilers roster in the expansion draft, hoping he would bring leadership qualities in the team's young locker room. Since that time, Buchberger has also skated with the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes. Before the start of the 2003-04 season, he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He started his career playing alongside Wayne Gretzky and will end it by playing beside Mario Lemieux.

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