Todd Marchant—Speed Merchant

Strangely enough, Edmonton’s hockey history owes a lot to the border city of Buffalo. The old Memorial Auditorium hosted one of the greatest moments in Oilers’ history. It was there on February 24, 1982, that Wayne Gretzky notched the 77th marker of his magical record-breaking 92-goal season. The goal broke Phil Esposito’s record of 76 goals in a season.

Buffalo is also the hometown of speedy centre Todd Marchant, who for nearly a decade was a major part of the Oilers’ transformation from the glory years of the 1980s to the modern, energetic franchise they are today.

"It was a great place to grow up," said Marchant of his hometown. "It’s a great hockey city—it’s so close to the Canadian border that the game of hockey has a big influence in Buffalo. The minor hockey teams in Buffalo are very competitive. Because of the Sabres and the fact we’re so close to Canada, the kids really grow up around the game of hockey."

Marchant’s footspeed and scoring ability were the first aspects of his game that attracted the scouts; in 65 games with Clarkson University, Marchant registered 78 points. His high collegiate profile earned him a shot with the American Olympic program, and he scored a goal and an assist in the 1994 Winter Olympics for Team USA. The year before, Marchant also appeared for the Americans at the World Junior Championships.

His Olympic performance earned him a call-up with the New York Rangers, who had drafted him in 1993. But Marchant lasted just one game on Broadway. Rangers’ general manager Neil Smith knew his team was pushing for the Stanley Cup, and he wanted another experienced veteran in his lineup. He offered Marchant to Oilers’ general manager Glen Sather in exchange for Craig MacTavish.

The deal worked out well for both teams. MacTavish and the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1994, and Marchant became a key member of the Oilers’ youth movement. Marchant would go on to become the team’s top penalty killer and was soon assigned to check all of the top centres who faced the Oilers.

In Edmonton, Marchant established himself as one of the premier defensive forwards in the NHL. In the five NHL seasons between 1998-99 and 2002-03, Marchant won the Oilers team award as Best Defensive Forward four times. In 678 career Oilers games from 1994-2003, Marchant scored 136 times and added 207 assists.

No goal would be remembered more fondly than his April 29, 1997, overtime marker at Reunion Arena in Dallas. In Game 7 of the Oilers’ first-round Western Conference playoff series against the heavily-favoured Stars, Marchant took a pass from Doug Weight, blew by Dallas defender Grant Ledyard and slotted the puck high into the net above goalie Andy Moog’s shoulder. The goal sent Edmonton into ecstasy, as it gave the Oilers their first playoff series win since 1992.

In the summer of 2003, the Oilers and Marchant parted ways. Marchant enjoyed a career-best season the year before, scoring 20 times and adding 40 assists. Oilers’ general manager Kevin Lowe, knowing that Marchant would be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, refused to trade his speedy centre, deeming his contribution to the team too valuable. But, his impressive stats have risen Marchant’s price on the free agent market, and he signed a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets that pays him $2.9 million USD in the 2003-04 season.

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