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20 years ago today, the Oilers acquire Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom
The Edmonton Journal headline on Jan. 26, 2006.
Michael Menzies
Jan 26, 2026, 20:30 ESTUpdated: Jan 26, 2026, 20:37 EST
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Twenty years ago, on this day in Edmonton Oilers history, the team made two big trades to help bolster the blueline ahead of what would become the Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup final.
On January 26, 2006, general manager Kevin Lowe pulled the trigger on acquiring Jaroslav Spacek from the Chicago Blackhawks for the rights to Tony Salmelainen. 
He wasn’t done. 
Lowe then swung a deal with the former Pittsburgh Penguins leading scorer, getting Dick Tarnstrom for Cory Cross and Jani Rita. 
Both blueliners would play a role in Edmonton’s run to the Final as puckmovers, providing depth to a backend that already included Chris Pronger and Marc-Andre Bergeron offensively, but Jason Smith, Igor Ulanov, and Matt Greene as well. 
“We feel we needed some help now, get’em in and get’em acclimatized and get them peaking at the right time…and also take them out of the pool of available players,” said Lowe after the trade. 
Spacek especially chimed in, continuing a good season in a contract year. He scored five goals and 19 points in 31 games with the Oilers, finishing the year with 43 total points. 
The June 3, 2006, edition of the Edmonton Journal after the Oilers awaited the Stanley Cup Final.
The June 3, 2006, edition of the Edmonton Journal after the Oilers awaited the Stanley Cup Final.
His production continued into the playoffs, playing 24 games and scoring three goals and 11 assists, which was the second most amongst Oilers defencemen in the post-season. 
“The trade now gives me more time with the Oilers, instead of joining them for just the last month,” Spacek said after arriving in Edmonton. 
Tarnstrom was not in an everyday role with the team, but played 22 games with four points down the stretch of the season. He was coming off a 52-point campaign in 2003-04 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he led the team in points. 
Cross had been on the Oilers since 2003, acquired with Radek Dvorak from the New York Rangers for Anson Carter. Jani Rita was a failed first-round pick from 1999 who played only 36 games in Edmonton before being dealt. 
Salmelainen was in a similar boat. A former second-round pick in 1999, Salmelainen had only played 13 NHL games at the time and had left in 2005 for home to play for HIFK Helsinki. 
Neither would stay with the Oilers long. 
Spacek signed with the Buffalo Sabres in free agency. Tarnstrom left to go play with Lugano in the Swiss-A league, then returned to the Oilers in 2007-08. He played 29 games before being shipped to Columbus for Curtis Glencross. 

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