40 Moments: Patrik Stefan messes up, Ales Hemsky capitalizes
By Cam Lewis
4 years agoIn order to celebrate the Edmonton Oilers’ 40-year anniversary AND distract ourselves during this hockey-less nightmare, we’ll be re-living 40 amazing moments from Oilers history. Today, we have Patrik Stefan’s blunder.
The Atlanta Thrashers made Patrik Stefan their first-ever draft pick on June 26, 1999, selecting him with the first-overall pick they traded up to acquire. Stefan, who boasted the complete package of size and skill, was supposed to be the star the Thrashers would build their franchise around. But, instead, he’ll always be remembered for this.
Failed to load video.
That 15-second sequence is one of the wildest things I’ve ever witnessed in a hockey game. Marc-Andre Bergeron is bringing the puck up the ice and he turns it over to Stefan at the blueline for what would be a game-sealing empty-net goal. The building is deflated as the game is over.
But Stefan bobbles the puck in the crease and the Oilers get it back. Suddenly, there’s life again. Wait, what just happened? He didn’t score? How?!? Before you can even process Stefan’s gaffe, Jarret Stoll as fired the puck up the ice to Ryan Smyth and now Ales Hemsky is alone in front of the net. He dekes out Marty Turco and the game is tied.
The crowd absolutely erupts. Within a span of a few seconds, they had gone from the deflating feeling of allowing an empty-net goal to the elation of watching their team tie the game in the dying seconds of regulation.
After the goal, Ray Ferarro, one of Stefan’s former teammates in Atlanta, absolutely eviscerates him for not burying the puck in the empty net and sealing the win.
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Patrik Stefan, you should be embarassed for what you just did. That does not belong in the National Hockey League. … The Oilers are going to SOMEHOW send this game to overtime as Ales Hemsky’s seventh goal of the season ties the game with two seconds left. That’s the most embarassing thing I’ve seen on the National Hockey League ice in… I don’t know. I’ve been around the game 25 years at the pro level and that is unbelievable.
This moment would be the one that defined Stefan’s career. He would play 13 more games that year before suffering a season-ending injury. The following season, he couldn’t find work in the NHL, so he went over to Switzerland, where he would play just three games. He hasn’t played professionally since.
It was a disappointing end for a player who came into the league with a fair bit of hype. In 1998-99, Stefan posted 35 points in 33 games as a 17-year-old playing in the International Ice Hockey League, which an impressive feat given the fact he was nearly 10 years younger than the average player in the league.
The Thrashers saw that and decided he was the guy they wanted to build their franchise around. Behind the scenes, Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke was doing everything he could to get two high draft picks to select a pair of twins from Sweden.
He dealt Bryan McCabe and a conditional first-round pick to Chicago for the fourth-overall pick, which he flipped to Tampa Bay along with two third-round picks for the first-overall pick. Atlanta was sitting in the middle with the second-overall pick, so they moved a third-round pick and the second overall pick to Vancouver for the top pick.
The Thrashers, with their first-ever draft pick, selected Stefan. After that, the Canucks used the second and third picks to select Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Stefan would go on to score 59 goals and 177 points in six seasons with the Thrashers before getting dealt to Dallas. The Sedins, well, we know what happened there.
In the context of the Oilers, Stefan’s mistake doesn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things. While the narrative here is remembered as Stefan blowing the game, it was actually Edmonton who blew it. The Oilers would end up losing the game in the shootout after their miraculous, last-second comeback. They also blew the 4-2 lead (goals that were scored on Mike Smith, ironically) that they had heading into the third period.
Also, some will argue that Stefan missing the net actually had negative long-term ramifications on the team. Had Stefan scored and the Oilers lost in regulation, Edmonton would have finished the season with fewer points than the Chicago Blackhawks, good for fifth-last in the league and a spot in the draft lottery. The Blackhawks would end up winning that lottery, drafting Patrick Kane shortly after.
I don’t know if it’s all that simple, but, perhaps Patrik missing the net here indirectly resulted in the Oilers not drafting Patrick. It’s all up to your imagination!
Regardless, the absolute elation provided by Stefan’s blunder make it one of the most memorable moments in Oilers’ history. The game didn’t mean much, but seeing such a turn of events in such a short time really is a sight to behold.
Recent articles from Cam Lewis
