OILERSNATION COUNTDOWN: Top 5 Goals

The video above represents how you citizens voted for the top 5 goals in Oilers history. Will you agree with your fellow citizens? Are they morons that don’t know a thing about hockey? The people have spoken and if you didn’t vote you can’t complain… or something. Don’t go complaining to me – I didn’t have a say in the matter. With that said I present the first OilersNation Countdown…

This has to be one of the nicest first NHL goals in history, right? On October 7th, 2010, Jordan Leslie Eberle scored a goal of the year candidate in his first game against the Calgary Flames. I remember the Oilers killing the Flames that night and assumed that this was the beginning of the end of the darkness that had clouded over the Nation since the 2006 Cup run. Obviously we were all wrong, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Eberle’s slick mitts were on display that night, and his first NHL goal leads off our countdown.

For those of you that are old enough to remember the Oilers used to play against the Stars seemingly every year in the playoffs during the late 90s and early 2000s. Every year we’d meet up with Dallas, and every year we’d get bumped out. Probably the greatest moment of my young hockey fandom came when Todd Marchant blew past Grant Ledyard and roofed it past Andy Moog. What a series this was. What a goal. 

How can we have a list of top goals without the great one? I’m a 30-year old guy so I don’t really remember the glory days as much as I wish I did. What I do remember is hearing about Gretzky’s ability to pass the puck while his shooting never seemed to be at the forefront. Let me tell you something about this ripper from 1988 – Mike Vernon never had a chance. Gretzky ripped a clapper past Vernon and he’s probably still wondering what happened.

When this goal happened I was at a bar in St. Albert and my buddy threw a full jug of beer into the air. Normally I would be pissed off about the alcohol abuse (read: wasting) but I was too excited that Fernando Pisani was able to keep the train rolling. The Oilers shouldn’t have won game five, let alone on a shorthanded winner in OT, but there we were. The Oilers pulled the series back to 3-2 after this goal, and Saint Fernando will live in infamy for the work he put in that summer. There was something in the air that night.

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Patrik Stefan you should be embarrassed for what you just did.” -Ray Ferraro

I’ll never forget watching this game live. I was getting pissed off that the Oilers were going to drop another one when this fateful moment happened. Patrik Stefan was once a first overall pick in the NHL, but will likely always be remembered as the guy that missed the open net to close out a game. I would have loved to have been at Rexall Place that night because the place went berserk. This whole scene was a gong show and the hilarity of it all was the most voted for best goal in Oilers history.

Did we miss any obvious goals? Mess up the order? Just want to generally complain on a gorgeous Friday before a long weekend? Let us hear it in the comments!