RE-LIVE THE EDMONTON OILERS 1983-84 SEASON

8 years ago

When the Hockey News did a series titled the Greatest Teams of All-Time, they listed the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers among them. That’s tough to argue after Glen Sather and his band of 20-something superstars finally delivered on the promise they’d shown in their four previous NHL seasons by winning the 1984 Stanley Cup.

Unceremoniously swept aside the previous spring as the powerhouse New York Islanders rolled over the Oilers to claim their fourth straight Stanley Cup, Sather, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the rest of the Boys on the Bus began a stretch that would see them win four Cups in five seasons.

In what would be the most dominant season in franchise history, the Oilers won their first seven games and 19 of their first 23 on the way to 57 wins and 119 points – team records that still stand – setting up a Cup final rematch with the Islanders that would be very, very different from the year before. A rematch that would have champagne corks popping on Jasper Avenue.

RECORD 57-18-5 119 Pts – 1st Overall

GD 446-314 plus-132 SH% 17.1 SV% .883

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS

1984-03-06	John Blum traded to Boston for Larry Melnyk.
1984-03-06	Risto Jalo traded by Washington for 4th round pick in 1985 (Larry Shaw).
1984-01-20	Rick Chartraw traded by NY Rangers for 9th round pick in 1984 (Heinz Ehlers).
1983-12-05	Kevin McClelland traded by Pittsburgh with 6th round pick in 1984 (Emanuel Viveiros) for Tom Roulston.
1983-12-01	Kari Jalonen signed as free agent (formerly with Calgary).
1983-11-09	Reg Kerr signed as free agent (formerly with Chicago).
1983-11-01	Tom Gorence signed as free agent (formerly with Philadelphia).
1983-10-04	Pat Conacher signed as free agent (formerly with NY Rangers).
1983-10-04	Mike Zanier signed as free agent.
1983-10-03	Don Nachbaur claimed on waivers by Los Angeles.
1983-06-08	Jeff Beukeboom drafted 19th overall.
1983-06-08	John Miner drafted 229th overall.
1983-06-08	Esa Tikkanen drafted 82nd overall.

LEADING SCORERS

Player	Age	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	S	S%
Wayne Gretzky	23	74	87	118	205	76	39	324	26.9
Paul Coffey	22	80	40	86	126	52	104	258	15.5
Jari Kurri	23	64	52	61	113	38	14	194	26.8
Mark Messier	23	73	37	64	101	40	165	219	16.9
Glenn Anderson	23	80	54	45	99	41	65	277	19.5
Ken Linseman	25	72	18	49	67	30	119	105	17.1
Pat Hughes	28	77	27	28	55	18	61	164	16.5
Dave Hunter	26	80	22	26	48	25	90	117	18.8
Kevin Lowe	24	80	4	42	46	37	59	81	4.9
Charlie Huddy	24	75	8	34	42	50	43	161	5.0

	Goalie Stats
Player	Age	GP	W	L	T/O	GA	SA	SV	SV%	GAA	SO	MIN
Grant Fuhr	21	45	30	10	4	171	1463	1292	.883	3.91	1	2625
Andy Moog	23	38	27	8	1	139	1179	1040	.882	3.77	1	2212
Team Total		80	57	18	5	310	2642	2332	.883	3.85	2	4837

SEASON RECAP

Still stinging from the 4-0 spanking they took from the Islanders in the 1983 Cup final, the Oilers pretty much made like a runaway rig rocket during the regular season, save for a five-game losing streak in February that included a stunning 11-0 loss to the Hartford Whalers.

The Oilers put that in the rear-view mirror in a big way, winning 18 of their final 22 games to hit the playoffs on a roll. They’d dispatch the Winnipeg Jets in three straight games, the Calgary Flames in seven games — a series that would define the Battle of Alberta — and the Minnesota North Stars in a 4-0 sweep before getting another crack at the Islanders. It was no contest as the Oilers hoisted their first Cup after taking the final 4-1.

“We were just obsessed with one thing, there was one goal, one destination,” goaltender Andy Moog said of building toward another playoff date with the Islanders. “We lived in the moment as far as the season was concerned, but nobody doubted for a moment what our objective was.”

The teams split in Uniondale, the Oilers winning 1-0 on a goal by Kevin McClelland, before the Islanders responded with the 6-1 decision. That win would be the last hurrah for the champs as the Oilers pumped ‘em the rest of the way, outscoring the Islanders 19-6 in 7-2, 7-2 and 5-2 wins to get the party started in Oil Country.

THE DYNASTY BEGINS

With the Oilers up 3-1 in the series, Gretzky and Messier, who’d win the Conn Smythe Trophy with 26 points in 19 playoff games, weren’t leaving anything to chance with the reigning champs on the ropes, but still standing.

“Wayne stood up in the dressing room before the (final) game and said all the individual awards he’s won could never compare to winning the Stanley Cup,” Messier recalled about the eve of Game 5. “That got everyone going and made us all realize how much it means to win the Stanley Cup.”

“The Islanders were very much responsible in making the Oilers a better team because they kind of showed them the way,” play-by-play man Rod Phillips told The Hockey News. “I know, talking to a lot of players as time went on, they said they looked over at the Islanders after the last game when they got swept and the Oilers players said to themselves, ‘We looked at those guys and they’re all battered and bleeding and they’re dead tired.’ That was the one lesson they learned prior to winning the Stanley Cup.”

Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260.

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