RE-LIVE THE EDMONTON OILERS 1986-87 SEASON

8 years ago

In sports as in life, there are a handful of defining moments. The mayhem out on the ice at Northlands Coliseum as the Edmonton Oilers celebrated their third Stanley Cup victory after a grueling seven-game series against the Philadelphia Flyers was one of those. One for the ages.

With the stubborn Flyers finally subdued and the Stanley Cup walked out to the Oilers at centre ice for the third time in four post-seasons amid a crush of media and fans, Wayne Gretzky hoisted the silverware skyward, then handed it off to sophomore defenseman Steve Smith.

Smith, unwillingly thrust into the spotlight and emotionally shattered the previous spring when his pass attempt bounced off the left leg of Grant Fuhr and into the net against the Calgary Flames, ending a bid for a third straight championship by the Oilers, skated joyfully with the Cup in a moment of stunning redemption.

With that one simple gesture, Gretzky, the greatest player to ever lace his skates in the NHL, provided one of those timeless, defining moments – one Smith, fans of the Oilers and this city will never, ever forget.

RECORD 50-24-6 106 points FINISHED 1st in NHL

Goal Differential 372-284 plus-88 SH% 15.8 SV% .881

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS

1987-03-10	Stu Kulak sent to NY Rangers to complete Ruotsalainen/Jackson trade (October 2, 1986).
1987-03-10	Moe Lemay traded by Vancouver for Raimo Summanen.
1987-03-09	Jeff Brubaker traded to Philadelphia for Dom Campedelli.
1987-03-06	Lee Fogolin traded to Buffalo with Mark Napier for Normand Lacombe, Wayne Van Dorp, and future considerations.
1987-03-02	Kent Nilsson traded by Minnesota for future considerations (2nd round draft pick – Link Gaetz (Minnesota)).
1986-12-12	Dave Semenko traded to Hartford for 3rd round pick (Trevor Sim).
1986-12-11	Stu Kulak traded by Vancouver for cash.
1986-10-06	Craig Muni acquired from Pittsburgh to complete McSorley/Meloche trade (September 12, 1985).
1986-10-06	Gord Sherven claimed on waivers by NY Rangers.
1986-10-02	Don Jackson traded to NY Rangers with Mike Golden, Miroslav Horava, and future considerations (Stu Kulak, March 10, 1987) for Clark Donatelli, Vile Kentala, Reijo Ruotsalainen, and Jim Wiemer.
1986-09-01	Danny Gare signed as free agent (formerly with Detroit).
1986-08-18	Tom McMurchy signed as free agent (formerly with Calgary).
1986-06-21	Dan Currie drafted 84th overall.
1986-06-21	Jim Ennis drafted 126th overall.
1986-06-21	Mike Greenlay drafted 189th overall.
1986-06-21	David Haas drafted 105th overall.
1986-06-21	Kim Issel drafted 21st overall.
1986-06-21	Ron Shudra drafted 63rd overall.

LEADING SCORERS

		Scoring
Player	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	S	S%
Wayne Gretzky	79	62	121	183	70	28	288	21.5
Jari Kurri	79	54	54	108	35	41	211	25.6
Mark Messier	77	37	70	107	21	73	208	17.8
Esa Tikkanen	76	34	44	78	44	120	126	27.0
Glenn Anderson	80	35	38	73	27	65	188	18.6
Paul Coffey	59	17	50	67	12	49	165	10.3
Mike Krushelnyski	80	16	35	51	26	67	89	18.0
Craig MacTavish	79	20	19	39	9	55	140	14.3
Kevin Lowe	77	8	29	37	41	94	99	8.1
Craig Muni	79	7	22	29	45	85	69	10.1

SEASON RECAP

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The 1986-87 Oilers won 50-or-more games for the third time in franchise history. They amassed 100-or-more points for the sixth time and won the Smythe Division for the sixth straight season. Gretzky won his seventh scoring title with 183 points and his eighth Hart Trophy as MVP.

This season wasn’t really about numbers, though. It was about redemption after seeing their bid for that third straight Cup denied with the stunning second-round loss to the hated Flames after a season in which the Oilers tied a franchise record with 119 points. They were everybody’s favorite to make it a three-peat.

Based on how high the Oilers had set the bar in previous seasons, this edition of the team wasn’t as dominant as it had been. The Oilers had their string of seasons in which they’d scored at least 400 goals snapped at five. Gretzky, who had 200-or-more points in four of the previous five seasons, settled for 183. The Oilers won the Smythe Division, finishing 11 points ahead of the runner-up Flames after finishing 30 points ahead of Calgary in 1985-86. Still, there was a resilience to this team, and the Oilers would need it in a rematch of the 1985 Cup final against the Flyers.

YOU AGAIN?

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The Oilers rolled through the first three rounds of the 1987 playoffs with a 12-2 record, dispatching the Los Angeles Kings 4-1, the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 and the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, in the conference final. Waiting for them, the Flyers, who’d beaten them in two of three regular season meetings and were looking to avenge losing to the Oilers in five games in the 1985 final.

Flyer goaltender Ron Hextall was as up for that as anybody as the Cup final series came down to a seventh game after Philadelphia battled back from a 3-1 series deficit with 4-3 and 3-2 wins. Hextall would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after stopping 40 of 43 shots in Game 7, but the Oilers got what they came for. Jari Kurri got the winner and Glenn Anderson added insurance in a 3-1 decision to set-off the celebration.

Gretzky, at his magnificent best with 34 points in 21 games to again lead the Oilers in playoff scoring, was never better than when he took his brief bow with the Cup in the bedlam, then handed it to Smith. Unforgettable.

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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