TOP 100 OILERS: BILL GUERIN (31)
7 years ago
I can say without any doubt Bill Guerin absolutely loved playing for the Edmonton Oilers, and he felt that way at a time when the glory days of five Stanley Cups were little more than a faded memory. Teammates and fans, in return, felt the same way about Guerin, a speedy power forward from Massachusetts who arrived in Edmonton via the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 trade that sent Jason Arnott the other way.
On the ice, Guerin was a lethal blend of speed, toughness and talent who could play the game any way you wanted to. Off the ice, he was a popular teammate with the gift of the gab, a cutting sense of humor and a penchant for pranks. It sucked, then, when Guerin was traded to Boston just 211 games after arriving – a transaction he found out about not from Oiler GM Kevin Lowe, but from a fan at his daughter’s figure skating practice on Nov. 15, 2000. In between, Guerin was a helluva player for the Oilers.
Bill Guerin
Right Wing
Born Nov 9 1970 — Wilbraham, MA
Height 6.02 — Weight 220 [188 cm/100 kg]
Drafted by New Jersey Devils
Round 1 #5 overall 1989 NHL Entry Draft
BY THE NUMBERS
Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
1991-92 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0.0 | |||
1992-93 | 22 | 65 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 14 | 63 | 123 | 11.4 | |||
1993-94 | 23 | 81 | 25 | 19 | 44 | 14 | 101 | 195 | 12.8 | |||
1994-95 | 24 | 48 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 6 | 72 | 96 | 12.5 | |||
1995-96 | 25 | 80 | 23 | 30 | 53 | 7 | 116 | 216 | 10.6 | |||
1996-97 | 26 | 82 | 29 | 18 | 47 | -2 | 95 | 177 | 16.4 | |||
1997-98 | 27 | TOT | 59 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 1 | 93 | 178 | 10.1 | ||
1997-98 | 27 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 48 | 10.4 | |||
1997-98 | 27 | 40 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 1 | 80 | 130 | 10.0 | |||
1998-99 | 28 | 80 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 7 | 133 | 261 | 11.5 | 1576 | 19:42 | |
1999-00 | 29 | 70 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 4 | 123 | 188 | 12.8 | 1262 | 18:01 | |
2000-01 | 30 | TOT | 85 | 40 | 45 | 85 | 7 | 140 | 289 | 13.8 | 1870 | 21:00 |
2000-01 | 30 | 21 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 11 | 18 | 64 | 18.8 | 416 | 19:49 | |
2000-01 | 30 | 64 | 28 | 35 | 63 | -4 | 122 | 225 | 12.4 | 1454 | 22:43 | |
2001-02 | 31 | 78 | 41 | 25 | 66 | -1 | 91 | 355 | 11.5 | 1618 | 20:45 | |
2002-03 | 32 | 64 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 5 | 113 | 229 | 10.9 | 1187 | 18:33 | |
2003-04 | 33 | 82 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 14 | 109 | 263 | 12.9 | 1533 | 18:42 | |
2005-06 | 35 | 70 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 0 | 115 | 210 | 6.2 | 1150 | 16:25 | |
2006-07 | 36 | TOT | 77 | 36 | 20 | 56 | 10 | 66 | 225 | 16.0 | 1309 | 16:00 |
2006-07 | 36 | 61 | 28 | 19 | 47 | 8 | 52 | 189 | 14.8 | 1063 | 17:26 | |
2006-07 | 36 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 36 | 22.2 | 246 | 15:22 | |
2007-08 | 37 | 81 | 23 | 21 | 44 | -15 | 65 | 227 | 10.1 | 1408 | 17:23 | |
2008-09 | 38 | TOT | 78 | 21 | 27 | 48 | -12 | 81 | 226 | 9.3 | 1300 | 16:40 |
2008-09 | 38 | 61 | 16 | 20 | 36 | -15 | 63 | 181 | 8.8 | 1050 | 17:13 | |
2008-09 | 38 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 45 | 11.1 | 250 | 14:44 | |
2009-10 | 39 | 78 | 21 | 24 | 45 | -9 | 75 | 227 | 9.3 | 1367 | 17:32 | |
7 yrs | NJD | 380 | 108 | 106 | 214 | 40 | 469 | 863 | 12.5 | |||
4 yrs | EDM | 211 | 79 | 82 | 161 | 23 | 354 | 643 | 12.3 | 3254 | 19:02 | |
3 yrs | DAL | 216 | 72 | 87 | 159 | 19 | 337 | 702 | 10.3 | 3870 | 17:55 | |
2 yrs | BOS | 142 | 69 | 60 | 129 | -5 | 213 | 580 | 11.9 | 3072 | 21:38 | |
2 yrs | NYI | 142 | 39 | 41 | 80 | -30 | 128 | 408 | 9.6 | 2458 | 17:19 | |
2 yrs | PIT | 95 | 26 | 31 | 57 | -6 | 93 | 272 | 9.6 | 1618 | 17:02 | |
1 yr | SJS | 16 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 36 | 22.2 | 246 | 15:22 | |
1 yr | STL | 61 | 28 | 19 | 47 | 8 | 52 | 189 | 14.8 | 1063 | 17:26 | |
Career | 1263 | 429 | 427 | 856 | 51 | 1660 | 3693 | 11.6 | 15580 | 18:29 |
PLAYOFFS
Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
1991-92 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 30.0 | |||
1992-93 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 4 | 3 | 33.3 | |||
1993-94 | 23 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 49 | 4.1 | |||
1994-95 | 24 | 20 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 30 | 28 | 10.7 | |||
1996-97 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 18 | 13 | 15.4 | |||
1997-98 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 8 | -6 | 17 | 47 | 14.9 | |||
1998-99 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 | 8 | 0.0 | 79 | 26:14 | |
1999-00 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 9 | 12 | 25.0 | 90 | 17:55 | |
2001-02 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -2 | 6 | 25 | 16.0 | 128 | 21:17 | |
2002-03 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 34 | 8:34 | |
2003-04 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 | 23 | 0.0 | 101 | 20:09 | |
2005-06 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -2 | 0 | 18 | 16.7 | 81 | 16:14 | |
2006-07 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 12 | 22 | 0.0 | 154 | 17:06 | |
2008-09 | 38 | 24 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 70 | 10.0 | 408 | 17:01 | |
2009-10 | 39 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 13.3 | 201 | 18:17 | |
Career | 140 | 39 | 35 | 74 | -7 | 162 | 361 | 10.8 | 1276 | 17:43 |
NOTABLE
It didn’t long after being acquired by Glen Sather for Guerin to become a fixture on Edmonton’s top line alongside captain Doug Weight, who was Edmonton’s best player and would become Guerin’s best friend, and Ryan Smyth. Guerin, who roared up and down the left side, and Weight, silky smooth and a deft playmaker, were a fit. With Smyth banging in the loose change around the net, it was a tremendous trio.
Guerin’s best regular season in Edmonton was 1998-99, when he scored 30-34-64 in 80 games. Guerin’s best post-season here was 1998, when he scored seven goals and had eight points in 12 games – a 4-3 series win over Colorado and a second-round loss to the Dallas Stars in five games. It was in that first-round win over Colorado that Guerin earned the nickname Billy the Butcher for opening up Peter Forsberg with his stick.
Guerin and Weight were inseparable off the ice and are best friends to this day. They were particularly adept at cutting up the travelling media – especially when it came to jabs about being out of shape. At the end of one difficult travel day full of delays, the team bus finally pulled up in front of the hotel in St. Louis and Guerin proclaimed, “Free the hostages.” As I bolted for the door, Guerin added, “I said hostages, not sausages” to many guffaws. After that shot, Guerin made a habit of sending me a side of sausages at breakfast when we were on the road.
THE STORY
As was the case too often with the Oilers in the 1990s and leading up to a new CBA and salary cap, the November 2000 departure of Guerin, who’d won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 1995, was as much about finance and a tight budget as it was about hockey. Guerin was dealt to Boston for Anson Carter and draft picks that turned into Ales Hemsky and Doug Lynch. It was a tough day as stunned teammates rushed to Guerin’s house.
“It’s bittersweet. Actually, it’s not sweet,” said Guerin. ”I’m just disappointed at the timing. With the way things were going, I thought I’d found a home here, but you have to be professional about this I guess.” Added Weight: “I’ve got to sleep on this one. I don’t know what to tell you. Obviously, this is a time that’s difficult. Billy’s a big part of this team and a big part of my life. He’s a very close friend of mine and that’s first and foremost. I’m disappointed he’s leaving.” My story from that day is here.
After a 41-goal season with Boston, Guerin signed as a free agent with Dallas for the kind of money — $40 million over five seasons – that was simply an impossibility in Edmonton. Even then, and in later stops in St, Louis, San Jose, Long Island and Pittsburgh, where he’s now the assistant GM, Guerin always made a point of talking about his time in Edmonton. Like Weight, who’d be traded by the Oilers just over eight months later, Guerin never wanted to leave.
This series will look at the top 100 Edmonton Oilers from the NHL era 1979-80 to 2014-15, starting with 100 and working up.
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