TOP 100 OILERS: MIKE YORK (80)
8 years ago
If you were to name the best Edmonton Oilers of all time who didn’t crack six feet on a tape measure, Mike York would more than likely find a spot in the top-10 of most fans. I can’t come up with a whole lot of little guys who were more effective than York was at getting things done as a member of the Oilers, despite being physically overmatched.
York was generously listed at five-foot-10 and 185 pounds — height aside, he was not blessed with a physique that made anybody think “athlete.” That said, York was a handy forward for any coach to have around. He could score some and play in your top six. He could kill penalties. He could play centre or on the wing. York provided all that for coach Craig MacTavish in 144 games with the Oilers.
MIKE YORK #16
NUMBER: | 16 | BIRTHDATE: | January 3, 1978 |
HEIGHT: | 5′ 10″ | BIRTHPLACE: | Waterford, MI, United States |
WEIGHT: | 185 | DRAFTED: | NYR / 1997 NHL Entry Draft |
SHOOTS: | Right | ROUND: | 6th (136th overall) |
BY THE NUMBERS
CAREER REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS
SEASON | TEAM | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | S% |
1999-00 | 82 | 26 | 24 | 50 | -17 | 18 | 177 | 14.7 | |
2000-01 | 79 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 1 | 20 | 171 | 8.2 | |
2001-02 | 69 | 18 | 39 | 57 | 8 | 16 | 188 | 9.6 | |
2001-02 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 0 | 30 | 6.7 | |
2001-02 | UNITED STATES-OLYMPICS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
2002-03 | 71 | 22 | 29 | 51 | -8 | 10 | 177 | 12.4 | |
2003-04 | 61 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 18 | 15 | 144 | 11.1 | |
2004-05 | ISERLOHN ROOSTERS-GERMANY | 52 | 16 | 46 | 62 | 77 | |||
2004-05 | UNITED STATES-WC-A | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
2005-06 | 75 | 13 | 39 | 52 | -9 | 30 | 146 | 8.9 | |
2006-07 | 32 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -9 | 14 | 46 | 13.0 | |
2006-07 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -9 | 8 | 41 | 9.8 | |
2007-08 | 63 | 6 | 8 | 14 | -8 | 4 | 85 | 7.1 | |
2008-09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | |
NHL TOTALS | 579 | 127 | 195 | 322 | -34 | 135 | 1,206 | 10.5 |
CAREER PLAYOF STATISTICS
SEASON | TEAM | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | S% | |
2002-2003 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0 | |
NHL TOTALS | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0 |
NOTABLE
York had something of an in with Oiler fans even before he arrived in Edmonton from the New York Rangers because he was swapped for Tom Poti, who’d fallen out of favour with fans in a big way, and Rem Murray in March 2002. People wanted Poti gone. To get York in return was a bonus.
That aside, I thought York was a terrific acquisition. A grad of the Michigan State Spartans, York earned a spot on the 1999-2000 NHL All-Rookie team after scoring 26 goals with the Rangers. He’d spent time playing on the FLY Line with Eric Lindros and Theoren Fleury. You don’t get that spot on the marquee on Broadway without having some game.
York was equally comfortable playing even strength alongside Mike Comrie, manning the power play or killing penalties with Todd Marchant, and he was effective in all three roles. In 2002-03, York scored 22 goals with the Oilers – 13 at even strength, seven on the PP and two shorthanded.
THE STORY
The 22 goals (in just 71 games) represented York’s second-best single-season total after the 26 in New York, and he’d never hit the 20-goal mark again the NHL. Nagged by a wrist injury, York would score 16 goals in 61 games for the Oilers in an up-and-down 2003-04 campaign.
The one thing GM Kevin Lowe didn’t have enough of up front was players who combined skill and grit. York, who did his best work darting in and out of open ice, wasn’t the answer. Lowe got what he was looking for in the summer of 2005, trading York and a draft pick for Michael Peca.
Peca, a two-time Selke Trophy winner, produced points like York did (not in Edmonton but over the course of his career), killed penalties and brought more sandpaper, contributing to Edmonton’s 2006 Cup run. York, who had 40-57-97 in his 144 games as an Oiler when traded, later made stops with the Islanders, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Columbus, but never really played more than a utility role after his first season on Long Island.
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.
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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