Corey Perry’s time with the Edmonton Oilers can be summarized by the saying, “Here for a good time, not a long time,” as he had two runs to the Stanley Cup Final during his season-and-a-half stint with the club, but recently signed with their divisional rival, the Los Angeles Kings.
Perry played with the Oilers from 2023 to 2025, appearing in 119 regular-season games and tallying 43 points. He also played in 41 playoff games, registering 17 points, including 10 goals in last season’s playoffs, the second most during the Oilers’ run.
He may not have worn the Oil Drop for long, but Perry certainly made his presence felt and also changed a lot of minds in the process. Known for his worm-like gamesmanship that Oilers fans once despised, they quickly came to appreciate that same edge once he was playing in Oil Country.
In just a season and a half, he bled orange and blue, dropping the gloves nine times, scored key goals, threw big hits, chirped at the right moment and did whatever it took to help his team win. He also perfectly embodied the phrase, “hate to play against, love to have on your team.” With that in mind, here are Perry’s five most memorable highlights during his time with the Oilers.

Perry Trolls with Fake Cross-Check Toward Brock Boeser in 2024 Playoffs

When the Oilers faced the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, there were heated moments throughout the series. For example, in Game 3, as the Canucks were on the brink of a 4-3 victory and the final whistle sounded, defenceman Carson Soucy cross-checked Connor McDavid in the face — a play that earned him a one-game suspension.
With the Oilers winning 2-0 in the third period of the next game, and with Soucy watching from the press box for Game 4, a scrum broke out, and Perry decided to have a little fun.
Former Oiler Vincent Desharnais and defenceman Darnell Nurse were tangled up in a pile and with Perry on the outside of the scrum, looking for something to do, he held his stick up to Brock Boeser’s face in a ‘you shall not pass’ kind of way as Boeser approached — perhaps referencing the Soucy cross-check — and prevented the Canucks forward from getting involved. The Oilers won Game 4 by a score of 3-2, and Perry’s troll job with a pretend cross-check is just another one of those gamesmanship tactics people will reminisce about one day when he’s eventually inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Perry’s Fight with Farabee Helped Spark Comeback and Oilers’ First Win of 2024-25 Season

As mentioned, Perry fought nine times while playing for the Oilers, and for the most part, he was smart and calculated, knowing exactly when to drop the gloves and he took on tough customers like the 6-foot-7 Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets, as well as Oilers’ recently re-signed Trent Frederic, when he was with the Boston Bruins.
Yet, one fight that stands out in my mind that helped rally his team was early in the 2024-25 season when he dropped the mitts with Joel Farabee. The Oilers had lost their first three games of the season, and in the fourth game, they were down 3-2 halfway through the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 15, 2024.
In the third period, Sean Couturier clipped Stuart Skinner, sending him falling to the ice, and the 5-foot-10 Troy Stecher responded by dropping the gloves with the Flyers’ captain. That tilt fired up the crowd at Rogers Place, and Perry was sent out for the ensuing shift, ready to take the energy to another level.
Off the draw, he dropped the gloves with Farabee. Perry landed some big punches and knocked the former Flyer down momentarily, with 64% of votes on hockeyfights.com giving the former Oiler the nod for the win. Both fights sent the Rogers Place crowd into a frenzy, and a few minutes later, Evan Bouchard tied the game. That said, the Oilers went on to secure their first win of the season with a Leon Draisaitl dagger in overtime.

Perry’s Goal vs. L.A. Kings in 2025 Playoffs Showed Incredible Hand-Eye and Got Oilers on the Board

Perry has scored 448 regular-season goals and has potted an additional 64 in the playoffs, which includes a big postseason tally in the first round against the L.A. Kings during the 2025 playoffs.
The Oilers were down 2-1 in the series, and in Game 4, they found themselves trailing 2-0 in the second period. They were pressing to get on the scoreboard, but Darcy Kuemper had been shutting the door until Adrian Kempe took a tripping penalty.
On the ensuing power play, Draisaitl fed the puck to Perry in front of the net. In an amazing display of hand-eye coordination, the 40-year-old batted the puck mid-air twice before tapping it into the net, all before Kuemper even realized what was happening, finally getting the Oilers on the scoreboard. Perry’s tally was pivotal in an unforgettable game, with Bouchard eventually tying it with 30 seconds left, before Draisaitl won it in OT.
Nevertheless, that incredible effort by Perry was one of his finest goals while wearing an Oilers uniform, showing that he may not have the wheels he once used to at 40 years old, but he certainly still has the hands.

Perry Mocks Bichsel for Turtling in 2025 Western Conference Final

When the Oilers took on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final for the second straight year, they held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period of Game 1, but let it slip away. They gave up three power-play goals in the final frame, one of which came after Perry took a high-sticking penalty. Dallas also added an even-strength goal, and Esa Lindell capped it off with an empty-netter as the Stars stormed back to win the game 6-3.
The Oilers were frustrated after letting the game slip away, and tensions boiled over in the final seconds of regulation, with multiple scrums breaking out at the buzzer. Despite the loss, Perry was out to send a message — in a “buckle up, the battle’s far from over” sort of way. He picked the 6-foot-7 Stars defenceman Lian Bichsel out of the pile to stir things up.
With his gloves dropped, the former Oiler tried to tangle with the big D-man, but Bichsel wanted no part of it and covered up on the ice for dear life. Perry then mocked the young blueliner, laughed, and made a turtling motion, and his reaction made the whole scene ripe for the meme-makers.
The Stars took Game 1, but the Oilers rallied by winning the next four in a row, with Perry recording three points in the series, which includes scoring the game-winning goal in Game 4.

Perry Scores Game-Tying Goal with 18 Seconds Left in Game 2 of 2025 Stanley Cup Final

When fans look back on Perry’s time with the Oilers, they’ll remember how he stepped up during the 2025 playoff run. He scored 10 goals, with his most crucial coming in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers had a 3-2 lead heading into the second period but let it slip, with the Florida Panthers responding with two goals in the middle frame. The Oilers were pressing to tie it, with scoring chances 13-2 in their favour in the third period, but Sergei Bobrovsky was shutting the door.
With 30.5 seconds left in the game, the Oilers had an offensive-zone draw and their goalie pulled. Jake Walman shot the puck from the blue line, and Perry fought off a check, battled hard for the rebound, and fired it through a mad scramble, finally beating Bobrovsky to tie the game with just 18 seconds remaining — a goal that set the record for the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history.
Unfortunately, Brad Marchand scored the overtime winner for the Panthers, but having been at the game, Perry’s goal and the celebration that followed were one of the loudest I’ve ever heard at Rogers Place. Moreover, that moment should serve as a reminder that when the Oilers are down against the odds, the fight isn’t finished until the final buzzer.
Perry wasn’t an Oiler for long, but in that short time, he went from villain to fan favourite, leaving behind lasting memories. It’ll be hard to cheer for him now that he’s with the Kings, but Oilers fans won’t forget the 100% effort he brought night in and night out. The boos will return, but so will the cheers one day, when he’s inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.