Edmonton Oilers are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL). Edmonton competes in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays in Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Edmonton began in 1972 as the Alberta Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), a professional league in competition with the NHL. The next year, the team changed its name to the Edmonton Oilers. After the WHA disbanded in 1979, Edmonton entered the National Hockey League.
Center Wayne Gretzky joined the Oilers for their final WHA season and continued with the NHL team. He went on to become the greatest scorer in the history of the NHL. Gretzky led a team that dominated the NHL during the 1980’s. Edmonton won the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. In addition to Gretzky, the stars of those teams included goalies Grant Fuhr and Donald “Andy” Moog, defenseman Paul Coffey, center Mark Messier, and right wingers Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri.
As the stars of the 1980’s left the Oilers, Edmonton struggled during the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The team did reach the Stanley Cup finals in 2006, led by defenseman Chris Pronger, but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. In 2024, the Oilers again reached the Stanley Cup finals, but lost to the Florida Panthers. Recent stars have included centers Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
