Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd Sam Gagner has a long way to go to catch up with his father Dave. To be precise, Sam trails by 791 career NHL games and 629 points. But the 20-year-old Edmonton Oilers center is gradually learning what it’ll take to match the consistency of […]

I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to one of Joe Pelletier’s best posts this summer: The Gretzky Trade: 20 Years Later. Joe’s rounded up just about every bit of retrospective analysis on the Internet about the landmark deal that sent the Great One to L.A., and offers his own reminiscences. I remember August 9, […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd After losing Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes in June 2006, Shawn Horcoff and his Edmonton teammates couldn’t have known that times would soon get even tougher. Superstar defenseman Chris Pronger surprisingly requested a trade a few days later, and other […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Rexall Place offers superb skating conditions, but has also seen some great hockey history, courtesy of CHL products. Historically, NHL players have hailed the ice in Edmonton as the league’s best. Since the 2007 debut of the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings, WHLers have also gotten […]

Normally, the Edmonton Oilers hate to be following their top NHL rival, the Calgary Flames. But clearly, the success story of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, who belong to the Flames, influenced Edmonton ownership to go out and acquire its own major junior expansion franchise. Reintroducing the name of the Edmonton Oil Kings harkens […]

Two of the NHL’s brightest young stars got married this summer: Eric Staal (perhaps you heard about the bachelor party?) and Ilya Kovalchuk (Alexander Ovechkin attended the reception in shorts). Although fans of the Carolina Hurricanes and Atlanta Thrashers may rejoice in the personal happiness of their heroes, they may be unaware that holy matrimony […]

It isn’t just because the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers finished eighth and twelfth respectively last season, instead of both being true perennial Stanley Cup contenders. It isn’t just because these two clubs haven’t clashed in the playoffs since 1991, instead of meeting almost annually in the Smythe Division playoffs. It’s because a rivalry is […]

Back in the 1990’s, few would have tagged Jason Arnott as prospective captain material. Those were the days when the 6-3, 220-pound forward struggled to deliver consistent performances despite his talent, and even infamously once said, “I just wasn’t that into it tonight,” after his Edmonton Oilers lost a tough one to the Winnipeg Jets. […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd “Man can be defeated but not destroyed. Man can be destroyed but not defeated.” This was one of author Ernest Hemingway’s favorite sayings, and it would come as no surprise if Ryan Smyth of the Edmonton Oilers had it painted on his wall. The gritty left […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd In the science-fiction novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a computer announces that “the answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything” is 42. In Ryan Smyth’s hockey life, that statement has some truth to it. The 6-1, 190-pound Edmonton Oilers winger […]