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When the team switched over to the NHL in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers lost most of their players from the previous year because the NHL held a reclamation draft of players who had moved to the new league. The team was allowed to keep two players as well as two skill players, including Wayne Gretzky. GM/Coach Glen Sather began to carefully restock the roster during the expansion draft, taking careful consideration with each pick. Only 53 players out of 761 in the draft were even of any interest to Sather. His main concentration was in drafting free agents and estimated that this would save the Edmonton Oilers $500,000 that could later be used in the Entry Draft. With this strategy, the Edmonton Oilers ticket holders saw their team develop into what would be one of the greatest.
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About The Edmonton Oilers
Sather had built a team with speed and skill and throughout the 1980's the Edmonton Oilers would dominate the NHL. They made a name for themselves early, making the Stanley Cup playoffs in their first NHL season, 1979-1980. Later, though, they were swept by the Flyers in 3 games. 1980 was the real rise of “the great one” Wayne Gretzky. He really began making a name for himself as he started focusing on breaking records. In 1980-1981, he scored 109 assists and 164 points to break the records. Edmonton Oilers ticket holders were lucky to have such a star player on their team
Nineteen Eighty-Three to1990 were known as the “Dynasty Years” for the Edmonton Oilers. The team roared through the first season with 57 wins and 119 points, the best record in the league by leaps and bounds. They scored a still unmatched record of 446 goals that single season. In 1985, the Edmonton Oilers ticket holders would see their team go to the Stanley Cup finals once again where they overpowered the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Edmonton Oilers saw a decline after that period and the team would spend the majority of the 1990-s and the first few years of the new decade rebuilding what was once a great team. In 1997 the Edmonton Oilers finally made the playoffs, the first time in 5 years. Edmonton Oilers ticket sales really dropped as fans became disgruntled with their team’s lack of winning.
