A Look at the 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers

As a Colorado Avalanche fan, I'm still amazed by how dominant of a Stanley Cup run that the team had. The Avalanche went 16-4 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is their best of their three championship runs; going 16-6 in 1996 and 16-7 in 2001. The record tied them with four other championship teams for the 2nd-best since 1987: the 1993 Montréal Canadiens, the 1995 New Jersey Devils, the 1997 Detroit Red Wings, and the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. 1987 was the year that the first round (the Division Semifinals) extended from a best-of-five format to the current best-of-seven format, and in that time, only one team had a better playoff record en route to the Stanley Cup, and that was the Edmonton Oilers in 1988.

The Edmonton Oilers entered the 1987-88 NHL season as the defending Stanley Cup Champions, having defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Final in seven games. It was their third Stanley Cup in four years, but they had a few hiccups in their attempt to defend their championship. Their iconic star, Wayne Gretzky, was sidelined for 16 games due to a knee injury, but despite that, he still racked up 149 points (40 G/109 A) and led the team in that category. Any other player has that many points, that's a career season, especially in 64 games--that's over two points per game! However, in Gretzky's case, it was his lowest total since his rookie year (1979-80; also the Oilers' first year in the NHL after seven seasons in the WHA), and it was also the first time in his career that he didn't lead the league in scoring.

The goal-scoring leader on the Oilers that season was Jari Kurri, who netted 43 pucks but still did not crack the 100-point mark. The only other 100-point player was Mark Messier, who racked up a career-high 111 in the 87-88 season. The team also traded their superstar defenseman Paul Coffey to the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to that season; he would win his fourth and final Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991. In the overall standings, the Oilers went 44-25-11, totalling 99 points, finishing in second place in the Smythe Division--six points behind the Presidents' Trophy winning Calgary Flames.

The Oilers' run began against the Winnipeg Jets in the Smythe Division Semifinals, and it wasn't even close. Despite this being the 2 vs 3 series in the Smythe Division, the Oilers finished 22 points ahead of the Jets, and it truly showed in this series. The Oilers disposed of the Jets in only five games, with their only loss coming in Game Three of the series. The Smythe Division Final was the fourth Battle of Alberta meeting between the Oilers and Flames, and it was a four game sweep in favor of Edmonton, who outscored Calgary by a combined score of 18-11. The provincial rivals would meet again in the playoffs in 1991 and 2022, with the Oilers winning both times.

In the Campbell Conference Final, the Oilers faced off against the Detroit Red Wings for the second straight year, and extended their win streak to eight games with victories in Games One and Two. The streak ended in Game Three at Joe Louis Arena, but they would win the next two to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the fifth time in six years. This time, the Oilers faced off against the Boston Bruins, and it even included Game Four being canceled due to fog, with the game being stopped when it was tied at 3. The game was moved to Edmonton two days later, and the Oilers won that game to complete a four game sweep and win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years.

The Oilers went 16-2 in the 1988 playoffs, the best run since the opening round became best-of-seven in 1987. Obviously, they never faced elimination and they never lost back-to-back games. In addition, the Oilers never played a Game Six in their run to the Stanley Cup. It was an absolutely amazing run during this Oilers dynasty. No surprise, The Great One won the Conn Smythe Trophy, racking up 43 points during the playoffs--over two points a game. Grant Fuhr won all 16 games in net for the Oilers, the first goalie to do so. There's no question that this run in 1988, was the best of Edmonton's five Stanley Cup Championship runs.

Of course, while this was Edmonton's fourth Cup, it would be their last with Gretzky, as he was famously traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 offseason. The Kings actually defeated the Oilers in the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, doing so in seven games in the Smythe Division Semifinals, but in 1990, the Oilers would win their fifth and (to date) most recent Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins once again. But again, that 1988 run was absolutely amazing, and I seriously doubt that any team will duplicate that record.