The 1985–86

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

season was the Oilers'

seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

in the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

, and they were coming off back to back

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

Championships. Edmonton won the inaugural

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...

, as they finished with 119 points, which was a league high and tied the franchise record which was set in the 1983–84 season. The Oilers won the Smythe Division for the 5th consecutive season, and were heavy favourites to win their third-straight Stanley Cup. It was also the fifth consecutive season in which they scored at least 400 goals. However, the Oilers were defeated by the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

in the second round.

Regular season

During the season, the Oilers had to deal with some legal issues.

Dave Hunter David P. Hunter (born January 1, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who won three Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. Hunter was born in Petrol ...

was convicted three times in a span of less than two years for

impaired driving Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

Mark Messier Mark John Douglas Messier (; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League (NHL). His playing career in the NHL lasted 25 years ( 1979– 2004) with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rang ...

had his automobile troubles too, getting a fine after hitting three parked cars with his

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

. Finally, the Oilers signed

Craig MacTavish Craig MacTavish (born August 15, 1958) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player, currently in an assistant coaching position with the St. Louis Blues. He played centre for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with th ...

, who had missed the 1984-85 NHL season while serving a year in jail for

vehicular homicide Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle. In cases of criminal negligence, the defendant is commonly charged w ...

. Despite these distractions, the Oilers still finished first overall in the NHL.

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

set an NHL record by earning 215 points and 163 assists, breaking records that he had previously set, as he won his sixth

Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...

and his seventh

Hart Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donat ...

Jari Kurri Jari Pekka Kurri (; born May 18, 1960) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Kurri was named one ...

became the first Oiler other than Gretzky to lead the team in goals as he scored 68 goals, and added 63 assists to finish with 131 points.

Paul Coffey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among ...

set the record for most goals (48) by a defenceman, breaking the record of 46 goals that

Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...

had previously set while finishing the season with 138 points, which was one point behind Orr's all-time defenceman record of 139 points. He won his second straight

Norris Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after Ja ...

. In goal,

Grant Fuhr Grant Scott Fuhr (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and former goaltending coach for the Arizona Coyotes, who is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers i ...

and

Andy Moog Donald Andrew Moog (; born February 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Moog played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, and also for the C ...

once again split time, with Fuhr leading the team with 29 wins, while Moog posted a team best 3.69 GAA.

Season standings

Schedule and results

Playoffs

In the playoffs, the Oilers made quick work of the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

in the opening round sweeping them in three straight games, setting up a matchup with their rivals the

, who swept the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

in their opening round series, for another

Battle of Alberta The Battle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between the Canadian cities of Calgary, the province's most populous city (since 1976), and Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta (since 1905). Most often it is used to ...

. The Oilers could never seem to get on a roll against the Flames, as the series was pushed to the limit as they would meet for a seventh game in Edmonton. With the score tied up at 2 late in the third period, Oilers defenceman

Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...

was playing the puck behind the Edmonton goal, and attempted to make a pass, however it hit goalie Grant Fuhr and the puck ended up in the Oilers goal, giving the Flames a 3–2 lead. Edmonton could not come back, as the Flames ended up winning the game, and the series, and ending the Oilers chance at winning a third Stanley Cup in a row.

Player statistics

Regular season

;Scoring leaders ;Goaltending

Playoffs

;Scoring leaders ;Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Records

*266: An Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by

Kevin McClelland Kevin McClelland (born July 4, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was recently the head coach of the Wichita Thunder in the ECHL. Playing career As a youth, McClelland played in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Ho ...

. ::*206: A new Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by Kevin McClelland on February 11, 1986. *265: An Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by a defenceman by

Marty McSorley Martin James McSorley (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 until 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. A form ...

. ::*197: A new Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by a defenceman by Marty McSorley on March 4, 1986. *215: An NHL record for most points in a single season by

. ::*213: A new NHL record for most points in a single season by Wayne Gretzky on April 4, 1986. *163: An NHL record for most assists in a single season by Wayne Gretzky. ::*136: A new NHL record for most assists in a single season by Wayne Gretzky on March 7, 1986. *48: An NHL record for most goals in a single season by a defenceman by

. ::*47: A new NHL record for most goals in a single season by a defenceman by Paul Coffey on April 2, 1986. *8: Tied NHL record for most career short-handed goals in a playoffs by Wayne Gretzky on April 24, 1986.

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the

1985 NHL Entry Draft The 1985 NHL Entry Draft was the 23rd NHL Entry Draft. It was the first draft outside Montreal. The event was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and attended by 7,000 fans. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams sele ...

References

External links

SHRP SportsThe Internet Hockey Database
*National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 Edmonton Oilers season Edmonton Oilers season, 1985-86 Edmon Edmonton Oilers seasons Presidents' Trophy seasons Smythe Division champion seasons