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Former Oilers Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier along with longtime dressing room attendant Joey Moss watch as a banner is lowered during the closing ceremonies at Rexall Place on April 6, 2016 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The game was the final game the Oilers played at Rexall Place before moving to Rogers Place next season. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)

Oilers Will Not Induct Anyone Into Their Hall of Fame in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Brian Swane | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:45 AM ET

On Tuesday (Aug. 26), the Edmonton Oilers announced their 2025-26 promotional schedule, revealing 16 unique theme games spread throughout their 41 home dates at Rogers Place.

From Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation to Hockey Fights Cancer to Indigenous Celebration, many of the promotional games that have become tradition in Oil Country are back for 2025-26.

But there was at least one glaring absence from the schedule: the Oilers Hall of Fame game. One user on X inquired about it, and the Oilers responded by posting, “We will not be conducting a ceremony this season but we look forward to honouring more iconic members of the organization with future inductions.”

History of Oilers Hall of Fame

The Oilers Hall of Fame was founded in 2022, with a mandate of recognizing the most extraordinary players, coaches, trainers, staff, and executives involved with the franchise. Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Lee Fogolin, Grant Fuhr, Wayne Gretzky, Al Hamilton, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Rod Phillips and Glen Sather all received automatic induction by virtue of having a banner raised by the Oilers.

Beginning with the 2022-23 season, two individuals were inducted each year as part of the Oilers Hall of Fame themed game, which featured an induction ceremony either before or after the contest.

Lee Fogolin and Ryan Smyth were inducted when the Oilers hosted the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 3, 2022; Charlie Huddy and Doug Weight went into the Oilers Hall of Fame prior to Edmonton’s game against the New York Rangers on Oct. 26, 2023; and Randy Gregg and Craig MacTavish received their induction on Oct. 25, 2024, after the Oilers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0.

Changes in Oilers’ Theme Games

The Oilers’ total of 16 theme games in 2025-26 is a decrease from 2024-25, when 18 of their games featured a special theme. Along with the Hall of Fame game, five other themed games from 2024-25 do not appear on this season’s schedule: Black Excellence, Lunar New Year, Hockey Talks (Mental Health Awareness), Ukrainian Heritage, and Welcoming New Canadians.

In a press release announcing their 2025-26 theme games, the Oilers stated that Black Excellence, Lunar New Year and Ukrainian Heritage will return in 2026-27. Notably, there was no mention of the future of the Hall of Fame game.

There are four new additions to the lineup of theme games in 2025-26: Halloween, Remembrance Day, Olympic Send-Off, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Oilers Fans Embrace Today’s Heroes

Why the Oilers decided not to feature a Hall of Fame game this season is not clear. They’re certainly not lacking for worthy inductees. But it may say something that they don’t consider the Hall of Fame an essential part of their season programming.

Last year, the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held following the team’s game against Pittsburgh, and most fans chose not to stick around. Videos taken during the ceremony show scores of empty seats while Gregg and MacTavish were being recognized. It was an embarrassing scene, and one couldn’t help but feel bad for the two inductees.

Was that an indication of how the modern Oilers fanbase feels about its distant history? A quick scan of the crowd during games at Rogers Place reveals a pretty young demographic, with many fans who wouldn’t have even been alive when the likes of Gregg and MacTavish were playing.

There is now a whole generation of fans that treasure Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but don’t hold the Oilers of the 1980s with reverence. And that’s completely understandable: each generation has its own heroes.

Oilers Used to Prioritize the Past

The irony of all this is that for years and years, the Oilers were accused of being stuck in the past. There was a revolving door of former players that worked in coaching, scouting or executive roles with the team, and the Oilers were never short on programming that celebrated the glory days.

But let’s be honest: for the longest time, all the Oilers had was their past. This is a team that missed the playoffs for 10 straight years from 2007 to 2016, aka the “Decade of Darkness”. As bad as things were in the here and now, the Oilers could always deflect attention back to their five Stanley Cups of yore.

With back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, the Oilers are at a point now where the present is so exciting that no one longs for the past. The absence of the Hall of Fame game has drawn almost no reaction on social media, save for the one aforementioned X user.

Oilers Hall of Fame Game Could Return

Nonetheless, it’s a shame that the Oilers won’t be adding to their Hall of Fame in 2025-26. There are a lot of individuals that still deserve their flowers, and they’re not all from the 1980s, either. Some, such as Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff and Jason Smith, played for the Oilers within the last 20 years.

Will the Hall of Fame process resume in 2026-27? The Oilers’ post on X says that there will be inductions in the future, but their press release makes no mention of the Hall of Fame game returning next season. This is something that will be very interesting to watch for 12 months from now when the Oilers announce their theme games for 2026-27. It will also be interesting to see how many fans generally care one way or the other. After all, the top priority in Oil Country in 2026 is the Stanley Cup.