Some Don’t Appreciate Oilers’ Incredible Run, and That’s a Terrible Shame

Edmonton has been waiting three and a half decades to once again celebrate with the trophy that took up a semi-permanent residence in the city from 1984 to 1990. Patience is wearing thin.

But for some fans to be so locked into an all-or-nothing “Cup or bust” attitude that they fail to enjoy the amazing ride that the Oilers have taken Edmonton on is a terrible shame.

Oilers’ Rare Run of Success

These last four years have been a truly special time in Oil Country. During that span, the Oilers have won at least one series every postseason, advanced to the Western Conference Final three times, and now made consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. To appreciate how rare such a run of success is, consider the following:

Oilers: Easy to Get Spoiled

It’s very easy to get spoiled by success. Sometimes it takes a harsh reminder of what life is like on the other side to truly appreciate it.

No one knows this better than Edmonton hockey fans of a certain age, who have been there since the team joined the NHL in 1979. They knew almost nothing but winning throughout the glory days of the 80s and early 90s, when the Oilers captured five Stanley Cups in a span of seven years and reached the conference final eight times in 10 years. At one point, things were so good that Edmonton dubbed itself “The City of Champions”, complete with a welcome sign.

Those same fans then suffered greatly over the nearly three decades that followed, from the late 90s and early 2000s when the Oilers couldn’t afford to keep their stars, through the decade of darkness when the team failed to make the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons.

In those days, the levels that today’s Oilers have reached would be near-impossible to fathom. Before the NHL instituted a salary cap, simply making the playoffs and getting a couple of home postseason games was a massive deal. In 2000, Edmonton fans weren’t dreaming about hockey in June; they were overjoyed with hockey in May.

The Oilers have won six playoff series in the last 14 months. That’s equal to as many postseason series as they won from 1993 to 2021.

Believing in the Future

Edmonton’s players as well as its head coach Kris Knoblauch and general manager Stan Bowman held their season-ending media availabilities on Thursday (June 19) and Friday (June 20), respectively. Naturally, everyone expresses a belief that the Oilers can win the championship. That’s also the mantra that fans have embraced as they’ve begun picking themselves back up in the wake of Tuesday’s defeat.

Belief is a beautiful thing. It’s what every player, coach, executive and fan should have, whether they’re the two-time defending champions like the Panthers or they’ve finished with the fewest points in the NHL each of the last two seasons like the San Jose Sharks.

The truth is that it could be a very long time before the Oilers get anywhere near this close to a championship. Based on the current number of teams in the NHL, the average team will win a postseason series once every four years, advance to the conference final once every eight years, and hoist the Stanley Cup once every 32 years.

Of course, it’s disappointing that McDavid and his Oilers haven’t yet reached the ultimate destination, but it’s been an awesome ride. If Oil Country is lucky, that ride is far from over, and Edmonton will be the City of Champions once again. And if not, the run has been no less incredible.