Top 100 Oilers: No. 21 — Craig MacTavish

Notable

Craig MacTavish’s arrival in Edmonton was nothing short of controversial, as Glen Sather signed him as a free agent after serving a year in jail for vehicular homicide in the 1984 death of 26-year-old Kim Radley in Massachusetts.

Radley died of injuries after being involved in a multi-car crash when her car was struck by another driven by MacTavish, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. MacTavish served his time, and when MacTavish made his return to Boston as a member of the Oilers, he made peace with Radley’s parents, Ron and Hazel Foote. It never changed what happened, but that first meeting saw the Footes express their willingness to forgive, and MacTavish his remorse over what happened.

“I was real apprehensive about doing it,” MacTavish told the New York Daily News. “Sure I was nervous. But I knew it was something I had to do. I wanted to do it . . . it was definitely a turning point. It alleviated some of my guilt, obviously. I can’t say enough about them. They were unbelievable. Just unreal people. They’re a real religious family, and I think their attitude toward it was it being an act of God rather than my irresponsibility.”

The Story

MacTavish was never the biggest piece that helped the Oilers win three Cups with him, but during the days of high-flying, high-scoring games, he played a key role as a hard-nosed, tough-to-play-against defensive specialist.

“I always knew if we had to protect a lead with Mac, I was pretty comfortable,” Kevin Lowe told The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson in 2024. “If we were down a goal, I was never worried because one of the offensive guys would get a goal for us and it wouldn’t be me.

“And conversely, the top guys all felt comfortable that the role players could finish the game off for them. It was harmonious. They knew if MacT was out there or Doc Gregg, we were safe.”

Despite being known for his defensive game, MacTavish had flashes of offence, scoring 20-plus goals six times in his 17-year career, four of which came in Edmonton. His best season offensively came in 1988-89, when he scored career highs in goals, assists, and points, with 21, 31, and 52, respectively.

In his 701 regular season games in Edmonton, he totalled 155 goals and 331 points, at a .22 goal-per-game and .47 point-per-game rates. Those numbers, however, would dip in the playoffs, scoring 13 goals and 37 points, for .12 goal-per-game and .33 point-per-game rates, respectively. A plus-seven rating in the regular season across his tenure in Edmonton turned into a plus-15 rating in those 113 playoff games, further highlighting his defensive commitment.

His playing days in Edmonton would end in March 1994, when he was traded to the Rangers for Todd Marchant, who left an indelible mark on the Oilers in his own right.

After MacTavish retired from playing in 1997, it took just two years for him to return to Edmonton as an assistant coach in 1999-00, getting named head coach a year later. In the lead-up to the 2006 Cup run, his teams were competitive and feisty, just like he was as a player, and that was ultimately highlighted by the 2006 team.

MacTavish was ultimately fired by GM Steve Tambellini after the 2008-09 season in the early days of the Decade of Darkness and wound up replacing him as GM in April 2013. After the Oilers won the draft lottery to select Connor McDavid, he would be replaced by Steve Tambellini, but has since stuck around Edmonton. He spent four more years as the senior vice-president of hockey operations, and these days, can be seen on Sportsnet panels making fun of Bob Stauffer.

What Brownlee said

Craig MacTavish’s tenure as a member of the Edmonton Oilers spans 32 years. That includes parts of nine seasons and 701 games as a player in which he won three Stanley Cups and served two seasons as team captain, which is the primary focus when it comes to his place on this list of Top 100 Oilers. It’s a tenure, of course, that is considerably broader and more complicated than that.

MacTavish’s time in Edmonton has seen him coach and manage with the Oilers since his playing days as a checking centre, face-off specialist and captain were done – with considerably less success than he enjoyed wearing jersey No. 14 with the Boys on the Bus. Of that, there is no debate. For those old enough to remember, it’s also a tenure that began with MacTavish as a reclamation project. Each day since then speaks volumes about MacTavish’s character as a man.

The Last 10

• No. 31 — Dave Hunter
• No. 30 — Dave Lumley
• No. 29 — Sam Gagner
• No. 28 — Jordan Eberle
• No. 27 — Jason Smith
• No. 26 — Zach Hyman
• No. 25 — Andy Moog
• No. 24 — Steve Smith
• No. 23 — Lee Fogolin
• No. 22 — Randy Gregg