2006 was a free roll. Nobody expected us (including Oiler fans) to even get out of the first round, so the rest was gravy.
In 86 in particular, the Oilers were far and away the best team in the league. Everybody knew it, and the expectations were to roll over everyone and hoist the cup.
It hurts to lose much more when the expectations run contrary to losing, than it does when you are expected to lose.
The fact a player on our own team scored the winning goal for the other team, and the fact that other team was Calgary, in the middle of the BOA days, made it by far the worst. No contest. People who were there and were more than five yrs old at the time would agree Im sure.
1986 will forever be the most devastating loss in Oilers history.
Devastation? The very next year they won the Cup. Even after 89, they came back on top in 90.
In 06, right after the loss, it seemed like every player wanted out. We had to overpay just to keep a couple around. The team was gutted, and we are just now starting to climb out of the hole that was made. 06 was a drop-kick to the heads of the fans and the org that has had 7 years of painful consequences.
I hate losing to Calgary as much as anyone, but we got the Cup right back. 86 and 89 were blips. 06 was a cliff.
?????????
You must be young. 86 is the answer without debate - reat IATL's post for more details.
Wish I was. I'm taking this thread's title literally - which loss was the most devastating, which one caused the most damage. How can there be an arguement if that's the case? The seasons after 06 are the worst in franchise history.
2006 was a free roll. Nobody expected us (including Oiler fans) to even get out of the first round, so the rest was gravy.
In 86 in particular, the Oilers were far and away the best team in the league. Everybody knew it, and the expectations were to roll over everyone and hoist the cup.
It hurts to lose much more when the expectations run contrary to losing, than it does when you are expected to lose.
The fact a player on our own team scored the winning goal for the other team, and the fact that other team was Calgary, in the middle of the BOA days, made it by far the worst. No contest. People who were there and were more than five yrs old at the time would agree Im sure.
It's a personal thing, but it's 2006 for me simply because of the Cinderella nature of the run. Not to mention the fact it had been so long since the Oilers had been close and that it went down to a Game 7 in the final. I don't think old-timers who were so accustomed to winning in the '80s can grasp how much that loss hurt for a generation of fans who never had the chance to see or full appreciate the Glory Days.
Younger people probably dont appreciate how intense the BOA actually was back in the day. To lose to THAT team in game seven because one of our own players banked the winning goal off of the back of our goalie's leg cannot be understated.
In fact, that loss, and that goal will continue to be talked about long after people forget about 2006.
Who scored the winning goal in game seven anyway?
I really dont recall.
Steve Smith will never be that fortunate.
For a generation of Oilers fans, '86 and '89 are history. But we lived 2006. That's why there's no comparison.
Maybe, but that isnt really a good reason.
If you stop and think about it, its not hard to put yourself in 1986, even if you werent alive/old enough to have lived through it.
For today's purposes, think of the Oilers, a few years down the road, having won a couple of cups, with the core of our team being the very best and envy of the entire league, and going into game seven against Vancouver, and having Jeff Petry bounce the winning goal off of Dubnyk.
How would that feel?
Holy smokes, why do we have to have a thread like this!!
We are all suffering in the midst of a no hockey lockout, rumors of loosing all our awesome players to free agency including the players we sucked for years to get (more suffering) and now we have to remember the worst losses?
Thats just mean.
That would probably be pretty terrible and would eclipse 2006. But the question was what loss was most devastating to you personally. It's pretty hard to be personally bummed about something you didn't experience first hand. As an Oilers fan, I can appreciate the significance of what happened in 1986 (even if my memories are pretty dim since I was just a little kid at the time), but it doesn't resonate with me as much as 2006. That's all. Your mileage will obviously vary.
Maybe, but that isnt really a good reason.
If you stop and think about it, its not hard to put yourself in 1986, even if you werent alive/old enough to have lived through it.
For today's purposes, think of the Oilers, a few years down the road, having won a couple of cups, with the core of our team being the very best and envy of the entire league, and going into game seven against Vancouver, and having Jeff Petry bounce the winning goal off of Dubnyk.
How would that feel?
Obviously there is some debate or nobody would have started this thread and nobody would be contributing to it.?????????
You must be young. 86 is the answer without debate - reat IATL's post for more details.
Obviously there is some debate or nobody would have started this thread and nobody would be contributing to it.
I agree with the reasons given by nullterm and Oiler11, 2006 was the worst. And no I'm not young, and yes I watched all the games.
Add to their reasons, at least the Flames were a good team. The Hurricanes? Really? We lost to the Hurricanes?
Without a doubt for me it was 1986 when Steve Smith's own goal killed us. Then I had to do my tax return. One of the worst nights of my life.
Holy smokes, why do we have to have a thread like this!!
We are all suffering in the midst of a no hockey lockout, rumors of loosing all our awesome players to free agency including the players we sucked for years to get (more suffering) and now we have to remember the worst losses?
Thats just mean.