Franchise Best: Edmonton Oilers 1983-84 Season

[LastWordArmy]

The Franchise Best Series comes to you to dive into the all-time best single season for every organization. This, of course, includes post-season results. Join us for a look back at some of the most memorable moments in each franchise’s history. Here is the Edmonton Oilers best season.

Franchise Best: Edmonton Oilers 1983-84 Season - Last Word on Hockey

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[lakai17]

424 goals for the boys. Can't be stopped.

 

[Fourier]

I had the great pleasure of watching every home game live that year. What an amazing experience. Such a special team.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Not just franchise best.

That team was considered the best NHL team ever assembled.

 

[780il]

3 words: best team ever

 

[Fourier]

3 words: best team ever

I am actually less sure about that. Personally I think the 1986-1987 version was better. I think the defense was better. They had Tikk coming into his own and added Nilsson to give them the best top six ever

Tikkanen Gretzky Kurri
Nilsson Messier Anderson

Combined that group had the following stat line

5297 gp 2501 g 4169 a 6670 pts


But I'm not going to argue to much.

 

[780il]

I am actually less sure about that. Personally I think the 1986-1987 version was better. I think the defense was better. They had Tikk coming into his own and added Nilsson to give them the best top six ever

Tikkanen Gretzky Kurri
Nilsson Messier Anderson

Combined that group had the following stat line

5297 gp 2501 g 4169 a 6670 pts


But I'm not going to argue to much.

The team was absolutely disgusting regardless lol

 

[Drivesaitl]

The 85 and 88 teams were absolutely dominant. They just strolled through the entire playoffs. The 87 team had a lot of problem with Phiily, went 7 games, and I was there. Of all the Oilers cup wins the 87 and 90 wins were where the team was most vulnerable. 87 due to being eliminated by the Flames the previous season. At the time there was not the same confidence as that found in the 85 and 88 squads.

I think if we're looking at best teams you don't just list off the players and say that was the most stacked line up. You look at how the team was playing. Oddly, and this is no knock on Coffey, but the Oilers never played better in the playoffs than in 88 when they had acquired Craig Simpson, and perhaps while not as notable as Nilsson Simpson was the best fit with Anderson and Messier and by 88 Tikkanen was more coming into his own. I've often thought too that Gretz knew he was going and made it his exit swansong. The 88 playoffs were even boring. No team could even hang with the Oilers that postseason.

 

[Fourier]

The 85 and 88 teams were absolutely dominant. They just strolled through the entire playoffs. The 87 team had a lot of problem with Phiily, went 7 games, and I was there. Of all the Oilers cup wins the 87 and 90 wins were where the team was most vulnerable. 87 due to being eliminated by the Flames the previous season. At the time there was not the same confidence as that found in the 85 and 88 squads.

I think if we're looking at best teams you don't just list off the players and say that was the most stacked line up. You look at how the team was playing. Oddly, and this is no knock on Coffey, but the Oilers never played better in the playoffs than in 88 when they had acquired Craig Simpson, and perhaps while not as notable as Nilsson Simpson was the best fit with Anderson and Messier and by 88 Tikkanen was more coming into his own. I've often thought too that Gretz knew he was going and made it his exit swansong. The 88 playoffs were even boring. No team could even hang with the Oilers that postseason.

There is more to my opinion than just one playoff series where the oppositions goalie played insanely well. Until that series the Oilers pretty much walked over the opposition. The 88 team probably had the most dominant run of all the cup teams I`ll give you that. But it`s tough to argue that the team without Coffey was better than the team without him. Otherwise I might have agreed with you. Over the course of the season the Flames actually had the upper hand. However, like the Islanders over the Oilers in 82-83 vets rise to the occasion and the Oilers core came though big time when it counted. But I stand by my statement that the 87 team, at least as it was constituted down the stretch was the strongest I have seen. And for the record I was also there. In fact, the only playoff game I missed while between their first season and their last cup was the infamous game 7 vs the Flames.

 

[Drivesaitl]

^My realtime reaction was that the Oilers would not be the same without Coffey. That Simpson was not an adequate compensation in trade for losing Coffey. If the internet had existed I would have filled it up.

However Simpson so complimented the Oilers 2nd line that our offense was unstoppable in the playoffs. Whatever happened in regular season is inconsequential. The Glory years Oilers were always better in the playoffs as you know. It wasn't until then that you would see their real game. For instance a lot of Boston and Philly fans figured they had our number based on regular season contests. With that Oilers team you never knew what you were facing until they notched up that playoff intensity.

I don't agree with you that it was redhot goaltending alone in the 87 SC final. Sure a considerable factor, but the Flyers settled into the series reasonably well. I don't think the series as a whole was the Oilers best work. I actually think it was the poorest overall performance of any of the 5 finals wins. The Oilers allowed the Flyers back in the series. Should have sealed it in 5. 7th game also going down to the wire in nailbiting fashion. Basically everybody in the rink was Nervous until Anderson iced it with minutes left on what was a weak goal let in by Hextall.

Again it comes down to whether one considers players in lineup or actual body of work in determining the best ever team. To me the actual results need to be considered. Like you I was not prepared at the time to think the Oilers could ever be more dominant without Coffey. But they were in 88. They were untouchable in that postseason. So much so it was almost boring at the time.

btw. heh, I am far from alone in thinking the 85 and 88 Oilers teams were the best.;

Top 10 Greatest NHL Teams

 

[Fourier]

I will say this...Game 7 of the Philly series was the most nervous I have ever been at any sporting event. Since you were there you will absolutely remember the instant that Anderson`s shot went in as we all stood in unison. In the other years I sort of felt like the results were inevitable at least after game three in the 84 series. That Philly series was a weird one because it could very easily have been 4 and done but certainly should have been 5 and done. For me though no Oiler team without Coffey could be considered the best. Others may disagree and that`s ok with me. No matter which version one prefers, it was an insanely good team.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I will say this...Game 7 of the Philly series was the most nervous I have ever been at any sporting event. Since you were there you will absolutely remember the instant that Anderson`s shot went in as we all stood in unison. In the other years I sort of felt like the results were inevitable at least after game three in the 84 series. That Philly series was a weird one because it could very easily have been 4 and done but certainly should have been 5 and done. For me though no Oiler team without Coffey could be considered the best. Others may disagree and that`s ok with me. No matter which version one prefers, it was an insanely good team.

I'll admit I was sweating profusely and my thoughts were racing in the game 7 third period. One had hoped that the Oilers would have had more of a margin of victory. I mean for ease of mind at the time anyway and not getting premature grey hairs. But the way it played out, and the drama, and it being so riveting it was possibly the best moment since 84 hoisting the cup when Anderson skated in and used the D as screen and beat Hextall. The cup being won in that one second was so dramatic its hard to describe to people not there. You would know the feeling. The electricity, elation. All instantaneous. Like euphoria had been injected intravenously. The best sports fan drug possible had been administered by Glenn Anderson.

So that not only did the Oilers win that game but they dispelled all the ghosts and baggage of 86 (and all the Sports Illustrated recriminations as well) but that they had also sealed the deal finally, on a cup win after losing games 5 and 6 and being caught in the seventh game vice. The scary thing about the game is the Flyers were a bit loser, the Oilers seemed to be experiencing more pressure. The Oilers were the better team in the game, deserved to win, but that and 50 cents doesn't buy you Coffey, excuse pun.

 

[shoop]

Not just franchise best.

That team was considered the best NHL team ever assembled.

I believe it was the 84-85 team that was considered the best NHL team ever. It always felt that way to me.

Linseman out. Krushelnyski and MacT in for 84-85.

Fuhr and Moog split time both years. Both had a better year in 84-85. Gretz got a few more points in 84-85. Kurri had a way better year in 84-85.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I will say this...Game 7 of the Philly series was the most nervous I have ever been at any sporting event. Since you were there you will absolutely remember the instant that Anderson`s shot went in as we all stood in unison. In the other years I sort of felt like the results were inevitable at least after game three in the 84 series. That Philly series was a weird one because it could very easily have been 4 and done but certainly should have been 5 and done. For me though no Oiler team without Coffey could be considered the best. Others may disagree and that`s ok with me. No matter which version one prefers, it was an insanely good team.

I remember thinking when we were up 3-1 in the series, we lost game 5 intentionally so we could win at home in game 6.
I think I had a panic attack when we lost game 6.

But yeah when Philly took the lead in game 7.. and when Messier and Kurri scored, we heard the entire neighborhood cheer.

I grew up in a little immigrant housing area in Mill Woods across from Malcolm Tweedle. By the 2nd intermission, all us colored kids were running amok in the neighborhood playing street hockey, re-enacting the plays we just saw. We all ran in for the 3rd... and we could hear the neighborhood counting down the final 10 seconds.



Man, one of my favourite memories as a kid,