Oilers One-Hit Wonders

[LastWordArmy]

Welcome to Last Word on Hockey’s One Hit Wonder series. Each day, we will take a look at a new team’s three biggest one-hit wonders. These are players that had one great season or playoff run but never did anything like that again. Join us every day for a new team! Today we take a look at the Edmonton Oilers One Hit Wonders.

The Edmonton Oilers Top Three One Hit Wonders

Jimmy Carson

The first on the Edmonton Oilers One Hit Wonders list is Jimmy Carson. Carson was the Los Angelas Kings’ second overall pick in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft and was perhaps most famous for being part of the Wayne Gretzky deal. He put up incredible stats as Junior player, including a 153 point season for the Verdun Junior Canadiens in 1985-86.

Carson continued to produce early in his NHL career. As a 19-year-old, he had 55 goals and 107 points season for the Kings in 1987-88. At that time, Carson had scored more goals than any other teenager in NHL history, including Wayne Gretzky. Carson was deemed as one of the best young goal scorers in the game and an elite scorer in the NHL for a long long time.

One Hit Season

Carson’s first season with the Oilers (1988-89) was an exceptional hit. He scored 49 goals and 100 points in 80 games and finished second on the team in scoring. At only 20, he was also a top ten player in the NHL in scoring. He looked like an important franchise piece for the Oilers for years to come.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carson demanded a trade out of Edmonton in November 1989. He was then traded to the Detroit Red Wings along with Kevin McClelland and a fifth-round draft pick for Adam Graves, Petr Klíma, and Joe Murphy. In retrospect, trading Carson was a good move for the Oilers. As the pieces, they got back in the deal were a huge part of helping them capture the 1990 Stanley Cup.


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[Stoneman89]

Blair (BJ) McDonald has to be one of them.

 

[AUAIOMRN]

Alexander Selivanov. We traded for him midseason and he had something like five or six goals in the first two games, then trailed off. Next season he started off super hot and was leading the league in goals at one point (about two months in), before again trailing off.

 

[joestevens29]

I remember David Oliver looking like a promising prospect. After two seasons he fell apart.

 

[yukoner88]

Peter Sykora in '07

 

[Stoneman89]

I remember David Oliver looking like a promising prospect. After two seasons he fell apart.

Dark days for sure, when a David Oliver was the most promising piece on your team.

 

[Zenos]

Does Chris effin Pronger count?!

That was probably the most dominant performance (regular season + near Conn Smythe worthy playoffs) for any player who only completed one season as an Oiler.

 

[LTIR]

One hit wonders as an Oiler or Oilers who were one hit wonders in NHL?

Damphousse was an Oiler for a year and was great. Nichols-Murphy-Damphousse.

Kovalenko went crazy for a year scoring goals left n right and the a while lot of nothing.

Zdeno Cigar broke out one season and then decided to retire right after

Yakupov was wonderful his rookie season and then nada

 

[Del Preston]

Scott Fraser is another one. Got called up in 1997-98, scored 23 points in 29 games, and then ripped off the Rangers in free agency.

 

[ZJuice]

Chris Pronger

 

[Senor Catface]

Michael Nylander.

 

[Soundwave]

Robert Nilsson, Gilbert Brule are probably more recent examples. Maybe even Mathieu Garon could be counted, he nearly got us into the playoffs one season because he was lights out in the shoot out.

Guys who were legit good players but only played here for one season for whatever reason isn't really what I'd call a "one hit wonder".

 

[Drivesaitl]

Jim Harrison was not a one hit wonder, but a quintessential part of Oilers lore as his accomplishment and occasionally sublime skill was such foreshadowing for what would go onto become the best team on Earth.

Jim Harrison one night buzzed the hockey world establishing a record of a 10pt game with 3G 7A. This quite possibly being the most famous regular season happening ever to occur in the upstart WHA. Harrison flirted with magic that night and in a way that Sam Gagner did years later in his 4G 4A 8pt night. Daryll Sittler years later matched the 10pt performance. Only players to ever do so in pro.

To me theres something so fascinating about those one night events where players touch the sky, when they are on a completely different "on" than ever seen before in them, and everything they touch is gold.
Those are some spectacular memories and because they are other worldly games by players that touched great, all too briefly.

Joe Murphy had some nights like that years ago too. I was always fascinated with players that could just find a groove into something that was off the charts. Murphy was such a talent and exciting player to watch.

Its interesting that since the last time I waxed on about Jim Harrison in a dedicated thread on this board that a book has been written on the player. The unsung Oiler star with the unsung legendary night. The author is like me in that he was drawn to players and personalities that were out there, but great, and that were able to touch the peaks. That had those on fire nights and were capable of it.

David Ward launches book about his hockey hero, | SaltWire

Selivanov, mentioned earlier, was another one. Meteoric player.

Fittingly Glenn Anderson is my alltime favorite Oiler and Draisaitl who has honed greatness out of what could have been a lot less is my current star.

Jason Arnott even had a place in my heart at one time. That kind of gamebreaker player. love those guys that can take a team on their back for a ride.

 

[Oilers]

Fernando Pisani during that 05/06 Cup Run. He had 14 goals during the playoffs, resigned and was a ghost the next few years.

mariusz Czerkawski, I could be remembering this wrong but I remember having high hopes for him

 

[yukoner88]

Fernando Pisani during that 05/06 Cup Run. He had 14 goals during the playoffs, resigned and was a ghost the next few years.

mariusz Czerkawski, I could be remembering this wrong but I remember having high hopes for him

In fairness to Fernando, he was dealing with ulcerative colitis and it damn near killed him. Him making it back to the NHL after that is a modern day miracle

 

[McDNicks17]

Mike Bishai has to be the team's best One-Fight Wonder.

 

[Bangers]

No matter how good they were, I just can't call myself to like anything regarding Jimmy Carson or Pronger.

Damphousse - Nicholls - Murphy has to be the greatest one-hit wonder line in Oilers' history.

Samsonov was a one-hit wonder in 2004.

Dave Brown was a one-hit wonder in a different way (as in, that's how long it took for him to put a guy on the ice).

 

[Zenos]

To me theres something so fascinating about those one night events where players touch the sky, when they are on a completely different "on" than ever seen before in them, and everything they touch is gold.
Those are some spectacular memories and because they are other worldly games by players that touched great, all too briefly.

To follow this line of thought (ie. not really "one hit wonders", but players with completely other worldly games), shout-out to Sammy "snow pants" Ganger

 

[backhandsauce]

Glenncross?

 

[bucks_oil]

Dark days for sure, when a David Oliver was the most promising piece on your team.

Well to be fair, wasn't that also the rookie season for Marchant? And Oliver was on a line with a young Arnott, with Weight there as well... so he wasn't a critical piece.

 

[bucks_oil]

No matter how good they were, I just can't call myself to like anything regarding Jimmy Carson or Pronger.

Damphousse - Nicholls - Murphy has to be the greatest one-hit wonder line in Oilers' history.

Samsonov was a one-hit wonder in 2004.

Dave Brown was a one-hit wonder in a different way (as in, that's how long it took for him to put a guy on the ice).

Agree...

That first playoff drive with Damphousse, Nichols and Murphy was great. I also remember it being my first lesson in "sample size".

 

[yukoner88]

Kinda an off topic question. But going from the 91-92 season into the 92-93 season, what exactly was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak?

Cause looking at the end of season stats (I was still too young to to remember that season) it was a solid thunk going from conference finals to the cellars. Was there one trade or loss at free agency that can be identified that finally broke the team?

 

[joestevens29]

Kinda an off topic question. But going from the 91-92 season into the 92-93 season, what exactly was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak?

Cause looking at the end of season stats (I was still too young to to remember that season) it was a solid thunk going from conference finals to the cellars. Was there one trade or loss at free agency that can be identified that finally broke the team?

Damphousse traded for Corson. Essentially 42 points gone.

Joe Murphy held out, had 82 points the year before.

Lost Norm Maciver on waiver draft

As the year went on other deal were made.

 

[Bangers]

Damphousse traded for Corson. Essentially 42 points gone.

Joe Murphy held out, had 82 points the year before.

Lost Norm Maciver on waiver draft

As the year went on other deal were made.

Nicholls for Ciger and Todd mid-season didn't help.

 

[tardigrade81]

Not sure if this has been mentioned or anyone agrees but Roloson maybe. Had a strong run for us in the cup year and kind of fizzled our after that.