Daryl Katz Acquisition Era (2009-Present)
Five-time Stanley Cup champions and the northernmost franchise in the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which opened in 2016.
- Predecessor
- Edmonton Investors Group (led by Cal Nichols)
Lore & Background
The Oilers were founded in 1971 by W. D. 'Wild Bill' Hunter and Dr. Chuck Allard and played their first season in 1972–73 as one of the 12 founding franchises of the World Hockey Association (WHA). They were originally named the Alberta Oilers, then renamed the Edmonton Oilers the following year. They joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL–WHA merger. After joining the NHL, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup five times: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, and 1989–90. The team of this era has been honored with dynasty status by the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Oilers ended their long division title drought by winning the Pacific Division in 2022–23.
In Their Own Story
The arena lights hummed with anticipation as the crowd roared for the new era. On the ice, young skates carved deep into the fresh surface, echoing the footsteps of legends past. In the booth, the owner watched not just for goals, but for the spark that would reignite a city's passion. The puck dropped, and history began to rewrite itself, one shift at a time.
Reader's Guide
The Oilers are one of two NHL franchises based in Alberta, the other being the Calgary Flames, leading to the 'Battle of Alberta' rivalry. They are the NHL franchise with the northernmost home location. The Oilers made 16 first-round selections in the NHL entry draft from 2007 to 2019, including four first overall picks: Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, and Connor McDavid. Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid remained with the team, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, where they lost to the Florida Panthers on both occasions.
Did You Know?
- The Oilers won the first game in WHA history 7–4 over the Ottawa Nationals.
- Wayne Gretzky set the single-season record for goals with 92 in 1981–82.
- The Oilers are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the most championships won by any team since the NHL–WHA merger.
- Only the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times since the league's 1967 expansion.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in the Edmonton Oilers universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record