Glen Sather

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Lore & Background

Sather was born in High River, Alberta but grew up in Wainwright, Alberta. He played three junior seasons starting in 1961 with the Edmonton Oil Kings. His professional career started in 1964 with the CPHL Memphis Wings and Oklahoma City Blazers, joining the Bruins at the end of the 1966–67 season and playing in 5 games. He played ten full seasons in the NHL and another with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA. He played 739 regular season games as a pro, scoring 99–146–245 and earning 801 minutes in penalties. In the playoffs, he added 77 games played and scored 2–6–8 with 88 PIM. His career as a player ended after the 1976–77 WHA season. Sather was named player-coach of the Oilers with 18 games remaining in the 1976-77 WHA season. In his first game as player-coach, the Oilers defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5–4, with Sather himself scoring a goal 1:11 into the game. He retired as a player after that season but remained as head coach. Sather stayed on as head coach when the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979–80. In 1978, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington came to Sather and asked him whether he should take advantage of an opportunity to acquire Wayne Gretzky. Sather replied, 'Whatever you have to do, get him.' Upon acquiring Gretzky, Sather allowed him to live with his family. After the Oilers' inaugural NHL season, Sather was promoted to president and general manager, and named Bryan Watson as head coach. On the advice of chief scout Barry Fraser, Sather selected Paul Coffey in the first round, Jari Kurri in the fourth, and Andy Moog in the seventh. After a 4–9–5 record to start the 1980–81 season, Sather stepped back behind the bench and demoted Watson to an assistant. Again on the advice of Fraser, Sather selected Grant Fuhr in the first round and Steve Smith in the sixth round of the 1981 draft. The Oilers made it to the 1983 Final (losing to the Islanders) and then winning the Stanley Cup in five of the next seven seasons. Sather won the Jack Adams Trophy in 1985–86 as the NHL's coach of the year. In the 1988 offseason, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Afterward, Sather relinquished his title of head coach to John Muckler but remained general manager. For the 1989–90 season, the Oilers returned to the Final where they again faced the Boston Bruins, winning in five games for their fifth Stanley Cup. Sather left the Oilers organization in 2000 and was succ

In Their Own Story

The fluorescent lights of the Nassau Coliseum offices hummed quietly, casting long shadows across stacks of trade sheets and scouting reports. It was late evening, 1978, and the season was winding down, yet Glen Sather sat at his desk, eyes fixed on a single name: Mike Bossy. The room smelled faintly of old coffee and ice shavings from the rink below. He knew this move would define the franchise's future. With a steady hand, he picked up the phone to call Montreal, ready to execute the trade that would bring the league's most lethal scorer to Long Island. In that quiet moment, the architecture of a dynasty was finalized.

Reader's Guide

Sather's most significant contribution was coaching the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories during the 1980s. He played a key role in attracting talented players, including Wayne Gretzky, who helped make the Oilers a hockey dynasty at that time. Outside the NHL, Sather was instrumental in building Canadian national teams for the 1984 Canada Cup (tournament champions), the 1994 Ice Hockey World Championship (gold medal winners) and 1996 World Cup of Hockey (finalists). Sather, together with Brian Burke and Darryl Porter owned the Tri-City Americans of the WHL until 2005 when the team was sold in order to prevent the team from moving. Sather, Burke, and Porter along with Moray Keith and Jim Bond who held a minority stake, were granted a WHL expansion team starting in the 2006-2007 season in Chilliwack, British Columbia which became the Chilliwack Bruins. The team was owned by this group until 2011, when the team was sold and became the Victoria Royals.

Did You Know?

• Sather's nickname is 'Slats'.
• He scored a goal 1:11 into his first game as player-coach of the Oilers.
• He allowed Wayne Gretzky to live with his family after acquiring him.
• Sather was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.