Building the all-time Canadian Edmonton Oilers roster

This was always going to be the best team of the bunch.

Despite other countries supplying plenty of superstar NHL players, none of them have been as prolific as Canada. The sport of hockey was born in the country and, for the better part of it’s existence, has been the absolute gold standard when it comes to producing the very best the game has ever seen.

The Edmonton Oilers are perhaps the perfect place to exemplify this. The team has had some of the greatest Canadian players to ever lace them up. Putting together a team of the very best Canadian Oilers is very close to putting together perhaps one of the greatest teams ever.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at this juggernaut Canadian Oilers team!

Forwards:

Ryan Smyth – Wayne Gretzky – Glenn Anderson

Taylor Hall – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle

Craig Simpson – Mark Messier – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Craig MacTavish – Shawn Horcoff – Sam Gagner

Nobody even touches this forward group.

Gretzky is the undisputed greatest player of all-time and is littered all across the NHL record book. His 2857 career points is so high that if you took out all 894 of his goals (also an NHL record) he would still be the all-time leader in points. Flanking him on his wing is a teammate of his in Anderson, who is also in the Hall of Fame, and Smyth who should do wonders in giving the superstars some room to play and potting any garbage in front of the net.

Coming on the second line is perhaps the greatest player to grace NHL ice since Gretzky in McDavid. People who watch McDavid understand that he is in a league of his own. His combination of elite vision, gamebreaking speed, and razor sharp hockey IQ is unmatched and it is obvious that he is currently the best player on the planet. Backing him up are a pair of offensive-minded players in Hall and Eberle. Hall has a Hart trophy in his cabinet, while Eberle is regarded as one of the most clutch players in hockey. This is an elite first line in the league, so it should do more than fine in a second-line spot.

When you have Messier as your third-line centre, you’re doing something right. Messier is also regarded as on of the greatest players and leaders in NHL history. He was a mainstay on all five of Edmonton’s Stanley Cups and then captained the New York Rangers to a cup in 1994. He’s a top-line centre on any other team, no question about it. Simpson and Nugent-Hopkins are both smart offensive players that can play 200-foot games. It’ll be a formidable matchup for even the best players on opposing teams.

Finally, the fourth line continues the trend of punching above its weight. Horcoff was a very good top-six centerman in his prime and the same goes for Gagner. MacTavish might be more well-known for his role off the ice with the Oilers but he was a very consistent and solid bottom sixer during his playing days; not to mention a good scorer with 480 NHL points.

Defence:

Paul Coffey – Steve Smith

Kevin Lowe – Darnell Nurse

Charlie Huddy – Randy Gregg

There is a good mix of players that make the Canadian defence a bit more dynamic than most.

Coffey is the standout of the group as he is typically mentioned as one of the greatest offensive defenders to ever play. During his career he scored a boggling 1531 points from the blue line, a figure that only the legendary Ray Bourque was able to eclipse. That kind of offensive ability is perfectly complemented by Smith who is more defensive minded but can also get in on the scoring parade with 375 points of his own.

The second pair is a beacon of strong defenders who can play up and down the ice. Lowe is a recent inductee of the Hall of Fame and holds the honour of being the Oilers with the most amount games played with the franchise. Nurse can be frustrating at times with fans nowadays but there is no question that he has the skill to be on this team. He also brings a unique blend of hard-hitting hockey and offensive instinct.

Lastly, the third pair is another steady duo that should keep the puck going in the right direction. Huddy is usually overlooked when talking about the ‘80s Oilers, something the team is rectifying with a recent induction into the Oilers Hall of Fame, but his ability to balance defensive and offensive hockey was superb. Gregg, on the other hand, is perhaps the greatest depth defender the team has ever had. He was never the superstar, but you always knew what you were getting from him day-in and day-out.

Goaltending:

Grant Fuhr

Curtis Joseph

If there are two goalies that you want in a do-or-die situation, it’s Grant Fuhr and Curtis Joseph.

Not much else can be said about the career of Fuhr who has earned a reputation as being a trailblazer for black hockey players and is highly touted as one of the best “big game” goalies to ever strap on the pads. Fuhr is often mentioned by players like Gretzky as being the single most important player on some of the Stanley Cup teams. He’s in the Hall of Fame and was voted as one of the greatest 100 NHL players during the league’s centennial.

Joseph being in the backup role seems criminal as he also ranks as one of the best goalies in league history. He ranks seventh all-time in NHL wins with 454 and is most well known for his never say never style of play in net. Yes, he also had one of the most iconic goalie masks of all-time as well.

This duo will get this team boatloads of wins even if they don’t deserve it.

---

Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire