1985–86 Edmonton Oilers | |
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Smythe Division champions
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Division | 1st Smythe |
Conference | 1st Campbell |
1985–86 record | 56–17–7 |
Home record | 32–6–2 |
Road record | 24–11–5 |
Goals for | 426 (1st) |
Goals against | 310 (13th) |
Team information | |
General Manager | Glen Sather |
Coach | Glen Sather |
Captain | Wayne Gretzky |
Alternate captains |
Lee Fogolin Mark Messier |
Arena | Northlands Coliseum |
Average attendance | 17,358 (99.2%) |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Jari Kurri (68) |
Assists | Wayne Gretzky (163) |
Points | Wayne Gretzky (215) |
Penalties in minutes | Kevin McClelland (266) |
Plus/minus | Wayne Gretzky (+71) |
Wins | Grant Fuhr (29) |
Goals against average | Andy Moog (3.69) |
The 1985–86 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' seventh season in the NHL, and they were coming off back to back Stanley Cup Championships. Edmonton would win the Presidents Trophy, as they finished with 119 points, which was a league high and tied the franchise record which was set in the 1983–84 season. The Oilers won the Smythe Division for the 5th consecutive season, and were heavy favourites to win their third-straight Stanley Cup. It was also the fifth consecutive season in which they scored at least 400 goals. However, the Oilers were defeated by the Calgary Flames in the second round.
During the season, the Oilers had to deal with some legal issues. Dave Hunter was convicted three times in a span of less than two years for impaired driving. Mark Messier had his automobile troubles too, getting a fine after hitting three parked cars with his Porsche. Finally, the Oilers signed Craig MacTavish, who had missed the 1984-85 NHL season while serving a year in jail for vehicular homicide. Despite these distractions, the Oilers still finished first overall in the NHL.
Wayne Gretzky would set an NHL record by earning 215 points and 163 assists, breaking records that he had previously set, as he won his sixth Art Ross Trophy and his seventh Hart Trophy. Jari Kurri would become the first Oiler other than Gretzky to lead the team in goals as he scored 68 goals, and added 63 assists to finish with 131 points. Paul Coffey would set the record for most goals (48) by a defenceman, breaking the record of 46 goals that Bobby Orr had previously set while finishing the season with 138 points, which was one point behind Orr's all-time defenceman record of 139 points. He would go on to win his second straight Norris Trophy.