Where does Edmonton Oilers blowout loss rank in franchise history?
The Edmonton Oilers got decimated by the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 9-1 on Saturday night.
It was an embarrassing loss on home ice and one that put an exclamation mark on yet another bad start to the season. The Oilers are supposed to be a Stanley Cup-contending team, yet they looked like they didn’t even belong on the ice with the Avalanche.
There was an air of heavy disappointment inside the Oilers dressing room after the dismal result, with both the players and coach seemingly lost for answers. It’ll be a loss that the fanbase will remember for quite some time, but where did it rank among all-time Oilers losses?
While the team has had its fair share of success, it’s also had some extended periods of failure throughout its 45-year-old history. In those more disappointing eras, the Oilers have had more than a few ugly losses.
This 9-1 was the worst margin of defeat for the Oilers since a 10-2 beating at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres during the 2008-09 NHL season. That also happened to be the franchise record for the worst loss on home ice, meaning that Saturday night’s result tied that mark as well. It was just the third game in Oilers history to end with Edmonton trailing by eight goals.
As bad as those two examples are, they still don’t rank at the top of the list. In fact, three more games wound up seeing worse results for the Oilers, with one coming in a year they won the Stanley Cup.
Let’s take a closer look at each one:
Oilers lose by nine to Canucks (1992-93)
Final score: 9-0 (VAN)
Goal differential: -9
Date: Nov. 21, 1992
The only thing worse than losing a massive blowout game would be losing it to one of your main rivals.
Unfortunately for the 1992-93 Oilers squad, that is exactly what happened against the Vancouver Canucks after a 9-0 drubbing in mid-November. Edmonton was only two years removed from a Stanley Cup victory, but the shine of the 1980s dynasty was quickly falling off.
This edition of the Oilers finished fifth-last in the league with a brutal 26-50-8 record. This loss to the Canucks made their futility evident that season. Luckily, they lost the game on the road and not in front of the hometown crowd.
Geoff Courtnall led the way for Vancouver with four points, while Pavel Bure and Petr Nedved both notched two goals apiece. Bill Ranford got lit up for six goals in the Oilers’ net while Ron Tugnutt allowed three more in relief.
It remains the biggest margin of victory between the Oilers and Canucks.
Pre-dynasty Red Wings impose will (1995-96)
Final score: 9-0 (DET)
Goal differential: -9
Date: Oct. 13, 1995
The mid-1990s continued an awful trend for the Oilers, as the team sank from a perennial Stanley Cup-contender to a regular in the NHL basement.
On the flipside, the Detroit Red Wings were in the budding stages of a dynasty of their own with superstars like Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, and Niklas Lidstrom leading the way. During the 1995-96 season, the Red Wings were just one year away from winning their first Stanley Cup since 1955, while the Oilers would finish 10 points out of a playoff spot.
The season didn’t start well for Edmonton, as the Red Wings handed them a 9-0 loss just three games in. Doug Brown and Fedorov notched three points, while Vyacheslav Kozlov, Yzeman, and Kris Draper picked up two points apiece.
Ranford was yet again pulled after six goals, to which backup Joaquin Gage allowed three more.
Dynasty Oilers humbled by lowly Whalers (1983-84)
Final score: 11-0 (HFT)
Goal differential: -11
Date: Feb. 12, 1984
The worst loss in Oilers franchise history coincided with what some may refer to as the greatest season for the club.
In 1983-84, the upstart Oilers were a wagon with future Hall of Famers like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson, and Grant Fuhr leading the way. Edmonton cruised to a 57-18-5 record in the regular season and eventually downed the four-time defending champion New York Islanders to deliver the first of five Stanley Cup to the Alberta capital.
Before that, however, the team endured the most humiliating loss in team history on a mid-February night against the lowly Hartford Whalers, who didn’t even qualify for the playoffs that season.
Somehow, that legendary Oilers team was stomped 11-0 by the Whalers, who got two five-point performances from Ron Francis and Greg Malone. Bob Crawford and Tony Currie followed behind with a pair of four-point games of their own.
Edmonton was not at full strength with both Gretzky and Kurri out of the lineup, but it was still a beating of a lifetime. Fuhr let in seven goals while Andy Moog allowed four more in relief.
Despite the lopsided score, it’s often forgotten due to the Oilers’ success that season. It’ll be something this year’s team will be looking to repeat.