Edmonton Oilers
Team Page | Schedule | Roster | 1998-99 Stats
Sports Illustrated Ranking: 18
By Richard Deitsch
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| 1998-99 Leaders |
| Stat |
Leader |
No. |
Goals
Assists
Points
+/-
Shots
Ice time (F)
Ice time (D)
Faceoff Pct.
Hits
PP Pts.
SH Pts.
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Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin
Tom Poti
Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin
Janne Niinimaa
Chad Kilger
Mike Grier
Bill Guerin
4 players
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30
34
64
+10
261
19.7
23.9
56.1
188
22
2
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The past is prologue in Edmonton. The new coach is Kevin Lowe,
one of his assistants is Craig MacTavish, the backup goaltender
is Bill Ranford, and the pesky forward in training camp trying
to outskate Father Time is Esa Tikkanen. Even Wayne Gretzky, the
greatest Oiler of them all, will be back on Friday when the team
raises his number 99 jersey to the rafters at Skyreach Centre.
"I asked Gretz if he would consider coming back to play," says
Lowe, a rookie, who replaced Ron Low in early June. "He said
he'd give me a hand with the power play whenever we're in L.A."
Lowe will certainly need a hand early in the season. Some of the
Oilers' best players -- top scorer Bill Guerin (64 points),
defenseman Roman Hamrlik, right wing Mike Grier and left wing
Ryan Smyth -- missed most or all of training camp in contract
disputes. "We need them," says center Doug Weight. "We want to
harp on Glen [Sather, the team's general manager] that we need
those guys to win."
"I appreciate and respect Weight's thoughts," says Sather, whose
small-market club has a relatively low $22 million payroll. "You
can tell him that if he wants to take a million dollars off his
salary, I can get them signed pretty easily."
To Sather's credit, the Oilers continue to produce an exciting
crop of young players. The best of the bunch is 22-year-old
defenseman Tom Poti, who was +10 as a rookie last season and has
the look of a future Norris Trophy winner. Ranford provides
insurance behind Tommy Salo, the former Islander who celebrated
his escape from hockey's gulag last season by having a 2.31
goals-against average in 13 regular-season games for Edmonton.
The team should have a potent top line with Weight (who played
only 43 games last season because of a knee injury) centering
Guerin and Smyth, and a major asset in 6'3", 230-pound right
wing Georges Laraque, one of the most feared enforcers in the
league.
Returning to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year is
within Edmonton's reach. But with little depth, the closest
these Oilers will come to greatness is the star-studded fete for
Gretzky on opening night. "You don't have to have the highest
salary base to win it all," says Lowe. "We'll be very
competitive, and with a little bit of old-fashioned Oiler magic,
I believe we can go as far as Buffalo did last year."
Issue date: October 4, 1999
ALSO:
SI's Scouting Report Main Page
SI's Pierre McGuire Insider Rankings
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BRIGHT SPOTS
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GRAY AREAS
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New coach Kevin Lowe is focusing on speed and stamina, hoping to take advantage of the best ice surface in the NHL.
Young defensive corps of Roman Hamrlik, Christian Laflamme, Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti and Jason Smith could be full of spit and vinegar.
In a pinch, GM Glen Sather can always fleece other GMs in trades.
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Doug Weight is coming off knee surgery that limited him to 43 games.
Small-market woes are slowing down talks with Bill Guerin, Mike Grier and Roman Hamrlik -- three guys you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Ryan Smyth also is unsigned but is in camp.
Do you like your chances with G's Tommy Salo and Bill Ranford?
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People, Places and Things
GM: Glen Sather
Coach: Kevin Lowe, 1st season; 1st overall
Assistants: Craig MacTavish; Ted Green
Captain: TBA
Last year: 33-37-12 (16th overall)
Playoffs: Lost to Dallas 4-0
PP: 18th (14.4%)
PK: 21st (82.1%)
Get The Highlighter
Fri., Oct. 1: Wayne Gretzky will be in the house as the Oilers host the Rangers on opening night.
Thu., Dec. 23: The Battle of Alberta resumes in Calgary.
Notable Number
33: Goals from Oilers defensemen last season . . . Paul Coffey once scored 48 by himself.
Quoteworthy
"Intensity isn't something you can turn on when the season starts. It's something you have to start building on from the start of camp. For this to be successful we're going to have to be physical." -- Rem Murray
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