I’ve been really fortunate throughout the years to be able to watch some of the greatest players in the history of hockey live in Edmonton. The list of players ranges from Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Bill Ranford and Grant Fuhr to Chris Pronger, Doug Weight and Curtis Joseph to Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. I don’t think I really realize how lucky I’ve been to be able to see these stars up close and in person.
As impressive as these players have been, nothing beats my first Oilers game way back in April 1974 when the Oilers were part of the World Hockey Association (WHA). I was nine years old the first time I went to an Oilers game; it happened to be their first playoff win in franchise history, a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Fighting Saints. It was the only win the Oilers would get in the first round series as the Fighting Saints took the series four games to one, but it was just cool to be there.
Related: Oilers’ History: Remembering the Night Gretzky Broke Howe’s Points Record
I was visiting my grandma for Easter, and my cousins Kenny, Terry and Robert Walchuk took me to the game. When we walked into the old Edmonton Gardens, we had to walk by the Klondike Wrestling arena where legends such as Andre the Giant and Abdullah the Butcher once roamed. The Gardens smelled like a small town hockey rink with the aroma of fried onions, .50 cent burgers and cigarette smoke in the air.
When we got to our seats, we had to twist our heads to avoid the pillars that were in our way. That was part of the charm of watching a game at the Edmonton Gardens, a building famous for hosting Edmonton Oil Kings Memorial Cup games and numerous concerts featuring artists such as Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles.
Everything was magical about that game, maybe because the Oilers won, but also just experiencing a pro hockey game for the first time with the wide eyes of a curious nine-year-old. The star player of that Edmonton/Minnesota series was Mike “Shakey” Walton who had amassed 57 goals and 117 points that season, finishing first overall in scoring in the 1973-74 WHA season. Walton finished six points ahead of runner-up Andre Lacroix of the New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights and even beat out stars such as Gordie Howe of the Houston Aeros and Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets who finished in the top five. Needless to say, the entire experience was something special that I still fondly remember 56 years later.
Other Great Games in Edmonton
I usually go to a few games a season, and I can just imagine the vast amount of stories long-time Oilers season ticket holders could share. I was in the stands at the old Northlands Coliseum in 1984 watching the USSR beat Team USA 2-1 in a Canada Cup round-robin game. The game featured a young Igor Larionov for the Soviets and the first overall draft pick for Team USA, Brian Lawton. I also attended and saw the USSR soundly defeat Team Canada led by Gretzky, Messier and Mike Bossy 6-3.
Years later, on Oct. 15, 1989, I was sitting high up in the nosebleed seats when L.A. Kings superstar Gretzky returned to Edmonton to become the NHL’s all-time leader when he recorded the 1,851st point of his career to move ahead of the great Gordie Howe. That was a night to remember, especially watching the crowd cheer so loudly for a team other than the Oilers.
McDavid Era
Living in an NHL city is a true luxury for a hockey fan. To be able to have watched Gretzky and Messier in their prime, and now McDavid and Draisaitl, is truly something special for me. One game I saw in person that left a great impression on me was on Dec. 14, 2023. That game featured a game within a game as McDavid and Tampa Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy were trying to one-up each other. I remember Vasilevskiy stopping McDavid on a breakaway early in the game. And then McDavid got another clear-cut chance in the second period, and buried it. Seeing McDavid and Vasilevskiy, two of the greatest players in NHL history, trying to outduel each other was easily worth the price of admission.
There are many other notable Oilers games, too many to mention, that I’ve been lucky enough to attend, but now I’d like to hear from you. What was your first Oilers game like? Or your first NHL game? I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.
