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1979–80 Edmonton Oilers season
NHL team season (first year in NHL)
NHL team season (first year in NHL)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| League | NHL |
| Season | 1979–80 |
| year | 1979 |
| Team | Edmonton Oilers |
| Conference | Campbell |
| ConferenceRank | 8th |
| Division | Smythe |
| DivisionRank | 4th |
| Record | 28–39–13 |
| HomeRecord | 17–14–9 |
| RoadRecord | 11–25–4 |
| GoalsFor | 301 |
| GoalsAgainst | 322 |
| GeneralManager | Larry Gordon |
| Coach | Glen Sather |
| Captain | Ron Chipperfield (Oct-Mar) |
| Blair MacDonald (Mar-Apr) | |
| AltCaptain | None |
| Arena | Northlands Coliseum |
| Attendance | 15,431 (100.1%) |
| MinorLeague | Houston Apollos (CHL) |
| Dayton Gems (IHL) | |
| GoalsLeader | Wayne Gretzky (51) |
| AssistsLeader | Wayne Gretzky (86) |
| PointsLeader | Wayne Gretzky (137) |
| PlusMinusLeader | Doug Hicks (+18) |
| PIMLeader | Colin Campbell (196) |
| WinsLeader | Eddie Mio (9) |
| GAALeader | Ron Low (3.42) |
Blair MacDonald (Mar-Apr) Dayton Gems (IHL)
The 1979–80 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' eighth season and their first season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers were one of four WHA organizations that were granted NHL expansion franchises under the terms of an expansion agreement that took effect on June 22, 1979.
The Oilers were led offensively by rookie superstar Wayne Gretzky, as he tied for the lead league in points at 137, however lost the Art Ross Trophy due to scoring 2 fewer goals than winner Marcel Dionne. Gretzky, however, won the Hart Memorial Trophy as MVP of the NHL but was declared ineligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy due to his playing days in the WHA.
Edmonton played six goaltenders during the season and was led by Eddie Mio's nine wins, while Ron Low, who came over in a trade with the Quebec Nordiques, would go 8–2–1 in 11 games with the Oilers.
They made the playoffs; however, they were quickly swept out by the powerful Philadelphia Flyers in 3 games. Despite this, Oilers fans were very excited about being part of the NHL, and of the future of the team.
Regular season
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
|- | 1 || October 10 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Chicago Black Hawks || || Dryden || 10,138 || 0–1–0 || 0 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121254/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790006 |- | 2 || October 13 || Detroit Red Wings || 3 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Mio || 15,248 || 0–1–1 || 1 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121322/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790019 |- | 3 || October 14 || Vancouver Canucks || 4 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Dryden || 15,300 || 0–1–2 || 2 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121331/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790027 |- | 4 || October 19 || Quebec Nordiques || 3 – 6 || Edmonton Oilers || || Mio || 15,386 || 1–1–2 || 4 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121338/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790045 |- | 5 || October 21 || Minnesota North Stars || 5 – 5 || Edmonton Oilers || || Mio || 15,423 || 1–1–3 || 5 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121355/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790059 |- | 6 || October 23 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 3 || New York Islanders || || Mio || 13,751 || 1–1–4 || 6 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121407/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790060 |- | 7 || October 24 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 10 || New York Rangers || || Mio || 17,407 || 1–2–4 || 6 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121414/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790064 |- | 8 || October 26 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 7 || Atlanta Flames || || Dryden || 8,420 || 1–3–4 || 6 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121538/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790075 |- | 9 || October 28 || Washington Capitals || 6 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Mio || 15,393 || 1–4–4 || 6 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121618/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790087 |- | 10 || October 30 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 2 || St. Louis Blues || || Mio || 8,262 || 1–5–4 || 6 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120614121628/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19790095
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| Legend:
Playoffs
|- | 1 || April 8 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 4 || Philadelphia Flyers || OT || Low || 17,707 || 0–1 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120727184820/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?1980001 |- | 2 || April 9 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 5 || Philadelphia Flyers || || Low || 17,707 || 0–2 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120727184847/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?1980002 |- | 3 || April 11 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || 2OT || Low || 15,423 || 0–3 || https://web.archive.org/web/20120727184852/http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?1980003
| - |
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| Legend:
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 79 | 51 | 86 | 137 | 21 |
| Blair MacDonald | 80 | 46 | 48 | 94 | 6 |
| Stan Weir | 79 | 33 | 33 | 66 | 40 |
| Brett Callighen | 59 | 23 | 35 | 58 | 72 |
| Dave Lumley | 80 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 138 |
Goaltending
| Dave Dryden | 14 | 744 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 53 | 0 | 4.27 |
|---|
;Playoff stats
Scoring leaders
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Mark Messier | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Blair MacDonald | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Don Murdoch | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Brett Callighen | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Goaltending
| Ron Low | 3 | 212 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 3.40 |
|---|
Awards and records
- Wayne Gretzky – Hart Memorial Trophy
Records
Milestones
| Dave Hunter | 100th NHL PIM |
|---|
| Mark Messier | 1st NHL Goal | April 11, 1980 |
|---|
Transactions
Trades
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| To Winnipeg Jets^Peter Marsh | |
| To Minnesota North Stars*Paul Shmyr | |
| To Montreal Canadiens2nd round pick in [1980](1980-nhl-entry-draft) – Ric Nattress | |
| To St. Louis BluesJoe Micheletti | |
| To Minnesota North Stars2nd round pick in [1979](1979-nhl-entry-draft) – Neal Broten | |
| 3rd round pick in [1979](1979-nhl-entry-draft) – Kevin Maxwell | |
| To Toronto Maple LeafsReg Thomas | |
| To Chicago Black HawksFuture considerations | |
| To Buffalo SabresJohn Gould | |
| To Boston BruinsDan Newman | |
| To Colorado RockiesBobby Schmautz | |
| To Minnesota North StarsJim Corsi | |
| To New York RangersCam Connor | |
| 3rd round pick in [1981](1981-nhl-entry-draft) – Peter Sundstrom | |
| To Quebec NordiquesRon Chipperfield |
^Oilers promised not to select Peter Marsh in the 1979 WHA Dispersal Draft
*Oilers promised to not make Paul Shmyr one of its priority selections in the 1979 NHL expansion draft
Rights retained prior to Expansion Draft
| Player | style="width: 15em;" | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claire Alexander | |||
| Garnet Bailey | |||
| George Buat | |||
| Ron Carter | |||
| Dave Hunter | |||
| Joe Micheletti | |||
| Ed Walsh | |||
| Ron Chipperfield | |||
| Peter Driscoll | |||
| Bill Flett | |||
| Pierre Guité | |||
| Al Hamilton | |||
| Blair MacDonald | |||
| Mark Miller |
Players acquired
| Date | style="width: 13em;" | Player | style="width: 15em;" | Former team | style="width: 5em;" | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Roadhouse | |||||||||
| Gord Stafford | |||||||||
Players lost
| Date | style="width: 13em;" | Player | style="width: 15em;" | New team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1979 | ||||||
Claimed via waivers
| Date | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| March 1980 | John Hilworth | from Detroit Red Wings |
Signings
| Date | Player | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Bryon Baltimore | ||
| Lee Fogolin | 3-year | |
| Dave Semenko | 2-year | |
| Kevin Lowe | 4-year | |
| Mark Messier | 2-year | |
| Max Kostovich | ||
| Dave Lumley | ||
| Mike Toal | ||
| Blair Barnes |
Draft picks
Edmonton's draft picks at the 1979 NHL entry draft:
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Kevin Lowe | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 48 | Mark Messier | Canada | Cincinnati Stingers (WHA) |
| 4 | 69 | Glenn Anderson | Canada | Denver Pioneers (WCHA) |
| 4 | 84 | Max Kostovich | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) |
| 5 | 105 | Mike Toal | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) |
| 6 | 126 | Blair Barnes | Canada | Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL) |
Expansion draft picks
Edmonton's expansion draft picks at the 1979 NHL expansion draft
| Pick | Nationality | Player | Pos | Age | Drafted From | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | W | L | T | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | G | 25 | Minnesota North Stars | 173 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 43 | 101 | 20 | 4.06 | |
| 2 | CAN | G | 34 | Colorado Rockies | 373 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 152 | 123 | 153 | 69 | 3.17 | |
| 3 | CAN | RW | 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 39 | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 | CAN | D | 24 | Buffalo Sabres | 329 | 8 | 68 | 76 | 424 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | CAN | D | 24 | New York Islanders | 182 | 8 | 45 | 53 | 104 | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 | CAN | D | 26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 297 | 17 | 60 | 77 | 584 | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 | CAN | D | 32 | Los Angeles Kings | 455 | 7 | 53 | 60 | 180 | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 | CAN | C | 22 | Buffalo Sabres | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 9 | SWE | LW | 31 | St. Louis Blues | 427 | 116 | 123 | 239 | 98 | — | — | — | — | |
| 10 | CAN | RW | 30 | Atlanta Flames | 452 | 122 | 129 | 251 | 103 | — | — | — | — | |
| 11 | CAN | D | 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 357 | 20 | 63 | 83 | 241 | — | — | — | — | |
| 12 | CAN | D | 24 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 158 | 17 | 70 | 87 | 67 | — | — | — | — | |
| 13 | CAN | LW | 25 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 264 | 68 | 41 | 109 | 137 | — | — | — | — | |
| 14 | CAN | D | 21 | Boston Bruins | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | — | — | — | — | |
| 15 | CAN | RW | 22 | Washington Capitals | 45 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | |
| 16 | CAN | LW | 33 | Chicago Black Hawks | 425 | 87 | 109 | 196 | 687 | — | — | — | — |
Trades
- The Montreal Canadiens traded Dave Hunter and Ron Carter in exchange for Edmonton not to select Bill Nyrop, Gilles Lupien, or Rod Langway.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Stan Weir in exchange for Edmonton not to select Ron Ellis.
References
- SHRP Sports
- The Internet Hockey Database
- National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
References
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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